International Journal of Nanomedicine (Apr 2023)
Cellulose Nanofiber-Coated Perfluoropentane Droplets: Fabrication and Biocompatibility Study
Abstract
Ksenia Loskutova,1 Mar Torras,1 Ying Zhao,2 Anna J Svagan,3 Dmitry Grishenkov1 1Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Huddinge, SE-141 57, Sweden; 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, SE-141 57, Sweden; 3Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, SwedenCorrespondence: Ksenia Loskutova, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Hälsovägen 11C, Huddinge, SE-14157, Sweden, Tel +46 707 26 76 77, Email [email protected]: To study the effect of cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-shelled perfluoropentane (PFP) droplets on the cell viability of 4T1 breast cancer cells with or without the addition of non-encapsulated paclitaxel.Methods: The CNF-shelled PFP droplets were produced by mixing a CNF suspension and PFP using a homogenizer. The volume size distribution and concentration of CNF-shelled PFP droplets were estimated from images taken with an optical microscope and analyzed using Fiji software and an in-house Matlab script. The thermal stability was qualitatively assessed by comparing the size distribution and concentration of CNF-shelled PFP droplets at room temperature (~22°) and 37°C. The cell viability of 4T1 cells was measured using a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Additionally, a hemolysis assay was performed to assess blood compatibility of CNF-shelled PFP droplets.Results: The droplet diameter and concentration of CNF-shelled PFP droplets decreased after 48 hours at both room temperature and 37°C. In addition, the decrease in concentration was more significant at 37°C, from 3.50 ± 0.64× 106 droplets/mL to 1.94 ± 0.10× 106 droplets/mL, than at room temperature, from 3.65 ± 0.29× 106 droplets/mL to 2.56 ± 0.22× 106 droplets/mL. The 4T1 cell viability decreased with increased exposure time and concentration of paclitaxel, but it was not affected by the presence of CNF-shelled PFP droplets. No hemolysis was observed at any concentration of CNF-shelled PFP droplets.Conclusion: CNF-shelled PFP droplets have the potential to be applied as drug carriers in ultrasound-mediated therapy.Keywords: cell viability, ultrasound-mediated therapy, paclitaxel, cellulose nanofibers, biocompatibility, 4T1, Pickering emulsion
