Biomedical subjects

Archna P Massey

Publications and source records attributed to Archna P Massey.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Gold nanoparticles as a versatile platform for optimizing physicochemical parameters for targeted drug delivery.

The development of targeted vehicles for systemic drug delivery relies on optimizing both the cell-targeting ligand and the physicochemical characteristics of the nanoparticle carrier. A versatile platform based on modification of gold nanoparticles with thiolated polymers is presented in which design parameters can be varied independently and systematically. Nanoparticle formulations of varying particle size, surface charge, surface hydrophilicity, and galactose ligand density were prepared by conjugation of PEG-thiol and galactose-PEG-thiol to gold colloids. This platform was applied to screen for nanoparticle formulations that demonstrate hepatocyte-targeted delivery in vivo. Nanoparticle size and the presence of galactose ligands were found to significantly impact the targeting efficiency. Thus, this platform can be readily applied to determine design parameters for targeted drug delivery systems.Modified gold nanoparticles are a suitable model for nanoparticle-based gene carriers.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Chemical syntheses of inhibitory substrates of the RNA-RNA ligation reaction catalyzed by the hairpin ribozyme.

The chemical syntheses of RNA oligomers containing modifications on the 5'-carbon of the 5'-terminal nucleoside for crystallographic and mechanistic studies of the hairpin ribozyme are reported. Phosphoramidites 4 and 8 were prepared and used in solid phase syntheses of RNA oligomers containing the sequence 5'-N'UCCUCUCC, where N' indicates either 5'-chloro-5'-deoxyguanosine or 5'-amino-5'-deoxyguanosine, respectively. A ribozyme ligation assay with the 5'-chloro- and 5'-amino-modified RNA oligomers demonstrated their inhibition of the hairpin-catalyzed RNA-RNA ligation reaction.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Transition state stabilization by a catalytic RNA.

The hairpin ribozyme catalyzes sequence-specific cleavage of RNA through transesterification of the scissile phosphate. Vanadate has previously been used as a transition state mimic of protein enzymes that catalyze the same reaction. Comparison of the 2.2 angstrom resolution structure of a vanadate-hairpin ribozyme complex with structures of precursor and product complexes reveals a rigid active site that makes more hydrogen bonds to the transition state than to the precursor or product. Because of the paucity of RNA functional groups capable of general acid-base or electrostatic catalysis, transition state stabilization is likely to be an important catalytic strategy for ribozymes.

Binding Sites↗