Utafiti wa riwaya unaotegemea nanoteknolojia hutoa tumaini la kutibu jeraha kubwa la figo na kutofaulu.
Figo ni chombo muhimu ambacho hufanya kazi muhimu katika mwili. Huondoa taka na maji ya ziada kutoka kwa mkondo wetu wa damu ili kutoa mkojo ambao hutiririka kutoka kwa figo hadi kwenye kibofu kupitia ureta. Taka hizi zinazozalishwa katika mwili wetu kutokana na kuvunjika kwa kawaida kwa misuli na vyakula lazima zitupwe na kutolewa kwa ufanisi.
Katika papo hapo kushindwa kwa figo, ambayo sasa inaitwa Acute Figo Injury (AKI) taka za nitrojeni hujikusanya kwa haraka na utoaji wa mkojo hupungua yaani mwili kutatizika kutoa mkojo. Hii hutokea ndani ya muda mfupi wa muda (siku au hata saa) baada ya kuanza kwa ugonjwa unaosababisha matatizo makubwa. Sababu kuu ya AKI ni mkazo wa kioksidishaji ambao hutokea kwa sababu ya kuharibika kwa usawa kati ya radicals bure na ulinzi wa kupambana na oksijeni unaotokana na kuongezeka kwa bidhaa za taka zenye oksijeni na hivyo kusababisha uharibifu wa lipids, protini na. DNA. Hali hii husababisha kuvimba na kuendeleza ugonjwa wa figo. Basi kuna uwezekano mkubwa wa kupata magonjwa ya moyo na mishipa na saratani. Ndio maana vyakula na viambata vyenye vioksidishaji vingi vinajulikana kulinda dhidi ya athari mbaya za bidhaa za taka zenye oksijeni. Wakati ukali wa ugonjwa wa figo unapoongezeka, matibabu ya usaidizi kama vile kurejesha maji mwilini na dialysis inahitajika na hata upandikizaji wa figo unaweza kuhitajika. Hakuna tiba inayopatikana kwa AKI na kuifanya kuwajibika kwa mamilioni ya vifo kila mwaka.
Kulinda na kutibu figo zilizojeruhiwa bado ni changamoto kubwa katika dawa. Dawa ya kuzuia vioksidishaji NAC (N-acetylcysteine) inayozingatiwa kiwango cha dhahabu kwa ujumla hutumiwa kulinda figo kutokana na sumu wakati wa taratibu lakini dawa hii haina bioavailability duni na hivyo haina ufanisi mdogo.
Mbinu ya Nanoteknolojia kwa Tiba
Utumiaji wa teknolojia ya nano katika mbinu za matibabu ikijumuisha tiba umeshika kasi katika miongo ya hivi karibuni. Lakini maombi hayo yameonyesha upungufu katika kutibu magonjwa ya figo. Katika utafiti mpya, wanasayansi kutoka Marekani na Uchina wameelezea mbinu mpya ya kuzuia ya kukomesha AKI na kutibu kwa kutumia nanoteknolojia inayohusisha aina ndogo za kujikusanya ambazo hupima mabilioni tu ya kipenyo cha mita. Maumbo haya yalibuniwa na kuendelezwa kwa kutumia mbinu ya nanoteknolojia iitwayo 'DNA origami' ambapo uoanishaji wa msingi wa nne DNA nucleotides is used to engineer and fabricate what is called DNA origami nanostructures (DONs). These nanostructures – either triangular, tubular or rectangular in shape – can be then used for performing various tasks inside the body. The architecture of such miundo inafaa kabisa kwa mifumo ya kuishi kwa sababu ni thabiti na ina sumu ya chini na kinga.
DNA origami nanostructures self-assemble and latch onto different parts of the kidneys and form a protective layer around them. This has been seen when assessing their physiological distribution using quantitative imaging by positron emission tomography (PET). Their study is published in Uhandisi wa Biomedical Nature. The group prepared various DNA origami structures and also used redio labelling to study their behaviour in mouse kidney while analysing them using PET imaging. They were seen to accumulate in kidneys of healthy mice as well those who had AKI.
The study showed how DNA origami nanostructures act as a fast (within only 2 hours) and very active kidney protectant and were also therapeutic in relieving symptoms of AKI. Upon examination of their real-time distribution using PET scan it was see that rectangular nanostructures particularly were most successful in protecting kidneys in the same manner as a standard drug would. These structures track down oxygen-containing waste products and insulate the cells from damage due to oxidative stress. They help maintain balance of free radicals and anti-oxidant defences in and around the kidney reducing and alleviating oxidative stress which is the leading source and symptom of AKI. The measures taken by DONs stop the kidney disease to progress. DONs were tested both on living mice kidney and human embryonic kidney cells. These structures acted as a protective guard and improved kidney function in AKI as effectively as traditional drug therapies particularly NAC drug for AKI.
Miundo ya origami ya DNA ilikuwepo mara kwa mara kwenye figo ambayo waandishi wanapendekeza ni kutokana na sababu kadhaa ikiwa ni pamoja na upinzani wa DON kwa vimeng'enya vya usagaji chakula na kuepusha kwao ufuatiliaji wa mfumo wa kinga. Kifiziolojia, uboreshaji wa utendakazi wa figo ulitathminiwa kwa kubainisha viwango vya kreatini katika seramu ya damu na nitrojeni ya urea ya damu na ikawa wazi kuwa kulikuwa na uboreshaji mkubwa katika utendakazi wa figo wa kutolea figo kulinganishwa na matibabu ya kawaida ya dawa.
This multidisciplinary study combines expertise of nanomedicine and in-vivo imaging and is the first ever to investigate distribution of DNA nanostructures in a living system by live tracking their behaviour. DONs have low toxicity in main organs of the body making them ideally suited for clinical use in humans. This modern technology is a strong foundation which can provide localized protection to kidneys from AKI and can be used to design novel therapeutic approaches for treating AKI and other kidney diseases. A solution for kidney diseases could become a reality for patients suffering from acute kidney injury. The study adds to the potential of therapeutic programmable nanostructures which can be used for targeted drug delivery and organ and tissue repair in the body.
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{Unaweza kusoma karatasi asili ya utafiti kwa kubofya kiungo cha DOI kilichotolewa hapa chini katika orodha ya (vyanzo) vilivyotajwa}
Chanzo (s)
Jiang D et al. 2018. DNA origami nanostructures can exhibit preferential renal uptake and alleviate acute kidney injury. Uhandisi wa Biomedical Nature. 2 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0317-8
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