Disputes in microcapsules
Bacterial spores will help in targeted drug delivery
Alsu Dyukina, ITEB RAS Press Service
Currently, the biotechnology industry is developing intensively. Every year, several thousand new molecules are synthesized and the issue of their delivery and improvement of existing properties is acute. A large group of scientists around the world is engaged in various ways of targeted delivery of biologically active substances. When developing a delivery method, the task is always to extract the active substances from the capsule container.
A team of authors from Pushchino, led by Sergey Tikhonenko, Candidate of Biological Sciences, leading researcher at ITEB RAS, conducted a study of dextran decapsulation by destroying the nanoscale shell of a polyelectrolyte microcapsule by Bacillus subtilis bacteria. The results of the work are published in the journal Nanomaterials (Musin et al., Decapsulation of Dextran by Destruction of Polyelectrolyte Microcapsule Nanoscale Shell by Bacillus subtilis Bacteria).
"Polyelectrolyte microcapsules are used as a means of delivering biologically active substances. In this regard, there is a need for the release (decapsulation) of these substances from capsules. At the moment, there are several ways of such decapsulation, one of which is the destruction of the shell with the help of proteolytic enzymes in the case when the shell of microcapsules consists of biodegradable polyelectrolytes. However, this method is not suitable for substances of a protein nature, which can also be damaged. Another way of destruction is with the help of magnetic particles embedded in the shell, which are "accelerated" with the help of ultrasound or microwaves, and a micro–explosion occurs. However, this method is accompanied by a local increase in temperature, which can also affect the delivered substance. Our task was to develop a milder method of destroying the microcapsule shell, which allows us to preserve substances of a protein nature as much as possible.
In this regard, we, together with colleagues from the All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms of the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, proposed the concept of using bacterial spores included in the microcapsule together with biologically active substances to destroy the capsule shell. Such encapsulated spores, getting into a favorable environment, germinate and destroy the capsule shell without affecting the encapsulated substance.
After spore germination, sufficiently large pores are formed in the capsule shell, and the active substance freely enters the environment. Thus, the technology we have developed allows us to create a means of delivering biologically active substances to the digestive system, with their controlled release in the necessary department," Sergey Tikhonenko told the press service of ITEB RAS.
The work was supported by the RFBR grant (18-34-00764).
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru