's drug delivery platform for treating dangerous heart disease is based on readily available compound nanoparticles - magnetite and silica .
Receive nanoparticles for targeted delivery of heart disease drugs
Today, one of the most promising alternatives to conventional drug treatments for dangerous diseases, such as cancer or myocardial infarction, is targeted delivery of drugs and diagnostics or theranostics. . This method ensures the delivery of drugs to specific areas of the body, individual organs or even cells using biotech products such as nanocapsules and particles.
At the same time, due to the relatively high accuracy, therapeutic diagnosis can quantitatively reduce the dosage of drugs required for treatment, and reduce the overall burden on the body in the case of using toxic drugs. However, the level of technological development does not yet allow the introduction of this method into widespread medical practice. Therefore, various types of theranostic platforms are now being developed by professional research teams in different countries.
"In our study, multilayered nanoparticles were obtained for diagnosis and targeted drug delivery of myocardial infarction. As a drug, we used a well-known pharmacological compound - quinacrine, scientist They recently discovered cardioprotective properties in it. Preclinical testing of the platform was carried out on rodents
Graduate student at the Department of Medical Research, St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University "LETI", VA Nanotechnology Research Laboratory (RRL). ) Junior Researcher.
synthesized multilayered nanoparticles with sizes up to 200 nm based on two compounds: silica (SiO2) and magnetite (Fe2O3), which were obtained by sol-gel method . The modification of the nanoparticles was carried out in the flask (at a temperature of 80 degrees) by sequentially applying four layers: organic molecules (spacers), to which quinacrine was "attached" and then with another. A layer of spacer covered the heart protector, on which were placed green fluorophores and colloidal quantum dots - compounds that served as markers for visual detection of the nanoparticles.
After that, the scientists first began by giving patients with myocardial infarctions. Rodents were given intravenous injections of nanoparticles in the form of an aqueous suspension. Because healthy and injured heart tissue have different permeability parameters, the nanoparticles gradually began to get stuck and concentrate in the infarcted area over time.
Virginia Nanotechnology. Head of the Research Laboratory Almazov" Dmitry Korolev
With the help of fluorescence tomography scanners, the researchers were able to "illuminate" the places where particles accumulate and thus localize myocardial infarctions. Additionally, the scientists were able to identify the nanoparticles in in vitro experiments as well as in rodent heart muscle and whole body experiments. After diagnosis, within a few days, the nanoparticle shell consisting of organic spacers dissolves and the cardioprotective agents begin to take effect. The findings were published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
"Our experiments show that using this theranostic platform to treat serious and widespread diseases such as myocardial infarction can have a positive impact - we recorded a reduction in its size and a reduction in the anatomical danger zone in rodents, ” Dmitry Korolev, Head of the V.A. Almazov Nanotechnology Research Laboratory.
The scientists plan to experimentally compare the effectiveness of the obtained nanoparticles with analogues being developed by leading research groups in the United States and China. The team of authors includes MD Galagudza M. M., chief researcher of the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory of the Federal State Budget Institution "National Research Center named after V. A. Almazov", among others. Overall, the researchers' work aims to develop a theranostic platform that may in the future become technologically advanced enough to be introduced into large-scale production.
