Externally triggered thermogenic nanoparticles (NPs) are potential drug carriers and heating agents for drug delivery and hyperthermia. A good understanding of transport and adhesion behaviors of NPs in microvessels is...

Sol-gel method is used for the formation of Pb0.499Sr0.499TiO3 (PST)thin films. The initial films were prepared with spin coating sol solution on silicon wafer and drying at room temperature and then heating coated dry sol film at 400°C for 10min. This process was repeated for 1-4 times to obtain 4 initial films with different thicknesses. The 4 initial films were annealed at 700°C for 2h to obtain PST ceramics films. The morphologies of the surface and cross-section of PST films were observed with a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The phase structures of PST films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction meter (XRD). Experimental results show that PST film prepared by coating sol on silicon with different thicknesses can be high smooth,uniform and compact film.

Background A good understanding of the adhesion behaviors of the nanocarriers in microvessels in chemo-hyperthermia synergistic therapy is conducive to nanocarrier design for targeted drug delivery. Methods In this study, we constructed an artificial blood vessel system using gelatins with a complete endothelial monolayer formed on the inner vessel wall. The numbers of adhered NPs under different conditions were measured, as well as the interaction forces between the arginine–glycine–aspartic acid (RGD) ligands and endothelial cells. Results The experimental results on the adhesion of ligand–coated nanoparticles (NPs) with different sizes and morphologies in the blood vessel verified that the gelatin-based artificial vessel possessed good cytocompatibility and mechanical properties, which are suitable for the investigation on NP adhesion characteristics in microvessels. When the temperature deviated from 37 °C, an increase or decrease in temperature resulted in a decrease in the number of adhered NPs, but the margination probability of NP adhesion increased at high temperatures due to the enhanced Brownian movement and flow disturbance. It is found that the effect of cooling was less than that of heating according to the observed changes in cell morphology and a decrease in cell activity under the static and perfusion culture conditions within the temperature range of 25 °C–43 °C. Furthermore, the measurement results of change in the RGD ligand-cell interaction with temperature showed good agreement with those in the number of adhered NPs. Conclusion The Findings suggest that designing ligands that can bind to the receptor and are least susceptible to temperature variation can be an effective means to enhance drug retention.

Hydrophilic/hydrophobic behavior on Ti foil surface prepared during anodization process was examined. The titanium foils were anodized in electrolyte contained 0.25wt% NH4F, 2.5vol% water and the ethylene glycol under direct voltage of 40V at room temperature for 3h. The anodized specimens were oscillated in ultrasonic clearer for 10 min or 30 min. The surface morphologies of the specimens during different stages of the process were observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The wettability of specimen surface was estimated by measuring contact angle (CA) of water droplets on specimen surface. The results show wetting angle on the surface of the Ti specimens after anodization process is at the range of 149° to 153°, indicating hydrophobic or even superhydrophobic property. CAs on the anodized specimens after oscillation in ultrasonic clearer is at the range of 25° to 42°, indicating the hydrophilic property. Hydrophilic/hydrophobic behavior on Ti foil surface during the process was explained by morphology on titanium surface.