No abstract

In this work the physico-chemical properties of selected cryoprotectants (antifreeze protein TrxA-AFP752, trehalose and dimethyl sulfoxide) were correlated with their impact on the constitution of ice and influence on frozen/thawed cell viability. The freezing processes and states of investigated materials solutions were described and explained from a fundamental point of view using ab-initio modelling (molecular dynamics, DFT), Raman spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry and X-Ray Diffraction. For the first time, in this work we correlated the microscopic view (modelling) with the description of the frozen solution states and put these results in the context of human skin fibroblast viability after freezing and thawing. DMSO and AFP had different impacts on their solution's freezing process but in both cases the ice crystallinity size was considerably reduced. DMSO and AFP treatment in different ways improved the viability of frozen/thawed cells.

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are versatile nanoparticles that are currently being investigated for a variety of applications in drug delivery, biomedical imaging and nanoscale sensing. Although initial studies indicate that these small gems are biocompatible, there is a great deal of variability in synthesis methods and surface functionalization that has yet to be evaluated. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of the cellular compatibility of an array of nanodiamond subtypes and surface functionalization strategies. These results demonstrate that NDs are well tolerated by multiple cell types at both functional and gene expression levels. In addition, ND-mediated delivery of daunorubicin is less toxic to multiple cell types than treatment with daunorubicin alone, demonstrating the ability of the ND agent to improve drug tolerance and decrease therapeutic toxicity. Overall, the results here indicate that ND biocompatibility serves as a promising foundation for continued preclinical investigation.