Background: Extracellular vesicles contain biological molecules specified by cell-type of origin and modified by microenvironmental changes. To conduct reproducible studies on exosome content and function, storage conditions need to have minimal impact on airway exosome integrity.Aim: We compared surface properties and protein content of airway exosomes that had been freshly isolated vs. those that had been treated with cold storage or freezing.Methods: Mouse bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) exosomes purified by differential ultracentrifugation were analysed immediately or stored at +4°C or −80°C. Exosomal structure was assessed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and charge density (zeta potential, ζ). Exosomal protein content, including leaking/dissociating proteins, were identified by label-free LC-MS/MS.Results: Freshly isolated BALF exosomes exhibited a mean diameter of 95 nm and characteristic morphology. Storage had significant impact on BALF exosome size and content. Compared to fresh, exosomes stored at +4°C had a 10% increase in diameter, redistribution to polydisperse aggregates and reduced ζ. Storage at −80°C produced an even greater effect, resulting in a 25% increase in diameter, significantly reducing the ζ, resulting in multilamellar structure formation. In fresh exosomes, we identified 1140 high-confidence proteins enriched in 19 genome ontology biological processes. After storage at room temperature, 848 proteins were identified. In preparations stored at +4°C, 224 proteins appeared in the supernatant fraction compared to the wash fractions from freshly prepared exosomes; these proteins represent exosome leakage or dissociation of loosely bound “peri-exosomal” proteins. In preparations stored at −80°C, 194 proteins appeared in the supernatant fraction, suggesting that distinct protein groups leak from exosomes at different storage temperatures.Conclusions: Storage destabilizes the surface characteristics, morphological features and protein content of BALF exosomes. For preservation of the exosome protein content and representative functional analysis, airway exosomes should be analysed immediately after isolation.

BackgroundThere is renewed interest in magnetic hyperthermia as a treatment modality for cancer, especially when it is combined with other more traditional therapeutic approaches, such as the co-delivery of anticancer drugs or photodynamic therapy.MethodsThe influence of bimagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) combined with short external alternating magnetic field (AMF) exposure on the growth of subcutaneous mouse melanomas (B16-F10) was evaluated. Bimagnetic Fe/Fe3O4 core/shell nanoparticles were designed for cancer targeting after intratumoral or intravenous administration. Their inorganic center was protected against rapid biocorrosion by organic dopamine-oligoethylene glycol ligands. TCPP (4-tetracarboxyphenyl porphyrin) units were attached to the dopamine-oligoethylene glycol ligands.ResultsThe magnetic hyperthermia results obtained after intratumoral injection indicated that micromolar concentrations of iron given within the modified core-shell Fe/Fe3O4 nanoparticles caused a significant anti-tumor effect on murine B16-F10 melanoma with three short 10-minute AMF exposures. We also observed a decrease in tumor size after intravenous administration of the MNPs followed by three consecutive days of AMF exposure 24 hrs after the MNPs injection.ConclusionsThese results indicate that intratumoral administration of surface modified MNPs can attenuate mouse melanoma after AMF exposure. Moreover, we have found that after intravenous administration of micromolar concentrations, these MNPs are capable of causing an anti-tumor effect in a mouse melanoma model after only a short AMF exposure time. This is a clear improvement to state of the art.

Localized magnetic hyperthermia as a treatment modality for cancer has generated renewed interest, particularly if it can be targeted to the tumor site. We examined whether tumor-tropic neural progenitor cells (NPCs) could be utilized as cell delivery vehicles for achieving preferential accumulation of core/shell iron/iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) within a mouse model of melanoma. We developed aminosiloxane-porphyrin functionalized MNPs, evaluated cell viability and loading efficiency, and transplanted neural progenitor cells loaded with this cargo into mice with melanoma. NPCs were efficiently loaded with core/shell Fe/Fe 3 O 4 MNPs with minimal cytotoxicity; the MNPs accumulated as aggregates in the cytosol. The NPCs loaded with MNPs could travel to subcutaneous melanomas, and after A/C (alternating current) magnetic field (AMF) exposure, the targeted delivery of MNPs by the cells resulted in a measurable regression of the tumors. The tumor attenuation was significant (p<0.05) a short time (24 hours) after the last of three AMF exposures. Keywords nanotechnology; cell-based; targeted delivery; magnetic nanoparticles; magnetic hyperthermia; melanoma; neural progenitor cellsThe incidence and mortality rate of malignant melanoma continues to increase at an alarming rate worldwide.1 Disseminated melanoma is not curable using current clinical * Corresponding author: Deryl Troyer, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, 228 Coles Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA troyer@vet.ksu.edu,. ** Both of these authors contributed equally to this work. Supporting Information Available:Supplemental Figures S1 and S2 show a TEM image of MNPs and a photo of a hemacytometer grid with trypan blue-stained, MNP-loaded NPCs, respectively. The figures and accompanying legends are available This material is available free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org. NIH Public AccessAuthor Manuscript ACS Nano. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 December 28. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript tools; traditional chemotherapy is ineffective due to inherent drug-resistant characteristics of the disease.2 , 3The pioneering studies of Gordon et al. demonstrated induced intracellular hyperthermia using dextran magnetite nanoparticles in a high frequency magnetic field (such as 500 kHz); the advantages of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), such as negligible or low toxicity, biocompatibility, injectability into the blood stream, and potential accumulation in the target tumor, make them prime candidates for hyperthermia applications.4 However, the specific absorption rates (SARs) of those early systems were low. It will be of great importance to achieve a high monodispersity of the magnetic nanoparticles, because only then can the A/ C-excitation be optimized to achieve very high specific absorption rates. Magnetic hyperthermia has recently garnered new interest as a cancer therapy because technological advances allow heat delivery to be more precisely contro...

Using magnetic nanoparticles to absorb alternating magnetic field energy as a method of generating localized hyperthermia has been shown to be a potential cancer treatment. This report demonstrates a system that uses tumor homing cells to actively carry iron/iron oxide nanoparticles into tumor tissue for alternating magnetic field treatment. Paramagnetic iron/ iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and loaded into RAW264.7 cells (mouse monocyte/ macrophage-like cells), which have been shown to be tumor homing cells. A murine model of disseminated peritoneal pancreatic cancer was then generated by intraperitoneal injection of Pan02 cells. After tumor development, monocyte/macrophage-like cells loaded with iron/ iron oxide nanoparticles were injected intraperitoneally and allowed to migrate into the tumor. Three days after injection, mice were exposed to an alternating magnetic field for 20 minutes to cause the cell-delivered nanoparticles to generate heat. This treatment regimen was repeated three times. A survival study demonstrated that this system can significantly increase survival in a murine pancreatic cancer model, with an average post-tumor insertion life expectancy increase of 31%. This system has the potential to become a useful method for specifically and actively delivering nanoparticles for local hyperthermia treatment of cancer.

This paper describes the preparation and isolation of novel octahedral CH2-bridged bis-(N-heterocyclic carbene)palladium(IV) tetrachlorides of the general formula LPdIVCl4 [L = (NHC)CH2(NHC)] from LPdIICl2 and Cl2. In intermolecular, non-chelation controlled transformations LPdIVCl4 reacted with alkenes and alkynes to 1,2-dichlorination adducts. Aromatic, benzylic, and aliphatic CH-bonds were converted into C-Cl bonds. Detailed mechanistic investigations in the dichlorinations of alkenes were conducted on the 18VE PdIV-complex. Positive solvent effects as well as kinetic measurements probing the impact of cyclohexene- and chloride concentrations on the rate of alkene chlorination, support a PdIV-Cl ionization in the first step. Product stereochemistry and product distributions from various alkenes also support Cl+-transfer from the pentacoordinated PdIV-intermediate LPdIVCl3+ to olefins. 1-hexene/3-hexene competition experiments rule out both the formation of π-complexes along the reaction coordinate as well as in situ generated Cl2 from a reductive elimination process. Instead, a ligand-mediated direct Cl+-transfer from LPdIVCl3+ to the π-system is likely to occur. Similarly, C-H bond chlorinations proceed via an electrophilic process with in situ formed LPdIVCl3+. The presence of a large excess of added Cl− slows down cyclohexene chlorination while the presence of stoichiometric amounts of chloride accelerates both PdIV-Cl ionization and Cl+-transfer from LPdIVCl3+. 1H NMR titrations, T1 relaxation time measurements, binding isotherms and Job plot analysis point to the formation of a trifurcated Cl−…H-C bond in the NHC-ligand periphery as a supramolecular cause for the accelerated chemical events involving the metal center.

Numerous proteases are known to be necessary for cancer development and progression including matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue serine proteases, and cathepsins. The goal of this research is to develop an Fe/Fe3O4 nanoparticle-based system for clinical diagnostics, which has the potential to measure the activity of cancer-associated proteases in biospecimens. Nanoparticle-based "light switches" for measuring protease activity consist of fluorescent cyanine dyes and porphyrins that are attached to Fe/Fe3O4 nanoparticles via consensus sequences. These consensus sequences can be cleaved in the presence of the correct protease, thus releasing a fluorescent dye from the Fe/Fe3O4 nanoparticle, resulting in highly sensitive (down to 1 × 10(-16) mol l(-1) for 12 proteases), selective, and fast nanoplatforms (required time: 60 min).

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SummaryThe targeted delivery of therapeutics to the tumor site is highly desirable in cancer treatment, because it is capable of minimizing collateral damage. Herein, we report the synthesis of a nanoplatform, which is composed of a 15 ± 1 nm diameter core/shell Fe/Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and the topoisomerase I blocker SN38 bound to the surface of the MNPs via a carboxylesterase cleavable linker. This nanoplatform demonstrated high heating ability (SAR = 522 ± 40 W/g) in an AC-magnetic field. For the purpose of targeted delivery, this nanoplatform was loaded into tumor-homing double-stable RAW264.7 cells (mouse monocyte/macrophage-like cells (Mo/Ma)), which have been engineered to express intracellular carboxylesterase (InCE) upon addition of doxycycline by a Tet-On Advanced system. The nanoplatform was taken up efficiently by these tumor-homing cells. They showed low toxicity even at high nanoplatform concentration. SN38 was released successfully by switching on the Tet-On Advanced system. We have demonstrated that this nanoplatform can be potentially used for thermochemotherapy. We will be able to achieve the following goals: (1) Specifically deliver the SN38 prodrug and magnetic nanoparticles to the cancer site as the payload of tumor-homing double-stable RAW264.7 cells; (2) Release of chemotherapeutic SN38 at the cancer site by means of the self-containing Tet-On Advanced system; (3) Provide localized magnetic hyperthermia to enhance the cancer treatment, both by killing cancer cells through magnetic heating and by activating the immune system.