There is emerging evidence that stem cells can rejuvenate damaged cells by mitochondrial transfer. Earlier studies show that epithelial mitochondrial dysfunction is critical in asthma pathogenesis. Here we show for the first time that Miro1, a mitochondrial Rho-GTPase, regulates intercellular mitochondrial movement from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to epithelial cells (EC). We demonstrate that overexpression of Miro1 in MSC (MSCmiro(Hi)) leads to enhanced mitochondrial transfer and rescue of epithelial injury, while Miro1 knockdown (MSCmiro(Lo)) leads to loss of efficacy. Treatment with MSCmiro(Hi) was associated with greater therapeutic efficacy, when compared to control MSC, in mouse models of rotenone (Rot) induced airway injury and allergic airway inflammation (AAI). Notably, airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling were reversed by MSCmiro(Hi) in three separate allergen-induced asthma models. In a human in vitro system, MSCmiro(Hi) reversed mitochondrial dysfunction in bronchial epithelial cells treated with pro-inflammatory supernatant of IL-13-induced macrophages. Anti-inflammatory MSC products like NO, TGF-β, IL-10 and PGE2, were unchanged by Miro1 overexpression, excluding non-specific paracrine effects. In summary, Miro1 overexpression leads to increased stem cell repair.

Sib-pair analysis of 170 individuals from 11 Amish families revealed evidence for linkage of five markers in chromosome 5q31.1 with a gene controlling total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) concentration. No linkage was found between these markers and specific IgE antibody concentrations. Analysis of total IgE within a subset of 128 IgE antibody-negative sib pairs confirmed evidence for linkage to 5q31.1, especially to the interleukin-4 gene (IL4). A combination of segregation and maximum likelihood analyses provided further evidence for this linkage. These analyses suggest that IL4 or a nearby gene in 5q31.1 regulates IgE production in a nonantigen-specific (noncognate) fashion.

Nanoparticles as drug delivery system have received much attention in recent years, especially for cancer treatment. In addition to improving the pharmacokinetics of the loaded poorly soluble hydrophobic drugs by solubilizing them in the hydrophobic compartments, nanoparticles allowed cancer specific drug delivery by inherent passive targeting phenomena and adopted active targeting strategies. For this reason, nanoparticles-drug formulations are capable of enhancing the safety, pharmacokinetic profiles and bioavailability of the administered drugs leading to improved therapeutic efficacy compared to conventional therapy. The focus of this review is to provide an overview of various nanoparticle formulations in both research and clinical applications with a focus on various chemotherapeutic drug delivery systems for the treatment of cancer. The use of various nanoparticles, including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, magnetic and other inorganic nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery in cancer is detailed.

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