Role of tumor microenvironment in tumorigenesis

Tumorigenesis is a complex and dynamic process, consisting of three stages: initiation, progression, and metastasis. Tumors are encircled by extracellular matrix (ECM) and stromal cells, and the physiological state of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is closely connected to every step of tumorigenesis. Evidence suggests that the vital components of the TME are fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, neuroendocrine cells, adipose cells, immune and inflammatory cells, the blood and lymphatic vascular networks, and ECM. This manuscript, based on the current studies of the TME, offers a more comprehensive overview of the primary functions of each component of the TME in cancer initiation, progression, and invasion. The manuscript also includes primary therapeutic targeting markers for each player, which may be helpful in treating tumors.

LncRNA AATBC regulates Pinin to promote metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) have emerged as crucial regulators for a myriad of biological processes, and perturbations in their cellular expression levels have often been associated with cancer pathogenesis. In this study, we identified AATBC (apoptosis-associated transcript in bladder cancer, LOC284837) as a novel lncRNA. AATBC was found to be highly expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and increased AATBC expression was associated with poor survival in patients with NPC. Furthermore, AATBC promoted migration and invasion of NPC cells in vitro, as well as metastasis in vivo. AATBC upregulated the expression of the desmosome-associated protein pinin (PNN) through miR-1237-3p sponging. In turn, PNN interacted with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) activator ZEB1 and upregulated ZEB1 expression to promote EMT in NPC cells. Collectively, our results indicate that AATBC promotes NPC progression through the miR-1237-3p-PNN-ZEB1 axis. Our findings indicate AATBC as a potential prognostic biomarker or therapeutic target in NPC.

In situ self-assembling Au-DNA complexes for targeted cancer bioimaging and inhibition

Cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases to treat. For accurate cancer diagnosis and targeted therapy, it is important to assess the localization of the affected area of cancers. The general approaches for cancer diagnostics include pathological assessments and imaging. However, these methods only generally assess the tumor area. In this study, by taking advantage of the unique microenvironment of cancers, we effectively utilize in situ self-assembled biosynthetic fluorescent gold nanocluster-DNA (GNC-DNA) complexes to facilitate safe and targeted cancer theranostics. In in vitro and in vivo tumor models, our self-assembling biosynthetic approach allowed for precise bioimaging and inhibited cancer growth after one injection of DNA and gold precursors. These results demonstrate that in situ bioresponsive self-assembling GNC-PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) complexes could be an effective noninvasive technique for accurate cancer bioimaging and treatment, thus providing a safe and promising cancer theranostics platform for cancer therapy.

3D Printed Polyvinyl Alcohol Tablets with Multiple Release Profiles

The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of using different 3D printed internal geometries as tablet formulations to obtain controlled release profiles. In order to obtain controllable release profiles, three types of tablet models (Cylinder, Horn and Reversed Horn) with controlled structures were designed. The cylinder model shows a constant release profile and can keep the drug concentration within a certain range. The horn model exhibits an increasing release profile, which is suitable for the patients who have the drug resistance in the course of medication. The reversed horn model has a decreasing release profile that would be applied to hypertension cure. Furthermore, three types of tablets were fabricated successfully by a fused deposition modeling three-dimensional (3D) printer and injected with paracetamol (APAP) -containing gels. The results of in vitro drug release demonstrate that tablets with three kinds of structures can produce constant, gradually increasing, and gradually decreasing release profiles, respectively. The release attributes can be controlled by using different 3D printed geometries as tablet formulations. More importantly, there are no residues after dissolution. The method of preparing customized tablets with distinguished release profiles presented in this study has the promising potential in the fabrication of patient-tailored medicines.

Tumor-targeted nano-delivery system of therapeutic RNA

The birth of RNAi technology has pioneered actionability at the molecular level. Compared to DNA, RNA is less stable and therefore requires more demanding delivery vehicles. With their flexible size, shape, structure, and accessible surface modification, non-viral vectors show great promise for application in RNA delivery. Different non-viral vectors have different ways of binding to RNA. Low immunotoxicity gives RNA significant advantages in tumor treatment. However, the delivery of RNA still has many limitations in vivo. This manuscript summarizes the size-targeting dependence of different organs, followed by a summary of nanovesicles currently in or undergoing clinical trials. It also reviews all RNA delivery systems involved in the current study, including natural, bionic, organic, and inorganic systems. It summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of different delivery methods, which will be helpful for future RNA vehicle design. It is hoped that this will be helpful for gene therapy of clinical tumors.

The regulatory networks of the Hippo signaling pathway in cancer development

The Hippo signaling pathway is a relatively young tumor-related signaling pathway. Although it was discovered lately, research on it developed rapidly. The Hippo signaling pathway is closely relevant to the occurrence and development of tumors and the maintenance of organ size and other biological processes. This manuscript focuses on YAP, the core molecule of the Hippo signaling pathway, and discussion the upstream and downstream regulatory networks of the Hippo signaling pathway during tumorigenesis and development. It also summarizes the relevant drugs involved in this signaling pathway, which may be helpful to the development of targeted drugs for cancer therapy.

The long noncoding RNA AATBC promotes breast cancer migration and invasion by interacting with YBX1 and activating the YAP1/Hippo signaling pathway

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in the regulation of gene expression and are involved in several pathological responses. However, many important lncRNAs in breast cancer have not been identified and their expression levels and functions in breast cancer remain unknown. In this study, the lncRNA apoptosis-associated transcript in bladder cancer (AATBC) was found to be significantly highly expressed in breast cancer patients. In vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that AATBC promoted breast cancer metastasis. Further studies revealed that AATBC activated the YAP1/Hippo signaling pathway through the AATBC-YBX1-MST1 axis. This is also an important supplement to the composition of the YAP1/Hippo signaling pathway. The model of "AATBC-YAP1" may bring a new dawn to the treatment of breast cancer.

Bio responsive self-assembly of Au-miRNAs for targeted cancer theranostics

BACKGROUND

MicroRNA (miRNA) therapeutics are a promising approach to cancer treatment. However, this method faces considerable challenges to achieve tissue-specific, efficient, and safe delivery of miRNAs in vivo.

METHODS

Herein, we developed a miRNA delivery system based on the in situ self-assembly of Au-miRNA nanocomplexes (Au-miRNA NCs). Within the cancer microenvironment, we constructed in situ self-assembled Au-miRNA NCs by coincubating gold salt and tumor suppressor mimics, such as let-7a, miRNA-34a, and miRNA-200a.

FINDINGS

The in vitro experiments demonstrated that characteristic in situ self-assembled Au-miRNA NCs were present in cancer cells and can be taken up to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells effectively. Most importantly, as proven in subcutaneous tumor treatment models, Au-miRNA NCs were especially useful for accurate target imaging and tumor suppression, with significantly enhanced antitumor effects for combination therapy.

INTERPRETATION

These observations highlight that a new strategy for the in situ biosynthesis of Au-let-7a NCs, Au-miR-34a NCs, and Au-miR-200a NCs is feasible, and this may assist in the delivery of more miRNA to tumor cells for cancer treatment. This work opens up new opportunities for the development of miRNA tumor therapy strategies.

FUNDING

National Natural Science Foundation of China (91753106); Primary Research & Development Plan of Jiangsu Province (BE2019716); National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFA0205300).

Manganese oxide doped carbon dots for temperature-responsive biosensing and target bioimaging

We report on the synthesis of manganese oxide doped CDs (MnOx-CDs) by a hydrothermal strategy using manganese (III) acetylacetonate (Mn(III) (C5H7O2)3) as the only raw materials. The MnOx-CDs exhibit water solubility, favorable biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and show blue fluorescence with excitation/emission maxima at 326/442 nm with a quantum yield of 11.3%, allowing efficient cellular imaging. The MnOx-CDs have a reversible temperature-sensitive fluorescent property in vitro within 10-60 °C, which can also be used as a sensitive thermometer in living cells. By a scratch assay, the MnOx-CDs can restrain the migration of HepG2 cancer cells, which make the MnOx-CDs be attractive candidates for liver cancer adjuvant treatment. Besides, the fluorescence of the MnOx-CDs is quenched in the presence of Fe3+ due to the formation of a nonfluorescent MnOx-CDs-Fe3+ complex between oxygen-containing groups on the surface of MnOx-CDs and Fe3+, and the quenched fluorescence of MnOx-CDs can be turn-on by dissociation of MnOx-CDs-Fe3+ complexes by biothiols including L-cysteine, homocysteine and glutathione. Therefore, the Fe3+ and biothiols can be sequentially detected with high reliability and accuracy via exploiting the on-off-on nanosensor at room temperature, respectively. Further application to detection biothiols in human serum indicated that the probe was practicality and feasibility in medical field.

In situ biosynthesized gold nanoclusters inhibiting cancer development via the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway

Nanomaterials have made great breakthroughs in drug delivery. However, in previous studies, nanomaterials have been mostly used as vehicles to transport drugs into tumors. Herein, we first found that the in situ biosynthesized gold nanoparticles (Au NCs) can inhibit cancer development via the inhibition of some signaling pathways. Classical cell phenotypic assay tests and orthotropic liver tumor model both showed that the in situ biosynthesized Au NCs could inhibit tumor development. With the help of the RNA-seq analysis, we found that the in situ biosynthesized Au NCs could significantly inhibit the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, thus effectively impeding tumor development. This facile and effective tumor targeting theranostics in vivo can effectively cure cancers in future clinical applications.

Nanoelectrochemical biosensors for monitoring ROS in cancer cells

Compared with normal cells, cancer or tumor cells have a specific microenvironment and apparently possess a relatively large amount of ROS/RNS, and their overexpression is one of the important reasons for tumor development and deterioration. Therefore, monitoring the changes of intracellular ROS/RNS can improve the awareness of the clinical manifestations of the disease, which will be beneficial for the early diagnosis of cancer and improving treatment efficiency. Herein, in this study we have exploited and constructed a novel strategy based on the SiC@C nanowire electrode for intracellular electrochemical analysis to monitor ROS levels in cancer or tumor cells. Firstly, the SiC@C nanowire electrode was utilized to detect the intracellular ROS radical changes involved in the relevant biological processes of cancer cells where fluorescent zinc nanoclusters were biosynthesized in situ in target cancer cells by using the intracellular microenvironment and specificity of these cancer cells. By combining a confocal fluorescence microscopy study simultaneously, our observations illustrate that accompanied by the apparent change of the intracellular ROS, these in situ biosynthesized fluorescent nanoclusters gradually accumulate inside the cytosolic area with the increase of the reaction time. Moreover, it is evident that the size of the SiC@C nanoelectrodes can match the single cell dimensions, and its unique high spatial resolution provides the possibility of relevant intracellular molecular detection. These nanoelectrochemical biosensors can be adopted to quantitatively determine the change of the ROS content in target single cells in the relevant biological microenvironment or during the in situ biosynthesis process, and are also beneficial for understanding the related mechanism of some specific biological processes including the in situ synthesis at the single cell level.

In-situ bio-assembled specific Au NCs-Aptamer-Pyro conjugates nanoprobe for tumor imaging and mitochondria-targeted photodynamic therapy

Mitochondrion has emerged as a promising drug target for photodynamic therapy (PDT), due to its significant role in supporting life activities and being reactive oxygen species (ROS)-sensitive. Herein, we establish a new strategy that in-situ bio-synthesized Au NCs combine with mitochondria-targeted aptamer-Pyro conjugates (ApPCs) for specific tumor imaging and PDT. The prepared ApPCs can serve as template for the in-situ bio-synthesis of Au NCs, thereby facilitating the generation of Au NCs-ApPCs assemblies in unique tumor microenvironment. Compared with highly negatively charged ApPCs, bio-synthesized nanoscale Au NCs-ApPCs assemblies are conducive to cell uptake, which consequently benefits the delivery of ApPCs. After dissociated from Au NCs-ApPCs, internalized ApPCs can selectively accumulate in mitochondria and generate excess ROS to disrupt the mitochondrial membrane upon irradiation, thus inducing efficient cell killing. In vitro assays demonstrated that the fluorescent Au NCs-ApPCs assemblies could be specifically produced in cancerous cells, indicating the specific tumor imaging ability, while intracellular ApPCs co-localized well with mitochondria. CCK-8 results revealed over 80% cell death after PDT. In vivo study showed that fluorescent Au NCs-ApPCs assemblies were exclusively generated in tumor and achieved long-term retention; tumor growth was significantly inhibited after 15-day PDT treatment. All these evidences suggest that in-situ bio-synthesized Au NCs-ApPCs assembly is a potent mitochondria-targeted nanoprobe to boost the PDT efficacy of cancers.

Precise therapeutic effect of self-assembling gold nanocluster-PTEN complexes on an orthotropic model of liver cancer

PURPOSE

Presently, liver cancer is still one of the malignant tumors with high mortality. As far as the treatment of liver cancer is concerned, the most effective method is still liver transplantation. But every year, many liver cancer patients die from the lack of a proper liver transplant, or from waiting for a liver transplant. Therefore, it is very important to find new and effective treatment for patients with liver cancer.

METHODS

Herein, the cell model and the orthotropic liver tumor mice model have been performed to verify the results of our treatment. We found that the in situ synthesized gold nanocluster-PTEN (GNC-PTEN) complexes can effectively target and realize the fluorescence imaging of the liver tumor.

RESULTS

GNC-PTEN complexes could inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of liver cancer cells. And the results also showed that GNC-PTEN complexes could be well targeted liver tumor at 6 h and the liver tumor in mice group treated with GNC-PTEN complexes almost disappeared.

CONCLUSION

This is a simply and effectively method to realize liver cancer imaging and inhibition. This may raise the possibility for the accurate image/diagnosis and simultaneously efficient treatment of liver cancer in the relevant clinic application.

Biophysics involved in the process of tumor immune escape

Much of the current research into immune escape from cancer is focused on molecular and cellular biology, an area of biophysics that is easily overlooked. A large number of immune drugs entering the clinic are not effective for all patients. Apart from the molecular heterogeneity of tumors, the biggest reason for this may be that knowledge of biophysics has not been considered, and therefore an exploration of biophysics may help to address this challenge. To help researchers better investigate the relationship between tumor immune escape and biophysics, this paper provides a brief overview on recent advances and challenges of the biophysical factors and strategies by which tumors acquire immune escape and a comprehensive analysis of the relevant forces acting on tumor cells during immune escape. These include tumor and stromal stiffness, fluid interstitial pressure, shear stress, and viscoelasticity. In addition, advances in biophysics cannot be made without the development of detection tools, and this paper also provides a comprehensive summary of the important detection tools available at this stage in the field of biophysics.

GJB2 as a novel prognostic biomarker associated with immune infiltration and cuproptosis in ovarian cancer

Cuproptosis, a recently identified copper-dependent cell death mechanism, remains poorly unexplored in ovarian cancer (OC). This study systematically evaluates clinically significant cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) as potential prognostic biomarkers in OC. Cox regression analysis and LASSO algorithms were used to develop a prognostic risk model incorporating 5 CRGs (CD8B2, GJB2, GRIP2, MELK, and PLA2G2D) within the TCGA cohort. This model stratified OC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, with the high-risk group exhibiting significantly shorter overall survival compared to the low-risk group. The model's predictive accuracy for prognosis in OC patients was validated in the TCGA training cohort, TCGA testing cohort, and ICGC external validation cohorts. Among these 5 signature genes, the number of cuproptosis genes associated with GJB2 is the largest, so we selected GJB2 for further validation. qPCR revealed that GJB2 was highly expressed in OC cells and tumor tissues. The high expression of GJB2 was closely associated with poor prognosis in OC patients. Functionally, GJB2 silencing suppressed OC cell proliferation and migration while its overexpression promoted malignant progression and EMT. Furthermore, GJB2 regulated copper homeostasis and reduced cuproptosis sensitivity, while also facilitating immune escape by inhibiting CD8+ T cell infiltration and cytokine secretion, revealing its multiple roles in OC progression. In conclusion, we established a novel prognostic model incorporating 5 CRGs that effectively predicts clinical outcomes and characterizes the immune microenvironment in OC. Our findings particularly highlight GJB2 as a key regulator of cuproptosis with significant potential as both a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for OC management.

Author Correction: 3D Printed Polyvinyl Alcohol Tablets with Multiple Release Profiles

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Malignant features related PRDX1 associated with osimertinib sensitivity of EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma

The peroxiredoxin (PRDX) family, also known as the peroxidase family, consists of six members that participate in a variety of essential bio-processes in carcinogenesis. However, their molecular role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been systematically explored. Using bioinformatic tools, we systematically analyzed the expression, prognostic value and drug sensitivity of the PRDX gene family members in LUAD. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to verify the expression of PRDX1 in both LUAD tissues and cells. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was applied to detect the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of osimertinib in LUAD. A series of cellular drug assays, including 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), colony formation, and apoptosis assays, were performed to explore the correlation of PRDX1 with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) sensitivity by using EGFR-mutant and wild-type LUAD cell lines. Among all the PRDX family members, PRDX1 has a promising prognostic value and is associated with EGFR mutations, as verified by experiments conducted on collected LUAD specimens. In addition, pathway enrichment analysis suggested that PRDX1 expression positively correlated with DNA repair, which is often considered to be inextricably linked to drug resistance in tumor cells. Thus, we validated the correlation between PRDX1 and EGFR-TKI sensitivity through a series of in vitro experiments and found that PRDX1 inhibition along with osimertinib treatment resulted in synergistic inhibition of tumor growth. Moreover, we found that PRDX1 was negatively correlated with the immune infiltration of dendritic cells (DCs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of LUAD, further suggesting an oncogenic role of PRDX1. This study demonstrates that high PRDX1 expression could be a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker of LUAD, and the strategy of PRDX1 knockdown provides new insights into improving the therapeutic sensitivity of EGFR-TKI in patients with LUAD.

Baiting bacteria with amino acidic and peptidic corona coated defect-engineered antimicrobial nanoclusters for optimized wound healing

Keeping steps ahead of the bacteria in the race for more efficacious antibacterial strategies is increasingly difficult with the advent of bacterial resistance genes. Herein, we engineered copper sulfide nanoclusters (CuSx NCs) with variable sulfur defects for enhanced dual-treatment of bacterial infections by manipulating photothermal effects and Fenton-like activity. Next, by encasing CuSx NCs with a complex mixture of amino acids and short peptides derived from Luria-Bertani bacterial culture media as a protein corona, we managed to coax E. Coli to take up these CuSx NCs. As a whole, Amino-Pep-CuSx NCs was perceived as a food source and actively consumed by bacteria, enhancing their effective uptake by at least 1.5-fold greater than full length BSA protein BSA-corona CuSx NCs. Through strategically using defect-engineering, we successfully fine-tune photothermal effect and Fenton-like capacity of CuSx NCs. Increased sulfur defects lead to reduced but sufficient heat generation under solar-light irradiation and increased production of toxic hydroxyl radicals. By fine-tuning sulfur defects during synthesis, we achieve CuSx NCs with an optimal synergistic effect, significantly enhancing their bactericidal properties. These ultra-small and biodegradable CuSx NCs can rapidly break down after treatment for clearance. Thus, Amino-Pep-CuSx NCs demonstrate effective eradication of bacteria both in vitro and in vivo because of their relatively high uptake, optimal balanced photothermal and chemodynamic outcomes. Our study offers a straightforward and efficient method to enhance bacterial uptake of next generation of antibacterial agents.

White light powered antimicrobial nanoagents for triple photothermal, chemodynamic and photodynamic based sterilization

Antibacterial nanoagents have been increasingly developed due to their favorable biocompatibility, cost-effective raw materials, and alternative chemical or optical properties. Nevertheless, there is still a pressing need for antibacterial nanoagents that exhibit outstanding bacteria-binding capabilities and high antibacterial efficiency. In this study, we constructed a multifunctional cascade bioreactor (GCDCO) as a novel antibacterial agent. This involved incorporating carbon dots (CDs), cobalt sulfide quantum dots (CoSx QDs), and glucose oxidase (GOx) to enhance bacterial inhibition under sunlight irradiation. The GCDCO demonstrated highly efficient antibacterial capabilities attributed to its favorable photothermal properties, photodynamic activity, as well as the synergistic effects of hyperthermia, glucose-augmented chemodynamic action, and additional photodynamic activity. Within this cascade bioreactor, CDs played the role of a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT), capable of generating ˙O2- even under solar light irradiation. The CoSx QDs not only functioned as a catalytic component to decompose hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and generate hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), but they also served as heat generators to enhance the Fenton-like catalysis process. Furthermore, GOx was incorporated into this cascade bioreactor to internally supply H2O2 by consuming glucose for a Fenton-like reaction. As a result, GCDCO could generate a substantial amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to a significant synergistic effect that greatly induced bacterial death. Furthermore, the in vitro antibacterial experiment revealed that GCDCO displayed notably enhanced antibacterial activity against E. coli (99+ %) when combined with glucose under simulated sunlight, surpassing the efficacy of the individual components. This underscores its remarkable efficiency in combating bacterial growth. Taken together, our GCDCO demonstrates significant potential for use in the routine treatment of skin infections among diabetic patients.

Metabolic reprogramming in cancer and senescence

The rising trend in global cancer incidence has caused widespread concern, one of the main reasons being the aging of the global population. Statistical data show that cancer incidence and mortality rates show a clear upward trend with age. Although there is a commonality between dysregulated nutrient sensing, which is one of the main features of aging, and metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells, the specific regulatory relationship is not clear. This manuscript intends to comprehensively analyze the relationship between senescence and tumor metabolic reprogramming; as well as reveal the impact of key factors leading to cellular senescence on tumorigenesis. In addition, this review summarizes the current intervention strategies targeting nutrient sensing pathways, as well as the clinical cases of treating tumors targeting the characteristics of senescence with the existing nanodelivery research strategies. Finally, it also suggests sensible dietary habits for those who wish to combat aging. In conclusion, this review attempts to sort out the link between aging and metabolism and provide new ideas for cancer treatment.

Cellular elasticity in cancer: a review of altered biomechanical features

A large number of studies have shown that changes in biomechanical characteristics are an important indicator of tumor transformation in normal cells. Elastic deformation is one of the more studied biomechanical features of tumor cells, which plays an important role in tumourigenesis and development. Altered cell elasticity often brings many indications. This manuscript reviews the effects of altered cellular elasticity on cell characteristics, including adhesion viscosity, migration, proliferation, and differentiation elasticity and stiffness. Also, the physical factors that may affect cell elasticity, such as temperature, cell height, cell-viscosity, and aging, are summarized. Then, the effects of cell-matrix, cytoskeleton, in vitro culture medium, and cell-substrate with different three-dimensional structures on cell elasticity during cell tumorigenesis are outlined. Importantly, we summarize the current signaling pathways that may affect cellular elasticity, as well as tests for cellular elastic deformation. Finally, we summarize current hybrid materials: polymer-polymer, protein-protein, and protein-polymer hybrids, also, nano-delivery strategies that target cellular resilience and cases that are at least in clinical phase 1 trials. Overall, the behavior of cancer cell elasticity is modulated by biological, chemical, and physical changes, which in turn have the potential to alter cellular elasticity, and this may be an encouraging prediction for the future discovery of cancer therapies.