| 1. |
- Regberg, Jakob, et al.
(author)
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Applications of Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Tumor Targeting and Future Cancer Therapies
- 2012
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In: Pharmaceuticals. - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8247. ; 5:9, s. 991-1007
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cell-penetrating peptides provide a highly promising strategy for intracellular drug delivery. One relevant clinical application of cell-penetrating peptides is cancer therapeutics. Peptide based delivery could increase the uptake of drugs in tumor cells and thereby increase the efficacy of the treatment, either of conventional small molecular drugs or oligonucleotide based therapeutics. This review is focused on the cancer applications of cell penetrating peptides as delivery systems; different aspects of drug loading, cargoes and delivery are discussed together with methods for targeted delivery, activatable cell-penetrating peptides and transducible agents coupled to cell-penetrating peptides.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Hernandez, Luiza I., et al.
(author)
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Methods for evaluating cell-specific, cell-internalizing RNA aptamers
- 2013
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In: Pharmaceuticals. - : Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (M D P I AG). - 1424-8247. ; 6:3, s. 295-319
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent clinical trials of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) highlight the need for robust delivery technologies that will facilitate the successful application of these therapeutics to humans. Arguably, cell targeting by conjugation to cell-specific ligands provides a viable solution to this problem. Synthetic RNA ligands (aptamers) represent an emerging class of pharmaceuticals with great potential for targeted therapeutic applications. For targeted delivery of siRNAs with aptamers, the aptamer-siRNA conjugate must be taken up by cells and reach the cytoplasm. To this end, we have developed cell- based selection approaches to isolate aptamers that internalize upon binding to their cognate receptor on the cell surface. Here we describe methods to monitor for cellular uptake of aptamers. These include: (1) antibody amplification microscopy, (2) microplate- based fluorescence assay, (3) a quantitative and ultrasensitive internalization method (QUSIM) and (4) a way to monitor for cytoplasmic delivery using the ribosome inactivating protein-based (RNA-RIP) assay. Collectively, these methods provide a toolset that can expedite the development of aptamer ligands to target and deliver therapeutic siRNAs in vivo. © 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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| 6. |
- Källén, Bengt, et al.
(author)
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The Use of Central Nervous System Active Drugs During Pregnancy
- 2013
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In: Pharmaceuticals. - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8247. ; 6:10, s. 1221-1286
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CNS-active drugs are used relatively often during pregnancy. Use during early pregnancy may increase the risk of a congenital malformation; use during the later part of pregnancy may be associated with preterm birth, intrauterine growth disturbances and neonatal morbidity. There is also a possibility that drug exposure can affect brain development with long-term neuropsychological harm as a result. This paper summarizes the literature on such drugs used during pregnancy: opioids, anticonvulsants, drugs used for Parkinson’s disease, neuroleptics, sedatives and hypnotics, antidepressants, psychostimulants, and some other CNS-active drugs. In addition to an overview of the literature, data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register (1996–2011) are presented. The exposure data are either based on midwife interviews towards the end of the first trimester or on linkage with a prescribed drug register. An association between malformations and maternal use of anticonvulsants and notably valproic acid is well known from the literature and also demonstrated in the present study. Some other associations between drug exposure and outcome were found.
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| 7. |
- Saar, Külliki, et al.
(author)
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Distribution of CPP-protein complexes in freshly resected human tissue material
- 2010
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In: Pharmaceuticals. - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8247. ; 3:3, s. 621-635
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Interest in cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) as delivery agents has fuelled a large number of studies conducted on cultured cells and in mice. However, only a few studies have been devoted to the behaviour of CPPs in human tissues. Therefore, we performed ex vivo tissue-dipping experiments where we studied the distribution of CPP-protein complexes in samples of freshly harvested human tissue material. We used the carcinomaor hyperplasia-containing specimens of the uterus and the cervix, obtained as surgical waste from nine hysterectomies. Our aim was to evaluate the tissue of preference (epithelial versus muscular/connective tissue, carcinoma versus adjacent histologicallynormal tissue) for two well-studied CPPs, the transportan and the TAT-peptide. We complexed biotinylated CPPs with avidin-β-galactosidase (ABG), which enabled us to apply whole-mount X-gal staining as a robust detection method. Our results demonstratethat both peptides enhanced the tissue distribution of ABG. The enhancing effect of the tested CPPs was more obvious in the normal tissue and in some specimens we detected a striking selectivity of CPP-ABG complexes for the normal tissue. This unexpected finding encourages the evaluation of CPPs as local delivery agents in non-malignant situations, for example in the intrauterine gene therapy of benign gynaecological diseases.
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| 8. |
- Sund, Malin, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Endogenous matrix-derived inhibitors of angiogenesis
- 2010
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In: Pharmaceuticals. - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8247. ; 3, s. 3021-3039
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis are proteins or fragments of proteins that are formed in the body, which can inhibit the angiogenic process. These molecules can be found both in the circulation and sequestered in the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding cells. Many matrix-derived inhibitors of angiogenesis, such as endostatin, tumstatin, canstatin and arresten, are bioactive fragments of larger ECM molecules. These substances become released upon proteolysis of the ECM and the vascular basement membrane (VBM) by enzymes of the tumor microenvironment. Although the role of matrix-derived angiogenesis inhibitors is well studied in animal models of cancer, their role in human cancers is less established. In this review we discuss the current knowledge about these molecules and their potential use as cancer therapeutics and biomarkers.
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| 10. |
- Ström, Jakob O., 1983-, et al.
(author)
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Hormesis and female sex hormones
- 2011
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In: Pharmaceuticals. - Basel, Switzerland : MDPIAG. - 1424-8247. ; 4:5, s. 726-740
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hormone replacement after menopause has in recent years been the subject of intense scientific debate and public interest and has sparked intense research efforts into the biological effects of estrogens and progestagens. However, there are reasons to believe that the doses used and plasma concentrations produced in a large number of studies casts doubt on important aspects of their validity. The concept of hormesis states that a substance can have diametrically different effects depending on the concentration. Even though estrogens and progestagens have proven prone to this kind of dose-response relation in a multitude of studies, the phenomenon remains clearly underappreciated as exemplified by the fact that it is common practice to only use one hormone dose in animal experiments. If care is not taken to adjust the concentrations of estrogens and progestagens to relevant biological conditions, the significance of the results may be questionable. Our aim is to review examples of female sexual steroids demonstrating bidirectional dose-response relations and to discuss this in the perspective of hormesis. Some examples are highlighted in detail, including the effects on cerebral ischemia, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases and anxiety. Hopefully, better understanding of the hormesis phenomenon may result in improved future designs of studies of female sexual steroids.
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