ITMO Plant Leaf Test System for Monitoring the Properties of Medicinal Nanopreparations

2021: Presentation of a test system for drug testing

Scientists at the University's SCAMT International Science Center ITMO have developed a plant leaf-based test system to monitor the properties of medicinal nanopreparations. Development will help significantly reduce the number of animal trials. The results of the study are published in the journal Nano Letters. This was announced by the university on November 30, 2021.

Selecting an effective model for testing nanopharmaceuticals is one of the most difficult tasks facing scientists. The test system should be as similar as possible to the part of the body that the researchers target (for example, the vascular system), and be available for observations of the action of the substance. Existing platforms based on cellular and tissue structures are not able to imagine the entire complexity of a living organism. Microfluidic chips are also used for this purpose, where channels simulating the vascular system are pushed into the film of material. However, in terms of composition and physical parameters, they are far from real biological objects, require long and expensive preparation and can distort the results of research.

Despite the promise of nanopharmaceuticals, a large number of publications and preclinical studies, there are still not enough results showing the mass translation of drugs into real practice. The request for the development of test systems that simulate the conduct of tests in living organisms is extremely high. Any attempt to move to new models brings us closer to a breakthrough and helps reduce the huge number of laboratory animals, "said Vladimir Vinogradov, co-author of the article, professor of the ITMO chemical and biological cluster.

Taking into account the shortcomings of traditional models, scientists have developed a test system based on spinach leaf. The framework of the device is a conductive sheet network from which all cellular components except the walls themselves are removed. The platform consists entirely of cellulose, a substance that gives plant tissues greater mechanical strength and shape stability compared to animals. The resulting system coincides in diameter and branching with arterioles and capillaries of the human brain, which allows it to be used to test both traditional and nanopharmaceuticals.

The test system has already been tested as a model of thrombosis. Scientists placed a model thrombus in the test vessels of the platform. Then, with the help of a magnetic field, they sent nanoparticles to the plugged zone with a drug that activates the dissolution of the clot. So they managed to successfully get rid of the thrombus and demonstrate the effectiveness of the platform. The next stage of the project is to populate the cellulosic scaffolds directly with human cells so that the test system becomes an even more plausible imitation of human vessels.

"It is important for us to draw the attention of the scientific community to the irrational use of laboratory animals. Now it is enough to test the new compound on cells and immediately run tests on living creatures. I think it's wrong. We need an intermediate stage that will send many components for refinement and save the lives of many animals. Perhaps the scaffolds from plants will just become this step, "concluded Alexandra Predeina, co-author of the article, an employee of the ITMO Department of Biotechnology.