Nanodiamonds represent an attractive potential carrier for anticancer drugs. The main advantages of nanodiamond particles with respect to medical applications are their high compatibility with non-cancerous cells, feasible surface decoration with therapeutic and cancer-cell targeting molecules, and their relatively low manufacturing cost. Additionally, nanodiamond carriers significantly increase treatment efficacy of the loaded drug, so anticancer drugs execute more effectively at a lower dose. Subsequently, lower drug dose results in less extensive side effects. The carriers decorated with a targeting molecule accumulate primarily in the tumor tissue, and those nanodiamond particles impair efflux of the drug from cancer cells. Therapeutic approaches considering nanodiamond carriers were already tested in vitro, as well as in vivo. Now, researchers focus particularly on the possible side effects of nanodiamond carriers applied systemically in vivo. The behavior of nanodiamond carriers depends heavily on their surface coatings, so each therapeutic complex must be evaluated separately. Generally, it seems that site-specific application of nanodiamond carriers is a rather safe therapeutic approach, but intravenous application needs further study. The benefits of nanodiamond carriers are remarkable and represent a potent approach to overcome the drug resistance of many cancers.

• Keywords
• Nanodiamond, cancer therapy, drug carrier, drug resistance, nanoparticles,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

In recent years, fluorescent nanodiamond (fND) particles containing nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers gained recognition as an attractive probe for nanoscale cellular imaging and quantum sensing. For these applications, precise localization of fNDs inside of a living cell is essential. Here we propose such a method by simultaneous detection of the signal from the NV centers and the spectroscopic Raman signal from the cells to visualize the nucleus of living cells. However, we show that the commonly used Raman cell signal from the fingerprint region is not suitable for organelle imaging in this case. Therefore, we develop a method for nucleus visualization exploiting the region-specific shape of C-H stretching mode and further use k-means cluster analysis to chemically distinguish the vicinity of fNDs. Our technique enables, within a single scan, to detect fNDs, distinguish by chemical localization whether they have been internalized into cell and simultaneously visualize cell nucleus without any labeling or cell-fixation. We show for the first time spectral colocalization of unmodified high-pressure high-temperature fND probes with the cell nucleus. Our methodology can be, in principle, extended to any red- and near-infrared-luminescent cell-probes and is fully compatible with quantum sensing measurements in living cells.

• MeSH
• Cell Nucleus ultrastructure   MeSH
• Cytological Techniques MeSH
• Fluorescent Dyes MeSH
• Cells, Cultured MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Molecular Imaging methods   MeSH
• Cell Line, Tumor MeSH
• Nanodiamonds * MeSH
• Spectrum Analysis, Raman MeSH
• Dental Pulp cytology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Fluorescent Dyes MeSH
• Nanodiamonds * MeSH

Nanodiamonds (ND) serve as RNA carriers with potential for in vivo application. ND coatings and their administration strategy significantly change their fate, toxicity, and effectivity within a multicellular system. Our goal was to develop multiple ND coating for effective RNA delivery in vivo. Our final complex (NDA135b) consisted of ND, polymer, antisense RNA, and transferrin. We aimed (i) to assess if a tumor-specific coating promotes NDA135b tumor accumulation and effective inhibition of oncogenic microRNA-135b and (ii) to outline off-targets and immune cell interactions. First, we tested NDA135b toxicity and effectivity in tumorospheres co-cultured with immune cells ex vivo. We found NDA135b to target tumor cells, but it binds also to granulocytes. Then, we followed with NDA135b intravenous and intratumoral applications in tumor-bearing animals in vivo. Application of NDA135b in vivo led to the effective knockdown of microRNA-135b in tumor tissue regardless administration. Only intravenous application resulted in NDA135b circulation in peripheral blood and urine and the decreased granularity of splenocytes. Our data show that localized intratumoral application of NDA135b represents a suitable and safe approach for in vivo application of nanodiamond-based constructs. Systemic intravenous application led to an interaction of NDA135b with bio-interface, and needs further examination regarding its safety.

• Keywords
• antimiR, cancer cell targeting, in vivo application, nano-bio interaction, nanodiamond, targeted nanoparticles,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Energetic ions represent an important tool for the creation of controlled structural defects in solid nanomaterials. However, the current preparative irradiation techniques in accelerators show significant limitations in scaling-up, because only very thin layers of nanoparticles can be efficiently and homogeneously irradiated. Here, we show an easily scalable method for rapid irradiation of nanomaterials by light ions formed homogeneously in situ by a nuclear reaction. The target nanoparticles are embedded in B2O3 and placed in a neutron flux. Neutrons captured by 10B generate an isotropic flux of energetic α particles and 7Li+ ions that uniformly irradiates the surrounding nanoparticles. We produced 70 g of fluorescent nanodiamonds in an approximately 30-minute irradiation session, as well as fluorescent silicon carbide nanoparticles. Our method thus increased current preparative yields by a factor of 102-103. We envision that our technique will increase the production of ion-irradiated nanoparticles, facilitating their use in various applications.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Development of multifunctional nanoscale sensors working under physiological conditions enables monitoring of intracellular processes that are important for various biological and medical applications. By attaching paramagnetic gadolinium complexes to nanodiamonds (NDs) with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres through surface engineering, we developed a hybrid nanoscale sensor that can be adjusted to directly monitor physiological species through a proposed sensing scheme based on NV spin relaxometry. We adopt a single-step method to measure spin relaxation rates enabling time-dependent measurements on changes in pH or redox potential at a submicrometre-length scale in a microfluidic channel that mimics cellular environments. Our experimental data are reproduced by numerical simulations of the NV spin interaction with gadolinium complexes covering the NDs. Considering the versatile engineering options provided by polymer chemistry, the underlying mechanism can be expanded to detect a variety of physiologically relevant species and variables.

• MeSH
• Biosensing Techniques methods   MeSH
• Time Factors MeSH
• Hydrogen-Ion Concentration MeSH
• Microscopy, Confocal MeSH
• Quantum Theory MeSH
• Nanodiamonds chemistry   ultrastructure   MeSH
• Nanotechnology methods   MeSH
• Optical Imaging methods   MeSH
• Oxidation-Reduction MeSH
• Reproducibility of Results MeSH
• Microscopy, Electron, Transmission MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Nanodiamonds MeSH