Current and Near-Future Technologies to Quantify Nanoparticle Therapeutic Loading Efficiency and Surface Coating Efficiency with Targeted Moieties

Active targeting nanoparticles are a new generation of drug and gene delivery systems with the potential for greatly improved therapeutics delivery compared to conventional nanomedicine approaches. Despite their potential, the translation of active targeting nanoparticles faces challenges in production scale-up and batch consistency. Accurate quality control methods for nanoparticle therapeutic payload and coating characterization are critical for attaining the desired levels of batch repeatability, drug/gene loading efficiency, targeting molecule coating effectiveness, and safety profiles. Current limitations in nanoparticle characterization technologies, such as relying on ensemble-average analysis, pose challenges in assessing the drug/gene content and surface modification heterogeneity, which can greatly affect therapeutic outcomes. Single-molecule analysis technologies have emerged as a promising alternative, offering rich information on heterogeneity and stochastic variations between nanoparticle batches. This review first evaluates and identifies the challenges of traditional nanoparticle characterization tools that rely on indirect, bulk solution quantification methods. Subsequently, newly emerging characterization technologies are introduced for the quantification of therapeutic loading and targeted moiety coating efficiencies with single-nanoparticle resolution, to help guide researchers towards advancing the translation of active targeting nanoparticles into the clinical setting.

Phospholipid Complex Formulation Technology for Improved Drug Delivery in Oncological Settings: a Comprehensive Review

Addressing poor solubility and permeability issues associated with synthetic drugs and naturally occurring active compounds is crucial for improving bioavailability. This review explores the potential of phospholipid complex formulation technology to overcome these challenges. Phospholipids, as endogenous molecules, offer a viable solution, with drugs complexed with phospholipids demonstrating a similar absorption mechanism. The non-toxic and biodegradable nature of the phospholipid complex positions it as an ideal candidate for drug delivery. This article provides a comprehensive exploration of the mechanisms underlying phospholipid complexes. Special emphasis is placed on the solvent evaporation method, with meticulous scrutiny of formulation aspects such as the phospholipid ratio to the drug and solvent. Characterization techniques are employed to understand structural and functional attributes. Highlighting the adaptability of the phospholipid complex, the review discusses the loading of various nanoformulations and emulsion systems. These strategies aim to enhance drug delivery and efficacy in various malignancies, including breast, liver, lung, cervical, and pancreatic cancers. The broader application of the drug phospholipid complex is showcased, emphasizing its adaptability in diverse oncological settings. The review not only explores the mechanisms and formulation aspects of phospholipid complexes but also provides an overview of key clinical studies and patents. These insights contribute to the intellectual and translational advancements in drug phospholipid complexes.

Factors affecting the preparation of nanocrystals: characterization, surface modifications and toxicity aspects

INTRODUCTION

The fabrication of well-defined nanocrystals in size and form is the focus of much investigation. In this work, we have critically reviewed several recent instances from the literature that shows how the production procedure affects the physicochemical properties of the nanocrystals.

AREAS COVERED

Scopus, MedLine, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched for peer-review articles published in the past few years using different key words. Authors chose relevant publications from their files for this review. This review focuses on the range of techniques available for producing nanocrystals. We draw attention to several recent instances demonstrating the impact of various process and formulation variables that affect the nanocrystals' physicochemical properties. Moreover, various developments in the characterization techniques explored for nanocrystals concerning their size, morphology, etc. have been discussed. Last but not least, recent applications, the effect of surface modifications, and the toxicological traits of nanocrystals have also been reviewed.

EXPERT OPINION

The selection of an appropriate production method for the formation of nanocrystals, together with a deep understanding of the relationship between the drug's physicochemical properties, unique features of the various formulation alternatives, and anticipated in-vivo performance, would significantly reduce the risk of failure during human clinical trials that are inadequate.

Silver nanoparticles induce mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and late non-canonical autophagy in HT-29 colon cancer cells

The interactions of nanomaterials with biological materials such as immortalized cell lines are recently on the rise. Owing to this superiority, the biosynthesis of AgNPs using gallic acid as a reductant was implemented in this study. After being synthesized, the AgNPs were characterized using techniques such as dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and X-ray diffraction methods. Furthermore, the AgNPs were assessed for their cytotoxic effects on the colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29. The mechanisms of such cell-killing effect were investigated by analyzing the expressions of 14 mRNAs using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The outcomes indicate that the synthesized AgNPs were cytotoxic on HT-29 cells. The expressions of all apoptotic genes analyzed including cyt-C, p53, Bax, Bcl2, CASP3, CASP8, CASP9, and CASP12 were upregulated. With regard to the autophagy-related genes, Beclin-1, XBP-1, CHOP, and LC3-II were upregulated, whereas the expressions of ATG3 and ATG12 were downregulated. To conclude, the AgNPs induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and non-canonical autophagy in HT-29 cells. A crosstalk did occur between autophagy and apoptosis in such a cell-killing effect. Hence, further studies are required to elucidate the exact mechanisms in animal models for further use of AgNPs in clinical medicine for the treatment of neoplasms of the digestive tract.

Understanding Synthesis and Structural Variation of Nanomaterials Through In Situ/Operando XAS and SAXS

Nanostructured materials with high surface area and low coordinated atoms present distinct intrinsic properties from their bulk counterparts. However, nanomaterials' nucleation/growth mechanism during the synthesis process and the changes of the nanomaterials in the working state are still not thoroughly studied. As two indispensable methods, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) provides nanomaterials' electronic structure and coordination environment, while small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) offers structural properties and morphology information. A combination of in situ/operando XAS and SAXS provides high temporal and spatial resolution to monitor the evolution of nanomaterials. This review gives a brief introduction to in situ/operando SAXS/XAS cells. In addition, the application of in situ/operando XAS and SAXS in preparing nanomaterials and studying changes of working nanomaterials are summarized.

Concentration Dependent Single Chain Properties of Poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) Subjected to Aromatic Interactions with Chlorpheniramine Maleate Studied by Diafiltration and Synchrotron-SAXS

The polyelectrolyte poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) undergoes aromatic–aromatic interaction with the drug chlorpheniramine, which acts as an aromatic counterion. In this work, we show that an increase in the concentration in the dilute and semidilute regimes of a complex polyelectrolyte/drug 2:1 produces the increasing confinement of the drug in hydrophobic domains, with implications in single chain thermodynamic behavior. Diafiltration analysis at polymer concentrations between 0.5 and 2.5 mM show an increase in the fraction of the aromatic counterion irreversibly bound to the polyelectrolyte, as well as a decrease in the electrostatic reversible interaction forces with the remaining fraction of drug molecules as the total concentration of the system increases. Synchrotron-SAXS results performed in the semidilute regimes show a fractal chain conformation pattern with a fractal dimension of 1.7, similar to uncharged polymers. Interestingly, static and fractal correlation lengths increase with increasing complex concentration, due to the increase in the amount of the confined drug. Nanoprecipitates are found in the range of 30–40 mM, and macroprecipitates are found at a higher system concentration. A model of molecular complexation between the two species is proposed as the total concentration increases, which involves ion pair formation and aggregation, producing increasingly confined aromatic counterions in hydrophobic domains, as well as a decreasing number of charged polymer segments at the hydrophobic/hydrophilic interphase. All of these features are of pivotal importance to the general knowledge of polyelectrolytes, with implications both in fundamental knowledge and potential technological applications considering aromatic-aromatic binding between aromatic polyelectrolytes and aromatic counterions, such as in the production of pharmaceutical formulations.

pH dependent aggregation and conformation changes of rituximab using SAXS and its comparison with the standard regulatory approach of biophysical characterization

Development of biologics and biosimilars involves extensive physical and structural characterization, which underlines the further course of its implementation. These characterization techniques require considerable standardization and are labor intensive. It is therefore, important to have an immediate, independent and affordable characterization strategy that may meet the regulatory guidelines. In this study, we have compared the standard biophysical characterization of an anti-CD 20 antibody with characterization by small angle x ray scattering (SAXS). Aggregation of this mAb was analyzed using standard techniques like size exclusion HPLC, dynamic light scattering and sedimentation velocity - analytical ultracentrifugation, whereas structure analysis was conducted using mass spectrometry, circular dichroism spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Our results demonstrated that the inferences about the state of mAb aggregation and its structure deduced using the standard approaches were comparable to the data interpreted using SAXS. The radius of gyration and the P(r) distribution plot obtained using the SAXS scattering data allowed analysis of aggregation and conformation of mAb via a single experiment. Thus, SAXS can be used as an independent technique to complement orthogonal analysis for determining the aggregation profile and structure of mAbs.

Microscopy and Spectroscopy Techniques for Characterization of Polymeric Membranes

Polymeric membrane is a proven technology for water purification and wastewater treatment. The membrane is also commercialized for gas separation, mainly for carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen recovery. Characterization techniques are excellent tools for exploring the membrane structure and the chemical properties. This information can be then optimized to improve the membrane for better performance. In this paper, characterization techniques for studying the physical structure such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are discussed. Techniques for investigating the crystal structure such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) are also considered. Other tools for determining the functional groups such Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are reviewed. Methods for determining the elemental composition such as energy-dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray fluorescent (XRF), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are explored. The paper also gives general guidelines for sample preparation and data interpretation for each characterization technique.

Extrinsic Measurement of Carbon Black Aggregate Distribution within a Fluoroelastomer Matrix from Nanoindentation Experiments

A novel extrinsic method for the measurement of particle surface distribution in a carbon black-filled elastomer via nanoindentation is developed. This method is based on the measurement of the contact stiffness obtained from the continuous stiffness measurement mode. The proposed tip-particle model is held by two main hypotheses: the particles do not deform significantly during indentation so that only the elastomer matrix elastically deforms; particles are physically bounded with the surrounding matrix. Therefore, when the tip comes in contact with a particle, the latter becomes a hard extension of the tip, able to deform the elastomer matrix. Finally, the evolution of the measured contact stiffness is directly related to the increase of the contact area between the tip-particles set and the elastomer matrix. The proposed model is validated through a numerical and an experimental study. Moreover, an evaluation of the measurements bias allows to correct the particle surface distribution. A good agreement is found between the distribution measured from transmission electron microscopy observations and nanoindentation measurements.

Quantitative Measure of the Size Dispersity in Ultrasmall Fluorescent Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Core-Shell Silica Nanoparticles by Small-angle X-ray Scattering

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was performed on dispersions of ultrasmall (d < 10 nm) fluorescent organic-inorganic hybrid core-shell silica nanoparticles synthesized in aqueous solutions (C' dots) by using an oscillating flow cell to overcome beam induced particle degradation. Form factor analysis and fitting was used to determine the size and size dispersity of the internal silica core containing covalently encapsulated fluorophores. The structure of the organic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) shell was modelled as a monodisperse corona containing concentrated and semi-dilute regimes of decaying density and as a simple polydisperse shell to determine the bounds of dispersity in the overall hybrid particle. C' dots containing single growth step silica cores have dispersities of 0.19-0.21; growth of additional silica shells onto the core produces a thin, dense silica layer, and increases the dispersity to 0.22-0.23. Comparison to FCS and DLS measures of size shows good agreement with SAXS measured and modelled sizes and size dispersities. Finally, comparison of a set of same sized and purified particles demonstrates that SAXS is sensitive to the skewness of the gel permeation chromatography elugrams of the original as-made materials. These and other insights provided by quantitative SAXS assessments may become useful for generation of robust nanoparticle design criteria necessary for their successful and safe use, for example in nanomedicine and oncology applications.

Characterization of Pores and Fractures in Soft Coal from the No. 5 Soft Coalbed in the Chenghe Mining Area

The characteristics of the pore structure and gas migration in soft coalbeds are the premise of evaluating gas discharge in soft coalbeds. To explore the pore structure characteristics of soft coal masses, the No. 5 soft coalbed in the eastern zone of Chenghe Mining Area, was investigated and compared with the No. 5 hard coalbed in the western zone. By using a mercury intrusion method, low-temperature liquid nitrogen adsorption, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the pore structure characteristics of the No. 5 coalbed were explored. Moreover, based on fractal theory, the pore structure of coal was characterized. The results showed the pores in soft coal mainly appeared as small pores and micropores in which the small pores accounted for nearly half of the total pore volume. Mesopores and macropores were also distributed throughout the soft coal. The mercury-injection and mercury-ejection curves of soft coal showed significant hysteresis loops, implying that pores in coal samples were mainly open while the mercury-injection curve of hard coal was consistent with its mercury-ejection curve, showing no hysteresis loop while having an even segment, which indicated that closed pores occupied the majority of the pore volume in the coal samples. The curves of low-temperature nitrogen adsorption of soft coal all follow an IV-class isotherm. Moreover, the fractal dimensions of soft coal are respectively larger than the fractal dimensions of hard coal. It can be seen that the characterization of pores and fractures of the soft coal was different from the hard coal in the western distinct of the old mining area. The gas prevention and control measures of soft coal should be formulated according to local conditions.

Characterization of fine particles using optomagnetic measurements

Measurements of optical transmission in an oscillating magnetic field are used to determine the magnetic moment and hydrodynamic size of magnetic nanoparticles.

Pulsed Laser Ablation-Induced Green Synthesis of TiO2 Nanoparticles and Application of Novel Small Angle X-Ray Scattering Technique for Nanoparticle Size and Size Distribution Analysis

This paper aims to introduce small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) as a promising technique for measuring size and size distribution of TiO₂ nanoparticles. In this manuscript, pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) has been demonstrated as a quick and simple technique for synthesizing TiO₂ nanoparticles directly into deionized water as a suspension from titanium targets. Spherical TiO₂ nanoparticles with diameters in the range 4-35 nm were observed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed highly crystalline nanoparticles that comprised of two main photoactive phases of TiO₂: anatase and rutile. However, presence of minor amounts of brookite was also reported. The traditional methods for nanoparticle size and size distribution analysis such as electron microscopy-based methods are time-consuming. In this study, we have proposed and validated SAXS as a promising method for characterization of laser-ablated TiO₂ nanoparticles for their size and size distribution by comparing SAXS- and TEM-measured nanoparticle size and size distribution. SAXS- and TEM-measured size distributions closely followed each other for each sample, and size distributions in both showed maxima at the same nanoparticle size. The SAXS-measured nanoparticle diameters were slightly larger than the respective diameters measured by TEM. This was because SAXS measures an agglomerate consisting of several particles as one big particle which slightly increased the mean diameter. TEM- and SAXS-measured mean diameters when plotted together showed similar trend in the variation in the size as the laser power was changed which along with extremely similar size distributions for TEM and SAXS validated the application of SAXS for size distribution measurement of the synthesized TiO₂ nanoparticles.

Insight to Nanoparticle Size Analysis-Novel and Convenient Image Analysis Method Versus Conventional Techniques

The aim of this paper is to introduce a new image analysis program "Nanoannotator" particularly developed for analyzing individual nanoparticles in transmission electron microscopy images. This paper describes the usefulness and efficiency of the program when analyzing nanoparticles, and at the same time, we compare it to more conventional nanoparticle analysis techniques. The techniques which we are concentrating here are transmission electron microscopy (TEM) linked with different image analysis methods and X-ray diffraction techniques. The developed program appeared as a good supplement to the field of particle analysis techniques, since the traditional image analysis programs suffer from the inability to separate the individual particles from agglomerates in the TEM images. The program is more efficient, and it offers more detailed morphological information of the particles than the manual technique. However, particle shapes that are very different from spherical proved to be problematic also for the novel program. When compared to X-ray techniques, the main advantage of the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) method is the average data it provides from a very large amount of particles. However, the SAXS method does not provide any data about the shape or appearance of the sample.

Determining Number Concentrations and Diameters of Polystyrene Particles by Measuring the Effective Refractive Index of Colloids Using Surface Plasmon Resonance

The capabilities of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for characterization of colloidal particles were evaluated for 100, 300, and 460 nm nominal diameter polystyrene (PS) latexes. First the accuracy of measuring the effective refractive index (n_eff) of turbid colloids using SPR was quantified. It was concluded that for submicrometer sized PS particles the accuracy is limited by the reproducibility between replicate injections of samples. An SPR method was developed for obtaining the particle mean diameter (d_part) and the particle number concentration (c_p) by fitting the measured n_eff of polystyrene (PS) colloids diluted in series with theoretical values calculated using the coherent scattering theory (CST). The d_part and c_p determined using SPR agreed with reference values obtained from size distributions measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the mass concentrations stated by the manufacturer. The 100 nm particles adsorbed on the sensing surface, which hampered the analysis. Once the adsorption problem has been overcome, the developed SPR method has potential to become a versatile tool for characterization of colloidal particles. In particular, SPR could form the basis of rapid and accurate methods for measuring the c_p of submicrometer particles in dispersion.

Peptides conjugated to silver nanoparticles in biomedicine – a “value-added” phenomenon

This review presents a glimpse of the various aspects of nanoparticles, in particular silver nanoparticles and their conjugation to peptides, thus opening an avenue for new discoveries in nanomaterials.