Star Polymers as Non-Viral Carriers for Apoptosis Induction

Abstract

Apoptosis is a widely controlled, programmed cell death, defects in which are the source of various diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer. The use of apoptosis in the therapy of various human diseases is of increasing interest, and the analysis of the factors involved in its regulation is valuable in designing specific carriers capable of targeting cell death. Highly efficient and precisely controlled delivery of genetic material by low-toxic carriers is one of the most important challenges of apoptosis-based gene therapy. In this work, we investigate the effect of the star polymer with 28 poly(N,N’-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) arms (STAR) on human cells, according to its concentration and structure. We show that star polymer cytotoxicity increases within its concentration and time of cells treatment. Except for cytotoxic effect, we observe morphological changes such as a shrinkage, loss of shape and begin to detach. We also prove DNA condensation after star polymer treatment, one of the most characteristic feature of apoptosis. The results indicate that the use of STAR triggers apoptosis in cancer cells compared to various normal cells, what makes these nanoparticles a promising drug in therapeutic strategy, which targets apoptosis. We demonstrate highlighting potential of star polymers as an innovative tool for anti-cancer therapy.

Using RAFT Polymerization Methodologies to Create Branched and Nanogel-Type Copolymers

“…When dispersed in aqueous media, copolymers selfassemble in different structures, such as micelles [5], vesicles [6,7], worms [8], etc., depending on their amphiphilicity, degree of polymerization, and architecture. In this way, they can act as nano reservoirs to encapsulate hydrophobic molecules [9] and/or complexes with hydrophilic (bio)macromolecules [10,11]. Careful choice of monomers can also lead to environmentally stimuli-responsive structures that can be further utilized for smart delivery and release of therapeutic molecules [12][13][14][15].…”

Gene-repaired iPS cells as novel approach for patient with osteogenesis imperfecta

“…Several groups have demonstrated that polyplexes formed by stars with nucleic acids exhibited higher transfection efficacy than their linear counterparts ( Shim et al, 2008 ; Dai et al, 2010 ; Alhoranta et al, 2011 ; Zheng et al, 2013 ). Star polymers were used in prokaryote transformation ( Souza et al, 2021 ) and transfection of the eukaryotic non-human like COS-1 ( Dai et al, 2010 ; Zhou et al, 2007 ) and human cell lines such as HT-1080, HMEC, BdEC and others ( Xu et al, 2009 ; Fus-Kujawa et al, 2020 ; Fus-Kujawa et al, 2022 ). Their use as gene delivery vectors has also included gene silencing ( Mori et al, 2009 ; Boyer et al, 2013 ).…”