Tambet Teesalu

The present study investigated the production of reactive chlorine species (RCS) by Ar/O 2 and He/O 2 radiofrequency plasma jets in saline solution, and the sensitivity of the liver cancer cell line HepG2 to RCS and H 2 O 2 . Both plasma jets were able to produce RCS; however, at similar plasma powers, pressures, and feed gas flow rates, the He/O 2 jet was more efficient for RCS production. The lower RCS yield in the case of the Ar/O 2 plasma jet was mainly due to the higher RCS quenching. At a low production rate, RCS can be produced in the open air. Viability tests showed that HepG2 cells were more sensitive to H 2 O 2 than RCS.

Homing peptides are widely used to improve the delivery of drugs, imaging agents, and nanoparticles (NPs) to their target sites. Plant virus-based particles represent an emerging class of structurally diverse nanocarriers that are biocompatible, biodegradable, safe, and cost-effective. Similar to synthetic NPs, these particles can be loaded with imaging agents and/or drugs and functionalized with affinity ligands for targeted delivery. Here we report the development of a peptide-guided Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus (TBSV)-based nanocarrier platform for affinity targeting with the C-terminal C-end rule (CendR) peptide, RPARPAR (RPAR). Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy demonstrated that the TBSV-RPAR NPs bind specifically to and internalize in cells positive for the peptide receptor neuropilin-1 (NRP-1). TBSV-RPAR particles loaded with a widely used anticancer anthracycline, doxorubicin, showed selective cytotoxicity on NRP-1-expressing cells. Following systemic administration in mice, RPAR functionalization conferred TBSV particles the ability to accumulate in the lung tissue. Collectively, these studies show the feasibility of the CendR-targeted TBSV platform for the precision delivery of payloads.