Therapeutic strategies by modulating oxygen stress in cancer and inflammation

Ferroptosis: A potential opportunity for intervention of pre-metastatic niche

It is widely thought that the tumor microenvironment (TME) provides the "soil" for malignant tumors to survive. Prior to metastasis, the interaction at the host site between factors secreted by primary tumors, bone-marrow-derived cells, with stromal components initiates and establishes a pre-metastatic niche (PMN) characterized by immunosuppression, inflammation, angiogenesis and vascular permeability, as well as lymphangiogenesis, reprogramming and organotropism. Ferroptosis is a non-apoptotic cell death characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation and metabolic constraints. Ferroptotic cancer cells release various signal molecules into the TME to either suppress or promote tumor progression. This review highlights the important role played by ferroptosis in PMN, focusing on the relationship between ferroptosis and PMN characteristics, and discusses future research directions.

Rosmarinic and chlorogenic acid, isolated from ferns, suppress stem cell damage induced by hydrogen peroxide

OBJECTIVES

Evaluating the effects of rosmarinic (RA) and cryptochlorogenic (CGA) acids isolated from Blechnum binervatum extract on stem cell viability, toxicity and the protective effect on oxidative cell damage.

METHODS

MTT and LDH methods were employed, using stem cells from teeth. RA and CGA were evaluated at 100, 250 and 500 µM. The negative effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (200-2200 µM) and the capacity of RA and CGA (10-100 µM) as protective agents were also evaluated. DAPI followed by fluorescent microscopy was employed to photograph the treated and untreated cells.

KEY FINDINGS

At all tested concentrations, RA and CGA demonstrated the ability to maintain cell viability, and with no cytotoxic effects on the treated stem cells. RA also induced an increase of the cell viability and a reduction in cytotoxicity. H2O2 (1400 µM) induced >50% of cytotoxicity, and both compounds were capable of suppressing H2O2 damage, even at the lowest concentration. At 100 µM, in H2O2 presence, total cell viability was observed through microscope imaging.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings contribute to the continued research into natural substances with the potential for protecting cells against oxidative injury, with the consideration that RA and CGA are useful in the regeneration of damaged stem cells.

Electrostimulus-triggered reactive oxygen species level in organelles revealed by organelle-targeting SERS nanoprobes

Electrostimulation (ES) is an important therapeutic method for diseases caused by abnormal intracellular electrical activity. Also, it can induce apoptosis of cells, which is a potential tumor treatment method. At present, there are no relevant studies on changes in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels produced in the process of ES, or on the effects of simultaneous implementation of conventional antioxidant inhibitor drugs and ES therapy. To reveal these, two organelle-targeting core-shell plasmonic probes were designed for measuring ROS produced during ES. The probes were delivered into target organelles (nucleus and mitochondrion) before the cells were electrically stimulated for different periods of time. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals were detected in situ, and the sensing mechanism for the quantitative analysis of ROS is based on the signal reduction of SERS caused by the ROS-etching effect on the silver shell. The detection results revealed that ES could trigger ROS generation in cells, and the ROS levels localized around organelles were assessed by SERS. This study has great potential for exploring abnormal organelle microenvironments via organelle-targeting probes combined with SERS technology.

Harnessing immune response using reactive oxygen Species-Generating/Eliminating inorganic biomaterials for disease treatment

With the increasing understanding of various biological functions mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the immune system, a number of studies have been designed to develop ROS-generating/eliminating strategies to selectively modulate immunogenicity for disease treatment. These strategies potentially exploit ROS-modulating inorganic biomaterials to harness host immunity to maximize the therapeutic potency by eliciting a favorable immune response. Inorganic biomaterial-guided in vivo ROS scavenging can exhibit several effects to: i) reduce the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors, ii) induce the phenotypic transition of macrophages from inflammatory M1 to immunosuppressive M2 phase, iii) minimize the recruitment and infiltration of immune cells. and/or iv) suppress the activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway. Inversely, ROS-generating inorganic biomaterials have been found to be capable of: i) inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), ii) reprograming tumor-associated macrophages from M2 to M1 phenotypes, iii) activating inflammasomes to stimulate tumor immunogenicity, and/or iv) recruiting phagocytes for antimicrobial therapy. This review provides a systematic and up-to-date overview on the progress related to ROS-nanotechnology mediated immunomodulation. We highlight how the ROS-generating/eliminating inorganic biomaterials can converge with immunomodulation and ultimately elicit an effective immune response against inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and/or cancers. We expect that contents presented in this review will be beneficial for the future advancements of ROS-based nanotechnology and its potential applications in this evolving field.

Herb and Spices in Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Treatment: A Narrative Review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most deadly cancer worldwide. CRC management is challenging due to late detection, high recurrence rate, and multi-drug resistance. Herbs and spices used in cooking, practised for generations, have been shown to contain CRC protective effect or even be useful as an anti-CRC adjuvant therapy when used in high doses. Herbs and spices contain many bioactive compounds and possess many beneficial health effects. The chemopreventive properties of these herbs and spices are mainly mediated by the BCL-2, K-ras, and MMP pathways, caspase activation, the extrinsic apoptotic pathway, and the regulation of ER-stress-induced apoptosis. As a safer natural alternative, these herbs and spices could be good candidates for chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agents for CRC management because of their antiproliferative action on colorectal carcinoma cells and inhibitory activity on angiogenesis. Therefore, in this narrative review, six different spices and herbs: ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), garlic (Allium sativum L.), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), and flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) used in daily cuisine were selected for this study and analyzed for their chemoprotective or chemotherapeutic roles in CRC management with underlying molecular mechanisms of actions. Initially, this study comprehensively discussed the molecular basis of CRC development, followed by culinary and traditional uses, current scientific research, and publications of selected herbs and spices on cancers. Lead compounds have been discussed comprehensively for each herb and spice, including anti-CRC phytoconstituents, antioxidant activities, anti-inflammatory properties, and finally, anti-CRC effects with treatment mechanisms. Future possible works have been suggested where applicable.

Anticancer Effect of Spices Used in Mediterranean Diet: Preventive and Therapeutic Potentials

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with almost 10 million cancer-related deaths worldwide in 2020, so any investigation to prevent or cure this disease is very important. Spices have been studied widely in several countries to treat different diseases. However, studies that summarize the potential anticancer effect of spices used in Mediterranean diet are very limited. This review highlighted chemo-therapeutic and chemo-preventive effect of ginger, pepper, rosemary, turmeric, black cumin and clove. Moreover, the mechanisms of action for each one of them were figured out such as anti-angiogenesis, antioxidant, altering signaling pathways, induction of cell apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest, for several types of cancer. The most widely used spice in Mediterranean diet is black pepper (Piper nigrum L). Ginger and black cumin have the highest anticancer activity by targeting multiple cancer hallmarks. Apoptosis induction is the most common pathway activated by different spices in Mediterranean diet to inhibit cancer. Studies discussed in this review may help researchers to design and test new anticancer diets enriched with selected spices that have high activities.

Integrated application of multi-omics approach and biochemical assays provides insights into physiological responses to saline-alkaline stress in the gills of crucian carp (Carassius auratus)

Given the decline of freshwater resources in recent years, the accessible space for freshwater aquaculture is rapidly shrinking, and aquaculture in saline-alkaline water has become a critical approach to meet the rising demand. However, the molecular mechanism behind the adverse effects of saline-alkaline water on fish and the regulatory mechanism in fish tolerance remains unclear. Here, adult crucian carp (Carassius auratus) were exposed to 60 mmol/L NaHCO₃ for 30 days. It was observed that long-term carbonate alkalinity (CA) exposure not only caused gill oxidative stress but also changed the levels of several physiological parameters associated with ammonia transport, including blood ammonia, urea nitrogen (BUN), glutamine (Gln), and glutamine synthetase (GS). According to the metabolomics study, differential metabolites (DMs) engaged in various metabolic pathways, such as glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism. In addition, transcriptomics data showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were closely related to ammonia transport, apoptosis, and immunological response. In general, comprehensive multi-omics and biochemical analysis revealed that crucian carp might adopt Rh glycoprotein as a carrier to mediate ammonia transport and increase glutamine and urea synthesis under long-term high saline-alkaline stress to mitigate the adverse effects of blocked ammonia excretion. Simultaneously, saline-alkaline stress caused the destruction of the antioxidant system and the disorder of lipid metabolism in the crucian carp gills, which induced apoptosis and immunological response. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate fish's molecular and metabolic mechanisms under saline-alkaline stress using integrated metabolomics, transcriptomics, and biochemical assays. Overall, the results of this study provided new insights into the molecular mechanism behind the adverse effects of saline-alkaline water on fish and the regulatory mechanism in fish tolerance.

Osteoblast lineage Sod2 deficiency leads to an osteoporosis-like phenotype in mice

Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and strength associated with fragility fractures. Oxidative stress, which results from elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and arises in the aging organism, is considered one of the critical factors contributing to osteoporosis. Mitochondrial (mt)ROS, as the superoxide anion (O₂⁻) generated during mitochondrial respiration, are eliminated in the young organism by antioxidant defense mechanisms, including superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), the expression and activity of which are decreased in aging mesenchymal progenitor cells, accompanied by increased mtROS production. Using a mouse model of osteoblast lineage cells with Sod2 deficiency, we observed significant bone loss in trabecular and cortical bones accompanied by decreased osteoblast activity, increased adipocyte accumulation in the bone marrow and augmented osteoclast activity, suggestive of altered mesenchymal progenitor cell differentiation and osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, osteoblast senescence was increased. To date, there are only a few studies suggesting a causal association between mtROS and cellular senescence in tissue in vivo. Targeting SOD2 to improve redox homeostasis could represent a potential therapeutic strategy for maintaining bone health during aging.

Summary: Osteoblast-lineage specific Sod2 deficiency in mice leads to increased mtROS, impaired osteoblast function, increased adipogenesis, increased osteoclast activity and increased osteoblast senescence, resulting in bone loss.

The Relationship between Cancer and Paraoxonase 1

Extensive research has been carried out to understand and elucidate the mechanisms of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) in the development of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, and inflammatory diseases. This review focuses on the relationship between PON1 and cancer. The data suggest that PON1, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and cancer are closely linked. Certainly, the gene expression of PON1 will remain challenging to study. Therefore, targeting PON1, redox-sensitive pathways, and transcription factors promise prevention and therapy in the development of several diseases, including cancer.

Conductive Adhesive and Antibacterial Zwitterionic Hydrogel Dressing for Therapy of Full-Thickness Skin Wounds

Any sort of wound injury leads to the destruction of skin integrity and wound formation, causing millions of deaths every year and accounting for 10% of death rate insight into various diseases. The ideal biological wound dressings are expected to possess extraordinary mechanical characterization, cytocompatibility, adhesive properties, antibacterial properties, and conductivity of endogenous electric current to enhance the wound healing process. Recent studies have demonstrated that biomedical hydrogels can be used as typical wound dressings to accelerate the whole healing process due to them having a similar composition structure to skin, but they are also limited by ideal biocompatibility and stable mechanical properties. To extend the number of practical candidates in the field of wound healing, we designed a new structural zwitterion poly[3-(dimethyl(4-vinylbenzyl) ammonium) propyl sulfonate] (SVBA) into a poly-acrylamide network, with remarkable mechanical properties, stable rheological property, effective antibacterial properties, strong adsorption, high penetrability, and good electroactive properties. Both in vivo and in vitro evidence indicates biocompatibility, and strong healing efficiency, indicating that poly (AAm-co-SVBA) (PAS) hydrogels as new wound healing candidates with biomedical applications.

Polysaccharide-based electroconductive hydrogels: Structure, properties and biomedical applications

Architecting an appropriate platform for biomedical applications requires setting a balance between simplicity and complexity. Polysaccharides (PSAs) play essential roles in our life in food resources, structural materials, and energy storage capacitors. Moreover, the diversity and abundance of PSAs have made them an indispensable part of food ingredients and cosmetics. PSA-based hydrogels have been extensively reviewed in biomedical applications. These hydrogels can be designed in different forms to show optimum performance. For instance, electroactive PSA-based hydrogels respond under an electric stimulus. Such performance can be served in stimulus drug release and determining cell fate. This review classifies and discusses the structure, properties, and applications of the most important polysaccharide-based electroactive hydrogels (agarose, alginate, chitosan, cellulose, and dextran) in medicine, focusing on their usage in tissue engineering, flexible electronics, and drug delivery applications.

Hyaluronic acid-modified redox-sensitive hybrid nanocomplex loading with siRNA for non-small-cell lung carcinoma therapy

A novel hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified hybrid nanocomplex HA-SeSe-COOH/siR-93C@PAMAM, which could efficiently deliver siRNA into tumor cells via a redox-mediated intracellular disassembly, was constructed for enhanced antitumor efficacy. Thereinto, siR-93C (siRNA) and positive PAMAM were firstly mixed into the electrostatic nano-intermediate, and then diselenide bond (-SeSe-)-modified HA was coved to shield excessive positive charges. This hybrid nanocomplex displayed uniform dynamic sizes, high stability, controlled zeta potential and narrow PDI distribution. Moreover, the -SeSe- linkage displayed GSH/ROS dual responsive properties, improving intracellular trafficking of siRNA. In vitro assays in A549 cell line presented that HA-SeSe-COOH/siR-93C@PAMAM has low cytotoxicity, rapid lysosomal escape and significant transfection efficiency; besides, an efficient proliferation inhibition ability and enhanced apoptosis. Furthermore, in animal studies, this negative-surfaced hybrid nanocomplex showed a prolonged circulation in blood and improved inhibition of tumor growth. All these results verified our hypothesis in this study that diselenide bonds-modified HA could promote not only stability and safety of nanoparticles in vivo but also intracellular behavior of siRNA via redox-dual sensitive properties; furthermore, this hybrid nanocomplex provided a visible potential approach for siRNA delivery in the antitumor field.

Photothermal-enhanced antibacterial and antioxidant hydrogels dressings based on catechol-modified chitosan derived carbonized polymer dots for effective treatment of wound infection

Bacterial infection and excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) remain challenging factors contributing for the delayed healing of chronic wounds. Although various antibacterial and antioxidant hydrogel dressings have been developed to...

Evaluation of the antioxidative and genotoxic effects of sodium butyrate on breast cancer cells

Oncogenic stimulation shows a rise in reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ROS can eventually induce carcinogenesis by causing DNA damage. In this context, this study aims to evaluate some biochemical and genotoxic changes in the control of cell death caused by NaBu (Sodium butyrate). treatment in breast cancer cells. NaBu’s impact on cell proliferation was determined via WST-1 assay. The lipid peroxidation (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), Nitric Oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme levels were determined biochemically. NaBu-induced genotoxic damage was estimated via single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE). NaBu reduced cell viability and potentially induced GSH, but decreased SOD enzyme activity and the level of MDA and NO decreased also H₂O₂ decreased at different times and NaBu concentrations. Higher NaBu concentrations amplified DNA damage in MCF-7 cells compared to the control group. NaBu shows anticancer and genotoxic effects, especially through antioxidant enzymes, one of the oxidative stress parameters in breast cancer. However, the anticancer and genotoxic effects of NaBu is changed in the oxidative stress parameters with time and treatment concentration of NaBu in MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, his oxidative stress-dependent effect changes need to be clarified by further evaluation with molecular and more biochemical parameters.

Local Biomarkers Involved in the Interplay between Obesity and Breast Cancer

Simple Summary

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. The risk of developing breast cancer depends on various mechanisms, such as age, heredity, reproductive factors, physical inactivity, and obesity. Obesity increases the risk of breast cancer and worsens outcomes for breast cancer patients. The rate of obesity is increasing worldwide, stressing the need for awareness of the association between obesity and breast cancer. In this review, we outline the biomarkers—including cellular and soluble factors—in the breast, associated with obesity, that affect the risk of breast cancer and breast cancer prognosis. Through these biomarkers, we aim to better identify patients with obesity with a higher risk of breast cancer and an inferior prognosis.

Abstract

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, which is the most common cancer in women worldwide (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer). Furthermore, breast cancer patients with obesity have an impaired prognosis. Adipose tissue is abundant in the breast. Therefore, breast cancer develops in an adipose-rich environment. During obesity, changes in the local environment in the breast occur which are associated with breast cancer. A shift towards a pro-inflammatory state is seen, resulting in altered levels of cytokines and immune cells. Levels of adipokines, such as leptin, adiponectin, and resistin, are changed. Aromatase activity rises, resulting in higher levels of potent estrogen in the breast. Lastly, remodeling of the extracellular matrix takes place. In this review, we address the current knowledge on the changes in the breast adipose tissue in obesity associated with breast cancer initiation and progression. We aim to identify obesity-associated biomarkers in the breast involved in the interplay between obesity and breast cancer. Hereby, we can improve identification of women with obesity with an increased risk of breast cancer and an impaired prognosis. Studies investigating mammary adipocytes and breast adipose tissue in women with obesity versus women without obesity are, however, sparse and further research is needed.

Understanding the Role of Estrogen Receptor Status in PRODH/POX-Dependent Apoptosis/Survival in Breast Cancer Cells

It has been suggested that activation of estrogen receptor α (ER α) stimulates cell proliferation. In contrast, estrogen receptor β (ER β) has anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity. Although the role of estrogens in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer progression has been well established, the mechanism of their effect on apoptosis is not fully understood. It has been considered that ER status of breast cancer cells and estrogen availability might determine proline dehydrogenase/proline oxidase (PRODH/POX)-dependent apoptosis. PRODH/POX is a mitochondrial enzyme that converts proline into pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C). During this process, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) or ROS (reactive oxygen species) are produced, facilitating cell survival or death, respectively. However, the critical factor in driving PRODH/POX-dependent functions is proline availability. The amount of this amino acid is regulated at the level of prolidase (proline releasing enzyme), collagen biosynthesis (proline utilizing process), and glutamine, glutamate, α-ketoglutarate, and ornithine metabolism. Estrogens were found to upregulate prolidase activity and collagen biosynthesis. It seems that in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells, prolidase supports proline for collagen biosynthesis, limiting its availability for PRODH/POX-dependent apoptosis. Moreover, lack of free proline (known to upregulate the transcriptional activity of hypoxia-inducible factor 1, HIF-1) contributes to downregulation of HIF-1-dependent pro-survival activity. The complex regulatory mechanism also involves PRODH/POX expression and activity. It is induced transcriptionally by p53 and post-transcriptionally by AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), which is regulated by ERs. The review also discusses the role of interconversion of proline/glutamate/ornithine in supporting proline to PRODH/POX-dependent functions. The data suggest that PRODH/POX-induced apoptosis is dependent on ER status in breast cancer cells.

Expression Dynamics of Heme Oxygenase-1 in Tumor Cells and the Host Contributes to the Progression of Tumors

Heme oxygenase (HO-1) plays an important role in cellular protection against various stresses. The induction of HO-1 is an effective strategy for reactive oxygen species-related diseases, inflammatory diseases, as well as suppressing carcinogenesis. On the other hand, the high expression of HO-1 is now well known in many tumors. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of HO-1 expression in the host and the tumor. In the mouse sarcoma S180 solid tumor model and the rat hepatoma AH136B ascitic tumor model, HO-1 expression in the tumor, as indicated by the end product of HO-1 activation, i.e., carbon monoxide, gradually increased along with tumor growth. Over-expression of HO-1 expression in mouse colon cancer C26 tumor cells significantly promoted tumor growth as well as lung metastasis, whereas opposite results were found when the HO-1 expression was reduced in the cells. On the other hand, upregulating HO-1 levels in the host by using an HO-1 inducer protected the progression of the xenograft tumor in mice, whereas lowering HO-1 expression in the host with an HO-1 inhibitor showed accelerated tumor growth and lung metastasis after subcutaneous tumor xenograft inoculation. These findings strongly suggest that the balance of HO-1 levels in the host and the tumor cells is essential for the occurrence, progression, and prognosis of cancer. Maintenance of appropriately high HO-1 levels in the host is favorable for cancer prevention, whereas suppression of HO-1 in the tumor cells may thus become a therapeutic strategy for cancer.

Nano-designed CO donor ameliorates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis via macrophage manipulation

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and irreversible interstitial pulmonary disease due to chronic inflammatory responses. The prognosis of IPF is very poor, however, the therapeutic options are very limited. Previously we developed a polymeric micellar drug delivery system of carbon monoxide (CO) that is a pivotal anti-inflammatory gaseous molecule, i.e., SMA/CORM2, which exhibited therapeutic potentials against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse colitis and acetaminophen (APAP) induced liver injury. Along this line, here we investigate the applicability of SMA/CORM2 on IPF using a bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis model. Severe inflammation and the consequent pulmonary fibrosis were triggered by BLM, whereas SMA/CORM2 treatment remarkably suppressed the inflammation progression and ameliorated the formation of fibrosis. CO is the effector molecule of SMA/CORM2, which exerted the therapeutic/protective effect mostly through suppressing the reprogramming of anti-inflammatory macrophages as revealed by the decreased expressions of CD206 and arginase-1 that were remarkably upregulated by BLM exposure. The suppression of macrophage polarization accompanied the downregulated hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and its target molecule heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), suggesting a HIF-1α/HO-1 pathway for modulating macrophage reprogramming. As the downstream event of anti-inflammatory macrophage polarization, the alveolar epithelial to mesenchymal transition that is the major source of myofibroblast, the hallmark of IPF, was significantly suppressed by SMA/CORM2 via a TGF-β/Smad2/3 pathway. Compared to native CORM2 of equivalent dose, SMA/CROM2 exhibited a much better protective effect indicating its superior bioavailability as an enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect-based nanomedicine. We thus anticipate the application of SMA/CORM2 as a therapeutic candidate for IPF as well as other inflammatory diseases and disorders.

Small-Molecule Prodrug Nanoassemblies: An Emerging Nanoplatform for Anticancer Drug Delivery

The antitumor efficiency and clinical translation of traditional nanomedicines is mainly restricted by low drug loading, complex preparation technology, and potential toxicity caused by the overused carrier materials. In recent decades, small-molecule prodrug nanoassemblies (SMP-NAs), which are formed by the self-assembly of prodrugs themselves, have been widely investigated with distinct advantages of ultrahigh drug-loading and negligible excipients-trigged adverse reaction. Benefited from the simple preparation process, SMP-NAs are widely used for chemotherapy, phototherapy, immunotherapy, and tumor diagnosis. In addition, combination therapy based on the accurate co-delivery behavior of SMP-NAs can effectively address the challenges of tumor heterogeneity and multidrug resistance. Recent trends in SMP-NAs are outlined, and the corresponding self-assembly mechanisms are discussed in detail. Besides, the smart stimuli-responsive SMP-NAs and the combination therapy based on SMP-NAs are summarized, with special emphasis on the structure-function relationships. Finally, the outlooks and potential challenges of SMP-NAs in cancer therapy are highlighted.

Phosphocatalytic Kinome Activity Profiling of Apoptotic and Ferroptotic Agents in Multiple Myeloma Cells

Through phosphorylation of their substrate proteins, protein kinases are crucial for transducing cellular signals and orchestrating biological processes, including cell death and survival. Recent studies have revealed that kinases are involved in ferroptosis, an iron-dependent mode of cell death associated with toxic lipid peroxidation. Given that ferroptosis is being explored as an alternative strategy to eliminate apoptosis-resistant tumor cells, further characterization of ferroptosis-dependent kinase changes might aid in identifying novel druggable targets for protein kinase inhibitors in the context of cancer treatment. To this end, we performed a phosphopeptidome based kinase activity profiling of glucocorticoid-resistant multiple myeloma cells treated with either the apoptosis inducer staurosporine (STS) or ferroptosis inducer RSL3 and compared their kinome activity signatures. Our data demonstrate that both cell death mechanisms inhibit the activity of kinases classified into the CMGC and AGC families, with STS showing a broader spectrum of serine/threonine kinase inhibition. In contrast, RSL3 targets a significant number of tyrosine kinases, including key players of the B-cell receptor signaling pathway. Remarkably, additional kinase profiling of the anti-cancer agent withaferin A revealed considerable overlap with ferroptosis and apoptosis kinome activity, explaining why withaferin A can induce mixed ferroptotic and apoptotic cell death features. Altogether, we show that apoptotic and ferroptotic cell death induce different kinase signaling changes and that kinome profiling might become a valid approach to identify cell death chemosensitization modalities of novel anti-cancer agents.

Promoting a pro-oxidant state in skeletal muscle: Potential dietary, environmental, and exercise interventions for enhancing endurance-training adaptations

Accumulating evidence now shows that supplemental antioxidants including vitamin C, vitamin E and N-Acetylcysteine consumption can suppress adaptations to endurance-type exercise by attenuating reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) formation within skeletal muscle. This emerging evidence points to the importance of pro-oxidation as an important stimulus for endurance-training adaptations, including mitochondrial biogenesis, endogenous antioxidant production, insulin signalling, angiogenesis and growth factor signaling. Although sustained oxidative distress is associated with many chronic diseases, athletes have, on average, elevated levels of certain endogenous antioxidants to maintain redox homeostasis. As a result, trained athletes may have a better capacity to buffer oxidants during and after exercise, resulting in a reduced oxidative eustress stimulus for adaptations. Thus, higher levels of RONS input and exercise-induced oxidative stress may benefit athletes in the pursuit of continuous endurance training redox adaptations. This review addresses why athletes should be looking to enhance exercise-induced oxidative stress and how it can be accomplished. Methods covered include high-intensity interval training, hyperthermia and heat stress, dietary antioxidant restriction and modified antioxidant timing, dietary antioxidants and polyphenols as adjuncts to exercise, and vitamin C as a pro-oxidant.

Styrene Maleic Acid Copolymer-Based Micellar Formation of Temoporfin (SMA@ mTHPC) Behaves as A Nanoprobe for Tumor-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy with A Superior Safety

Tumor-targeted photodynamic therapy (PDT) using polymeric photosensitizers is a promising anticancer therapeutic strategy. Previously, we developed several polymeric nanoprobes for PDT using different polymers and PDT agents. In the study, we synthesized a styrene maleic acid copolymer (SMA) micelle encapsulating temoporfin (mTHPC) that is a clinically used PDT drug, SMA@mTHPC, with a hydrodynamic size of 98 nm, which showed high water solubility. SMA@mTHPC maintained stable micelle formation in physiological aqueous solutions including serum; however, the micelles could be disrupted in the presence of detergent (e.g., Tween 20) as well as lecithin, the major component of cell membrane, suggesting micelles will be destroyed and free mTHPC will be released during intracellular uptake. SMA@mTHPC showed a pH-dependent release profile, for which a constant release of ≈20% per day was found at pH 7.4, and much more release occurred at acidic pH (e.g., 6.5, 5.5), suggesting extensive release of free mTHPC could occur in the weak acidic environment of a tumor and further during internalization into tumor cells. In vitro cytotoxicity assay showed a lower cytotoxicity of SMA@mTHPC than free mTHPC; however, similar in vivo antitumor effects were observed by both SMA@mTHPC and free THPC. More importantly, severe side effects (e.g., body weight loss, death of the mice) were found during free mTHPC treatment, whereas no apparent side effects were observed for SMA@mTHPC. The superior safety profile of SMA@mTHPC was mostly due to its micelle formation and the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect-based tumor accumulation, as well as the tumor environment-responsive release properties. These findings suggested SMA@mTHPC may become a good candidate drug for targeted PDT with high safety.

Versatile Nanodrugs Containing Glutathione and Heme Oxygenase 1 Inhibitors Enable Suppression of Antioxidant Defense System in a Two-Pronged Manner for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy

The antioxidant defense system in malignant cells, which involves antioxidant enzymes and antioxidant molecules, is an innate barrier to photodynamic therapy (PDT). Because of the complexity of the endogenous antioxidant mechanisms of these cells, simply inhibiting individual antioxidant pathways has a limited effect on improving the lethality of ROS. To enhance the efficacy of PDT for tumor treatment, a versatile nanoparticle (NP)-based drug is developed, which the authors call PZB NP, containing the glutathione inhibitor l-buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) and the heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) inhibitor protoporphyrin zinc(II) (ZnPP) to suppress the innate antioxidant defense system of cancer cells in a two-pronged manner. BSO reduces intracellular glutathione levels to minimize ROS elimination and protein protection during PDT, and ZnPP inhibits the ROS-stimulated upregulation of the antioxidant HO-1, thus preventing ROS removal by cells after PDT. Thus, BSO and ZnPP synergistically suppress the antioxidant defense systems of cancer cells both during and after protoporphyrin-IX-mediated PDT in a two-pronged manner, resulting in tumor cell death through excess oxidative pressure. The results demonstrate that the construction of nanodrugs having dual antioxidation defense suppression properties is a promising route for the development of highly efficient ROS-based therapies.

Facile Polyphenol-Europium Assembly Enabled Functional Poly(l-Lactic Acid) Nanofiber Mats with Enhanced Antioxidation and Angiogenesis for Accelerated Wound Healing

Burns, trauma, surgery and chronic diabetic ulcers are the most common reasons causing skin wounds in clinic. Thus, developing a functional wound dressing has been an imperative issue. Herein, functional wound dressing (poly(l-lactic acid) PLLA-((tanic acid (TA)/europium (Eu))_n ) is fabricated through a facile polyphenol-europium ion assembly to ameliorate wound microenvironment via scavenging excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoting angiogenesis. The physicochemical characterization indicates that the multicycle assembled TA/Eu is uniformly deposited on PLLA-(TA/Eu)_n nanofiber mats surface. In vitro 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) antioxidant tests display good antioxidant ability by scavenging more than 75% ROS, and significantly increasing the antioxidant enzyme levels in vivo. Cytocompatibility experiments illustrate that PLLA-(TA/Eu)_n nanofiber mats can promote the adhesion and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and L929 cells. Meanwhile, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (RT-qPCR) and western blot assays illustrate that it can stimulate proangiogenesis by elevating the expression of angiogenesis-related genes and proteins. In vivo Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats experiments indicate that PLLA-(TA/Eu)_n nanofiber mats can significantly promote wound healing by improving both angiogenesis and antioxidant activity. Taken together, the functional PLLA-(TA/Eu)_n nanofiber mats can offer significant promise as wound dressing for accelerated wound healing.

A bi-layered scaffold of a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanofiber mat and an alginate-gelatin hydrogel for wound healing

A resveratrol-loaded bi-layered scaffold (RBS) that consists of a resveratrol-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (Res-PLGA) electrospinning nanofiber mat (upper layer) and an alginate di-aldehyde (ADA)-gelatin (GEL) crosslinking hydrogel (ADA-GEL) (lower layer) was fabricated as a wound dressing material. It was made through mimicking the epidermis and dermis of the skin. The RBS exhibited good hemostatic ability and proper swelling ability. Furthermore, HaCaT cells and human embryonic skin fibroblasts (ESFs) were also cultured in the nanofiber layer and hydrogel layer of RBS, and the results indicated that both HaCaT and ESFs could grow well in the materials. The in vivo experiment using a Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat skin wound as a model showed that the RBS could accelerate the wound healing rate compared with the Res-PLGA group and ADA4-GEL6 group. These results indicated that this resveratrol-loaded bi-layered scaffold can be a potential candidate in promoting wound healing.

Peroxisome inspired hybrid enzyme nanogels for chemodynamic and photodynamic therapy

Peroxisome, a special cytoplasmic organelle, possesses one or more kinds of oxidases for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production and catalase for H₂O₂ degradation, which serves as an intracellular H₂O₂ regulator to degrade toxic peroxides to water. Inspired by this biochemical pathway, we demonstrate the reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced tumor therapy by integrating lactate oxidase (LOx) and catalase (CAT) into Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle/indocyanine green (ICG) co-loaded hybrid nanogels (designated as FIGs-LC). Based on the O₂ redistribution and H₂O₂ activation by cascading LOx and CAT catalytic metabolic regulation, hydroxyl radical (·OH) and singlet oxygen (¹O₂) production can be modulated for glutathione (GSH)-activated chemodynamic therapy (CDT) and NIR-triggered photodynamic therapy (PDT), by manipulating the ratio of LOx and CAT to catalyze endogenous lactate to produce H₂O₂ and further cascade decomposing H₂O₂ into O₂. The regulation reactions of FIGs-LC significantly elevate the intracellular ROS level and cause fatal damage to cancer cells inducing the effective inhibition of tumor growth. Such enzyme complex loaded hybrid nanogel present potential for biomedical ROS regulation, especially for the tumors with different redox state, size, and subcutaneous depth.

The control of reactive oxygen species in cancer cells is an attractive approach for anticancer applications. Here, the authors create a peroxisome inspired lactate oxidase and catalase loaded hydrogel with iron nanoparticles and NIR photosensitizer for glutathione activated chemodynamic and photodynamic therapy.

The current knowledge concerning solid cancer and therapy

Solid cancers comprise a large number of new cases and deaths from cancer each year globally. There are a number of strategies for addressing tumors raised from solid organs including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, combinational therapy, and stem cell and extracellular vesicle (EV) therapy. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are the dominant cures, but are not always effective, in which even in a localized tumor there is a possibility of tumor relapse after surgical resection. Over half of the cancer patients will receive radiotherapy as a part of their therapeutic schedule. Radiotherapy can cause an abscopal response for boosting the activity of the immune system outside the local field of radiation, but it may also cause an unwanted bystander effect, predisposing nonradiated cells into carcinogenesis. In the context of immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibition is known as the standard-of-care, but the major concern is in regard with cold cancers that show low responses to such therapy. Stem-cell therapy can be used to send prodrugs toward the tumor area; this strategy, however, has its own predicaments, such as unwanted attraction toward the other sites including healthy tissues and its instability. A substitute to such therapy and quite a novel strategy is to use EVs, by virtue of their stability and potential to cross biological barriers and long-term storage of contents. Combination therapy is the current focus. Despite advances in the field, there are still unmet concerns in the area of effective cancer therapy, raising challenges and opportunities for future investigations.

Emerging two-dimensional monoelemental materials (Xenes): Fabrication, modification, and applications thereof in the field of bioimaging as nanocarriers

In recent years, more and more research enthusiasm has been devoted to the development of emerging two-dimensional (2D) monoelement materials (Xenes) and explored potential applications in various fields, especially biomedicine and bioimaging. The inspiring results attribute to their excellent physicochemical properties, including adjustable band gap, surface electronic layout characteristics, and so on, making it easier for surface modification in order to meet designated needs. As a popular interdisciplinary research frontier, a variety of methods for fabricating 2D Xenes have recently been adopted for pre-preparing future practical bioimaging applications, which implies that these materials will have broad clinical application prospects in the future. In this review, we will concentrate on the family of 2D Xenes and summarize their fabrication and modification methods firstly. Then, their applications in bioimaging as nanocarriers will be described according to the Periodic Table of Elements. In addition, current challenges and prospects for further clinical applications will be under discussion and use black phosphorus as a typical example. At last, general conclusion will be made that it is worth expecting that 2D Xenes will play a key role in the next generation of oncologic bioimaging in the future. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Toxicology of Nanomaterials Toxicology and Regulatory Issues in Nanomedicine > Regulatory and Policy Issues in Nanomedicine.

Inflammation in Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disorders-Role of Oxidative Stress

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) constitute the main cause of death worldwide. Both inflammation and oxidative stress have been reported to be involved in the progress of CVD. It is well known that generation of oxidative stress during the course of CVD is involved in tissue damage and inflammation, causing deleterious effects such as hypertension, dysfunctional metabolism, endothelial dysfunction, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Remarkably, natural antioxidant strategies have been increasingly discovered and are subject to current scientific investigations. Here, we addressed the activation of immune cells in the context of ROS production, as well as how their interaction with other cellular players and further (immune) mediators contribute to metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. We also highlight how a dysregulated complement system contributes to immune imbalance and tissue damage in the context of increases oxidative stress. Additionally, modulation of hypothalamic oxidative stress is discussed, which may offer novel treatment strategies for type-2 diabetes and obesity. Together, we provide new perspectives on therapy strategies for CVD caused by oxidative stress, with a focus on oxidative stress.

Discovery and development of tumor glycolysis rate-limiting enzyme inhibitors

Tumor cells mainly provide necessary energy and substances for rapid cell growth through aerobic perglycolysis rather than oxidative phosphorylation. This phenomenon is called the "Warburg effect". The mechanism of glycolysis in tumor cells is more complicated, which is caused by the comprehensive regulation of multiple factors. Abnormal enzyme metabolism is one of the main influencing factors and inhibiting the three main rate-limiting enzymes in glycolysis is thought to be important strategy for cancer treatment. Therefore, numerous inhibitors of glycolysis rate-limiting enzyme have been developed in recent years, such as the latest HKII inhibitor and PKM2 inhibitor Pachymic acid (PA) and N-(4-(3-(3-(methylamino)-3-oxopropyl)-5-(4'-(trifluoromethyl)-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)phenyl)propiolamide. The review focuses on source, structure-activity relationship, bioecological activity and mechanism of the three main rate-limiting enzymes inhibitors, and hopes to guide the future research on the design and synthesis of rate-limiting enzyme inhibitors.

Suppression of oxidative phosphorylation and IDH2 sensitizes colorectal cancer to a naphthalimide derivative and mitoxantrone

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) has attracted a considerable attention in CRC. It is of great interest to explore novel therapies that inhibit OXPHOS for CRC treatment. Compound 6c is a novel naphthalimide derivative. However, the effects of 6c on CRC and the underlying mechanism are unclear. In this study, 6c suppressed CRC tumor growth and metastasis. RNA-seq data showed that 6c triggered the inhibition of OXPHOS and tricarboxylic acid cycle. 6c specifically inhibited mitochondrial complex III activity and the expression of isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2), resulting in oxidative stress. Antioxidants reversed 6c-induced cell death, senescence, and autophagosomes formation. 6c inhibited autophagy flux; however, pretreatment with autophagy inhibitors resulted in the reduction of 6c-induced cytoplasmic vacuolization and proliferation inhibition. Moreover, combinatory treatment of 6c and mitoxantrone (MIT) showed stronger inhibitory effects on CRC compared with the single agent. Downregulation of IDH2 induced reactive oxygen species production, leading to MIT accumulation and autophagic cell death after co-treatment with 6c and MIT. In summary, our findings indicated 6c as a promising candidate for CRC treatment.

Recent trends in bioresponsive linker technologies of Prodrug-Based Self-Assembling nanomaterials

Prodrugs are designed to improve pharmaceutical properties of potent compounds and represent a central approach in drug development. The success of the prodrug strategy relies on incorporation of a reversible linkage facilitating controlled release of the parent drug. While prodrug approaches enhance pharmacokinetic properties over their parent drug, they still face challenges in absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADMET). Conjugating a drug to a carrier molecule such as a polymer can create an amphiphile that self-assembles into nanoparticles. These nanoparticles display prolonged blood circulation and passive targeting ability. Furthermore, the drug release can be tailored using a variety of linkers between the parent drug and the carrier molecule. In this review, we introduce the concept of self-assembling prodrugs and summarize different approaches for controlling the drug release with a focus on the linker technology. We also summarize recent clinical trials, discuss the emerging challenges, and provide our perspective on the utility and future potential of this technology.

Vegetable soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) leaf extracts: Functional components and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities

To investigate ways to extract greater dietary value from the leaves of the vegetable soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) cultivar 'Kaohsiung No. 9'. Our results indicate that phenolic content and flavonoid content are highest in extracts prepared with 70% methanol and 70% ethanol. The 70% ethanol extracts also had the highest quercetin (135 ± 1.62 µg/g) and kaempferol (450 ± 1.35 µg/g) contents. These results show that flavonoids are a dominant class of compounds in these vegetable soybean leaf extracts and serve as their main source of antioxidants. At an extract concentration of 5 mg/ml, the 70% methanol extracts achieved good antioxidant effects, with a DPPH radical scavenging rate of 80%, and a reducing power of 88%. In assays of anti-inflammatory capacity using lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The 70% methanol extracts displayed the most significant inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, achieving up to 86% inhibition. As a similar trend was observed in expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), we deduced that vegetable soybean leaves may regulate NO synthesis through inhibiting iNOS. We also observed a significant decrease in cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 gene expression. Analysis of proinflammatory cytokine synthesis revealed that the 70% methanol and 70% ethanol extracts significantly reduced TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β synthesis, and increased the intracellular reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio from 8 to 12.8. These results indicate that vegetable soybean leaves possess antioxidant activities and exert inhibitory effects on inflammatory mediators, suggesting their potential for use as dietary supplements.

Unraveling the role of Intralipid in suppressing off-target delivery and augmenting the therapeutic effects of anticancer nanomedicines

Intralipid, a clinically used lipid emulsion, was reportedly utilized as one strategy to suppress off-target delivery of anticancer nanomedicines; Intralipid also effectively improved drug delivery to tumors and produced better therapeutic effects. However, the mechanisms involved-the why and how-in Intralipid's facilitation of delivery of nanomedicines to tumors have not yet been reported in detail. In this study, we investigated Intralipid and discovered the beneficial effects of Intralipid pretreatment when using three anticancer nanomedicines, including the clinically approved drug doxorubicin (Doxil). Intralipid pretreatment induced a 40% reduction in liver uptake of a polymeric nanoprobe used in photodynamic therapy as well as a 1.5-fold-increased nanomedicine accumulation in tumors. This increased accumulation consequently led to significantly better therapeutic effects, and this finding was validated by using Doxil. As an interesting result, Intralipid pretreatment significantly prolonged the plasma half-life of nanomedicines in normal healthy mice but not in tumor-bearing mice, which suggests that tumors become an alternative route of nanomedicine delivery when liver delivery is suppressed. Also, we found markedly increased tumor blood flow, as measured by fluorescence angiography, and significantly lower blood viscosity after Intralipid pretreatment. All our results together indicate that Intralipid treatment not only suppressed off-target nanomedicine delivery by the reticuloendothelial system, but more important, it enhanced nanomedicine delivery to tumors by improving tumor blood flow, which is key to satisfactory drug delivery via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Significantly better therapeutic outcomes were thus achieved by the strategy of combining utilization of nanomedicines and Intralipid pretreatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Off-target delivery to organs such as the liver and obstructed tumor blood flow as is often seen in advanced cancers are major barriers to the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer nanomedicines. Intralipid has been shown effective for suppressing nanomedicine accumulation in the liver, resulting in improved anticancer effects. Unraveling the mechanisms involved in this process will be greatly helpful for the clinical application of anticancer nanomedicines. We reported here that Intralipid could also significantly increase tumor delivery of nanomedicine, which is beneficial for improving tumor blood flow and lowering blood viscosity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the role of Intralipid in this regard. This knowledge provides a solid rationale for the use of Intralipid in combination with anticancer nanomedicines.

Inflammation-responsive delivery systems for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases

Inflammation is the biological response of immune system to protect living organisms from injurious factors. However, excessive and uncontrolled inflammation is implicated in a variety of devastating chronic diseases including atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Improved understanding of inflammatory response has unveiled a rich assortment of anti-inflammatory therapeutics for the treatment and management of relevant chronic diseases. Notwithstanding these successes, clinical outcomes are variable among patients and serious adverse effects are often observed. Moreover, there exist some limitations for clinical anti-inflammatory therapeutics such as aqueous insolubility, low bioavailability, off-target effects, and poor accessibility to subcellular compartments. To address these challenges, the rational design of inflammation-specific drug delivery systems (DDSs) holds significant promise. Moreover, as compared to normal tissues, inflamed tissue-associated pathological milieu (e.g., oxidative stress, acidic pH, and overexpressed enzymes) provides vital biochemical stimuli for triggered delivery of anti-inflammatory agents in a spatiotemporally controlled manner. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the development of anti-inflammatory DDSs with built-in pathological inflammation-specific responsiveness for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Ruthenium-loaded mesoporous silica as tumor microenvironment-response nano-fenton reactors for precise cancer therapy

BACKGROUND

Nano-Fenton reactors as novel strategy to selectively convert hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into active hydroxyl radicals in tumor microenvironment for cancer therapy had attracted much attention. However, side effects and low efficiency remain the main drawbacks for cancer precise therapy.

RESULTS

Here, ruthenium-loaded palmitoyl ascorbate (PA)-modified mesoporous silica (Ru@SiO₂-PA) was successfully fabricated and characterized. The results indicated that Ru@SiO₂-PA under pH6.0 environment displayed enhanced growth inhibition against human cancer cells than that of pH7.4, which indicated the super selectivity between cancer cells and normal cells. Ru@SiO₂-PA also induced enhanced cancer cells apoptosis, followed by caspase-3 activation and cytochrome-c release. Mechanism investigation revealed that Ru@SiO₂-PA caused enhanced generation of superoxide anion, which subsequently triggered DNA damage and dysfunction of MAPKs and PI3K/AKT pathways. Moreover, Ru@SiO₂-PA effectively inhibited tumor spheroids and tumor xenografts growth in vivo by induction of apoptosis. The real-time imaging by monitoring Ru fluorescence in vitro and in vivo revealed that Ru@SiO₂-PA mainly accumulated in cell nucleus and tumor xenografts. Importantly, Ru@SiO₂-PA showed no side effects in vivo, predicting the safety and potential application in clinic.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings validated the rational design that Ru@SiO₂-PA can act as novel tumor microenvironment-response nano-Fenton reactors for cancer precise therapy.

Potential therapeutic effect of Chrysopogon zizanioides (Vetiver) as an anti-inflammatory agent

Vetiver has a broad history of traditional medicinal uses, but only a handful of research article has reported its utility in treating diseases. But unfortunately, no work has been reported on the anti-inflammatory activity of its plant extract and inflammatory-linked diseases. Hence, the present review focuses on investigating the several presumptions which can be put forward to explain its anti-inflammatory property. Thus, for ensuring the same, all the databases like science direct, PubMed, book chapters, and other authenticated papers were thoroughly studied to present a connection between inflammation and the plant potential. After gaining enough knowledge on pathogenesis of inflammation, it has been observed that the release of mediators from the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway and generation of oxidative and nitrogen species are presented as the main reason for the occurrence of inflammation condition. The stimulation of antioxidant enzyme system network by the plant extract reduces the level of oxidative stress, creating a balance between oxidant and antioxidant system. Moreover, its antimicrobial activity will prevent the biological source of stimulation towards injury and the CNS depressant effect will subside the pain of inflammation. Amalgamating all the factors together, the plant can be utilized as anti-inflammatory can be and also can be proved as a beneficial perspective in the treatment of inflammation-linked disorders.

Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles based on poly acrylic derivatives for tumor therapy

Serve side effects caused by discriminate damage of chemotherapeutic drugs to normal cell and cancer cells remain a main obstacle in clinic. Hence, continuous efforts have been made to find ways to effectively enhance drug delivery and reduce side effects. Recent decades have witnessed impressive progresses in fighting against cancer, with improved understanding of tumor microenvironment and rapid development in nanoscale drug delivery system (DDS). Nanocarriers based on biocompatible materials provide possibilities to improve antitumor efficiency and minimize off-target effects. Among all kinds of biocompatible materials applied in DDS, polymeric acrylic derivatives such as poly(acrylamide), poly(acrylic acid), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) present inherent biocompatibility and stimuli-responsivity, and relatively easy to be functionalized. Furthermore, nanocarrier based on polymeric acrylic derivatives have demonstrated high drug encapsulation, improved uptake efficiency, prolonged circulation time and satisfactory therapeutic outcome in tumor. In this review, we aim to discuss recent progress in design and development of stimulus-responsive poly acrylic polymer based nanocarriers for tumor targeting drug delivery.

Enzyme-Laden Bioactive Hydrogel for Biocatalytic Monitoring and Regulation

Enzymes, a class of highly efficient and specific catalysts in Nature, dictate a myriad of reactions that constitute various cascades in biological systems. There is growing evidence that many cellular reactions within metabolic pathways are catalyzed by matrix-associated multienzyme complexes, not via the free enzymes, verifying the vital effects of microenvironmental organization, which would reveal implications for the high efficiency, specificity, and regulation of metabolic pathways. The extracellular matrix (ECM), as the noncellular component, is composed of various proteins such as collagens, laminins, proteoglycans, and remodeling enzymes, playing the key role in tissue architecture and homeostasis. Hydrogels are defined as highly hydrated polymer materials and maintain structural integrity by physical and chemical force, which are thought of as the most suitable materials for matching the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties with natural ECM. As one specific type of soft and wet materials, hydrogels are suitable three-dimensional carriers to locally confine bioactive guests, such as enzymes, for molecular-level biological interactions. The efficient cascade catalysis can be realized by enzyme-laden hydrogels, which can potentially interact with cells and tissues by material-to-biology communication. In this Account, we present recent progress on the preparation of enzymatic bioactive hydrogels, including in situ coassembly, in situ cross-linking strategy, and in situ enzymatic radical polymerization technology, further promoting their applications on biomedical tissue engineering, biocatalytic health monitoring, and therapeutic research. First, we provide a brief introduction of the basic concept related to an enzymatic strategy in living systems and the importance of bioinspired enzyme-laden bioactive hydrogel systems. We discuss the difficulties of the fabrication of a bioactive hydrogel with a high catalytic efficiency, thereby providing the novel molecular design and regulation based on a noncovalent coassembly and in situ self-immobilization strategy to obtain the compartmentalized enzyme-laden structure. Then the applications of an enzyme-laden bioactive hydrogel for biocatalytic applications are discussed in detail. The enzyme-laden bioactive hydrogel can maintain the favorable perception and regulation behavior of enzymes with optimal enzymatic efficacy between this confined hydrogel network and a surrounding environment. A highlight to the advances in the responsively biocatalytic monitoring and regulation of bioactive hydrogel, including the enzymatic biomedical tissue engineering and health monitoring, enzymatic regulation of tumor reactive oxygen species and therapeutic research are given. Finally, the outlook of open challenges and future developments of this rapidly evolving field is provided. This Account with highlights of diverse enzyme-laden bioactive hydrogel systems not only provides interesting insights to understand the cascade enzymatic strategy of life but also inspires to broaden and enhance the molecular-level material design and bioapplications of existing enzymatic materials in chemistry, materials science, and biology.

Protective effect of vanillic acid in hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in D.Mel-2 cell line

The overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) causes oxidative stress, such as Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Acute oxidative stress is one of the main reasons for cell death. In this study, the antioxidant properties of vanillic acid- a polyphenolic compound was evaluated. Therefore, this study aims to check the effectiveness of vanillic acid in H2O2-induced oxidative stress in D. Mel-2 cell line. The efficacy was determined by biochemical tests to check the ROS production. The cytotoxicity of H2O2 and vanillic acid was checked by MTT assay. The DNA fragmentation was visualized by gel electrophoresis. Protein biomarkers of oxidative stress were analyzed by western blotting. The results depict a promising antioxidant effect of vanillic acid. The IC50 value of vanillic acid and H2O2 was found 250 μg/ml and 125 μg/ml, respectively. The catalase activity, SOF, GPx, and PC was seen less in H2O2 treated group compared with the control and vanillic acid treated group. However, the TBRAS activity was hight in H2O2 treated group. The effect of H2O2 on DNA fragmentation was high as compared with vanillic acid-treated cells. The protein expression of Hsp70, IL-6 and iNOS was seen significant in a vanillic acid-treated group as compared with H2O2 treated group. These results reinforce that at low concentration, vanillic acid could be used as an antioxidant agent in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Specific NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors: promising therapeutic agents for inflammatory diseases

Innate immunity serves as a first line of defence against danger signals, invading pathogens and microbes. The inflammasomes, as pattern recognition receptors, sense these danger signals to initiate pro-inflammatory cascades. The nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain containing receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is the most well characterised inflammasome, and its aberrant activation is implicated in many inflammatory diseases. In the past decade, targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome has become an emerging strategy for inflammatory diseases. To avoid off-target immunosuppressive effects, specific NLRP3 inhibitors have been developed and show promising therapeutic effects. This review discusses the therapeutic effects and clinical perspectives of specific NLRP3 inhibitors, as well as recent progress in the development of these inhibitors for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Virus-Mimicking Liposomal System Based on Dendritic Lipopeptides for Efficient Prevention Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in the Mouse Liver

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a pathophysiological and huge challenge during liver surgical procedures. Herein, virus-mimicking liposomal system based on dendritic lipopeptides for efficient prevention of IRI is reported. These virus-mimicking liposomes not only have virus-like nanostructures and components, but also possess virus-like infections to liver tissue, liver cells, and organelles. The distinguished features for prevention of IRI of viral mimics are as follows: (i) viral envelope-like structure to help avoid the host immune system; (ii) well-defined nanostructure and surface to improve the accumulated efficiency in liver tissue; (iii) viral capsids mimic to enhance liver cell uptake and achieve mitochondrial targeting. This type of virus-mimicking design makes prevention of IRI by drug-loading greatly exceed the control groups with high biocompatibility and facile manufacturing.

Self-assembled 5-fluorouracil-cinnamaldehyde nanodrugs for greatly improved chemotherapy in vivo

The preferred cancer treatment is to achieve a high therapeutic effect as well as reduce side effects. In this study, we developed carrier-free nano drugs based on 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and cinnamaldehyde (CA) to meet the above goals. Two model drugs were spliced by acetal linkage and ester bond, which could self-assemble into nano drug particles (5FU-CA NPs) with a size of ∼170 nm. In vitro cell experiments showed 5FU-CA NPs were efficiently internalized by HepG2 cells. They then quickly exerted dual drug activities by the cleavage of acetal and ester bond, resulting in enhanced cell-killing efficacy and apoptosis. Synergistic mechanisms were achieved via the anti-metabolic effects mediated by 5FU-COOH and the oxidative damage induced by CA. In vivo anti-tumor evaluation further indicated that 5FU-CA NPs had higher tumor growth inhibition than 5FU-COOH/CA mixture (5FU-COOH + CA) and exhibited lower systemic toxicity under the same reducing dose of each drug. Overall, this is a successful synergistic anti-tumor attempt through rational self-assembly of drugs with different mechanisms and it can be extrapolated to other agents.

Nano-designed carbon monoxide donor SMA/CORM2 exhibits protective effect against acetaminophen induced liver injury through macrophage reprograming and promoting liver regeneration

Acetaminophen (APAP) induced liver injury is the most common drug-induced liver injury, accounting for the top cause of acute liver failure in the United State, however the therapeutic options for it is very limited. Excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the subsequent inflammatory responses are the major factors of the liver injury. Carbon monoxide (CO) is an important gaseous molecule with versatile functions including anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation, and we previous reported the therapeutic potential of a nano-designed CO donor SMA/CORM2 in a dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) induced mouse colitis model. In this context, we investigated the effect of SMA/CORM2 in an APAP-induced mouse acute liver injury model and tackled the mechanisms involved. We found upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, endogenous CO generating enzyme) and the dynamic changes of macrophage polarization (pro-inflammatory M1/anti-inflammatory M2), which played important roles in the process of live injury. SMA/CORM2 treatment remarkably increased the CO levels in the liver and circulation, by which oxidative stresses in the liver were significantly reduced, and more importantly, it remarkably suppressed the expression of M1 macrophages but alternatively increased M2 polarization. Consequently the liver injury was significantly ameliorated, and the proliferation and regeneration were greatly promoted through the Pi3k/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. The shift of macrophage polarization accompanied with the downregulated hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) level. These findings suggested CO released from SMA/CORM2 manipulated the macrophage reprogramming toward M2 phenotype by inhibiting HIF-1α, which subsequently protected liver against inflammatory injury and benefited tissue repair. Moreover, compared to native CORM2, SMA/CORM2 exhibited superior bioavailability and protective effect. We thus anticipate the application of SMA/CORM2 as a therapeutic regimen for APAP induced liver injury as well as other inflammatory diseases and disorders.

Lignin-Incorporated Nanogel Serving As an Antioxidant Biomaterial for Wound Healing

Oxidative phosphorylation is an important biological process in the body to produce energy, during which oxygen free radicals are generated as byproduct. Excessive oxygen free radicals cause cell death and reduce the rate of tissue regeneration and healing in a wound. Lignin is a natural antioxidant derived from plants, but its biomedical application is restricted because of the uncertain biocompatibility. In this work, we developed a lignin-incorporated nanogel and explored its application for wound healing. Lignin was extracted from coconut husks and determined to have strong antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 25.7 ppm). Various amounts of lignin were incorporated into thermoresponsive nanogels, which were produced from polyurethane copolymers of polyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol (PPG), and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). It was shown that the addition of lignin had minimal effects on the gelation and rheological properties of the nanogel but slightly increased the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of poly(PEG/PPG/PDMS urethane) copolymer from 3.38 × 10^-4 g mL^-1 to 4.61 × 10^-4 g mL^-1. The lignin-incorporated nanogels did not display detectable cytotoxicity. The lignin-incorporated nanogel possessed antioxidant activity, as it reduced the active oxygen level, protecting the LO2 cells from apoptosis caused by oxidative stress. More importantly, in vivo studies demonstrated that the lignin-incorporated nanogels accelerated the healing of burn wounds in mice as proved by the increased expression of Ki67, one marker of cell proliferation. The present work demonstrates that lignin-incorporated nanogel could serve as an antioxidant wound-dressing material and facilitate the wound healing.