Nanoformulation of Polyphenol Curcumin Enhances Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis in Drug-Resistant MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells

Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is the aggressive and lethal type of breast malignancy that develops resistance to current therapies. Combination therapy has proven to be an effective strategy on TNBC. We aimed to study whether the nano-formulation of polyphenolic curcumin (Gemini-Cur) would affect the cisplatin-induced toxicity in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with Gemini-Cur, cisplatin and combination of Gemini-Cur/Cisplatin in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Cell viability was studied by using MTT, fluorescence microscopy and cell cycle assays. The mode of death was also determined by Hoechst staining and annexin V-FITC. Real-time PCR and western blotting were employed to detect the expression of BAX and BCL-2 genes. Our data demonstrated that Gemini-Cur significantly sensitizes cancer cells to cisplatin (combination index ≤ 1) and decreases IC50 values in comparison with Gemini-cur or cisplatin. Further studies confirmed that Gemini-Cur/Cisplatin suppresses cancer cell growth through induction of apoptosis (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the data confirm the synergistic effect of polyphenolic curcumin on cisplatin toxicity and provide attractive strategy to attain its apoptotic effect on TNBC.

Stanniocalcin 2 (STC2): a universal tumour biomarker and a potential therapeutical target

Stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) is a glycoprotein which is expressed in a broad spectrum of tumour cells and tumour tissues derived from human breast, colorectum, stomach, esophagus, prostate, kidney, liver, bone, ovary, lung and so forth. The expression of STC2 is regulated at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels; particularly, STC2 is significantly stimulated under various stress conditions like ER stress, hypoxia and nutrient deprivation. Biologically, STC2 facilitates cells dealing with stress conditions and prevents apoptosis. Importantly, STC2 also promotes the development of acquired resistance to chemo- and radio- therapies. In addition, multiple groups have reported that STC2 overexpression promotes cell proliferation, migration and immune response. Therefore, the overexpression of STC2 is positively correlated with tumour growth, invasion, metastasis and patients' prognosis, highlighting its potential as a biomarker and a therapeutic target. This review focuses on discussing the regulation, biological functions and clinical importance of STC2 in human cancers. Future perspectives in this field will also be discussed.

Synthesis of enzyme-responsive theranostic amphiphilic conjugated bottlebrush copolymers for enhanced anticancer drug delivery

Synthesis of polyfluorene (PF) based theranostic amphiphilic copolymers with simultaneously high drug loading efficiency and tumor microenvironment-specific responsiveness for promoted intracellular drug release and enhanced cancer therapy has been rarely reported likely due to the lack of efficient synthetic approaches to integrate these desirable properties. In this work, we recorded the successful preparation of well-defined theranostic amphiliphilic bottlebrush copolymers composing of fluorescent backbone of PF and tunable enzyme-degradable side chains of polytyrosine (PTyr) and POEGMA by integrating Suzuki coupling, NCA ROP and ATRP techniques. Notably, the resulting copolymer, PF₂₅-g-(PTyr₂₆-b-(POEGMA₂₈)₂ (P₄) with two branched POEGMA brushes tethered to one PTyr termini for each unit could form steady unimolecular micelles with higher fluorescence quantum yield of 18.3% in aqueous and greater entrapment efficiency (EE) of 91.0% for DOX ascribed to the efficient π-π stacking interactions between PTyr blocks and drug molecules and the unique structure of branched hydrophilic brushes with a moderate chain length. DOX@P₄ micelles revealed visualization of intracellular trafficking and accelerated drug release due to the enzyme-triggered degradation of PTyr blocks with proteinase K and subsequent deshielding of POEGMA corona for micelle destruction. In vitro and In vivo animal study further verified the intensive therapeutic efficiency with attenuated systematic toxicity. Taken together, we provided a universal strategy toward multifunctional polymeric delivery vehicles based on conjugated PF and biocompatible and degradable polypeptide by integratied Suzuki coupling and NCA ROP, and identified the branched structure of hydrophilic brushes for better performance of bottlebrush copolymers-based micelles for drug delivery applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Synthesis of polyfluorene (PF)-based theranostic amphiphilic copolymers with simultaneously high drug loading efficiency and tumor microenvironment-specific responsiveness for promoted intracellular drug release and enhanced cancer therapy has been rarely reported likely due to the lack of efficient synthetic approaches to integrate these desirable properties. We reported herein successful preparation of enzyme-responsive theranostic amphiliphilic bottlebrush copolymers with simultaneously high drug loading efficiency and tumor microenvironment-specific responsiveness for enhanced chemotherapy in vivo. This study therefore not only developed a universal strategy for the construction of multifunction polymeric vehicles based on the conjugated polymer of PF and degradable polypeptide by integrated Suzuki coupling and NCA ROP, but also emphasized the better stability of micelles endowed by the branched hydrophilic brushes than linear ones.

Superior Fluorescent Nanoemulsion Illuminates Hepatocellular Carcinoma for Surgical Navigation

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fifth most common cancer worldwide, poses a severe threat to public health. Intraoperative fluorescence imaging provides a golden opportunity for surgeons to visualize tumor-involved margins, thereby implementing precise HCC resection with minimal damage to normal tissues. Here, a novel-acting contrast agent, which facilely bridges indocyanine green (ICG) and lipiodol using self-emulsifying nanotechnology, was developed for optical surgical navigation. Compared to clinically available ICG probe, our prepared nanoemulsion showed obviously red-shifted optical absorption and enhanced fluorescence intensity. Further benefiting from the shielding effect of lipiodol, the fluorescence stability and anti-photobleaching ability of nanoemulsion were highly improved, indicating a great capacity for long-lasting in vivo intraoperative imaging. Under the fluorescence guidance of nanoemulsion, the tumor tissues were clearly delineated with a signal-to-noise ratio above 5-fold, and then underwent a complete surgical resection from orthotopic HCC-bearing mice. Such superior fluorescence performances, ultrahigh tumor-to-liver contrast, as well as great bio-safety, warrants the great translational potential of nanoemulsion in precise HCC imaging and intraoperative navigation.

Embedding Proteins within Spatially Controlled Hierarchical Nanoarchitectures for Ultrasensitive Immunoassay

Modulating the precise self-assembly of functional biomacromolecules is a critical challenge in biotechnology. Herein, functional biomacromolecule-assembled hierarchical hybrid nanoarchitectures in a spatially controlled fashion are synthesized, achieving the biorecognition behavior and signal amplification in the immunoassay simultaneously. Biomacromolecules with sequential assembly on the scaffold through the biomineralization process show significantly enhanced stability, bioactivity, and utilization efficiency, allowing tuning of their functions by modifying their size and composition. The hierarchically hybrid nanoarchitectures show great potential in construction of ultrasensitive immunoassay platforms, achieving a three order-of-magnitude increase in sensitivity. Notably, the well-designed HRP@Ab₂ nanoarchitectures allow for optical immunoassays with a detection range from picogram mL^-1 to microgram mL^-1 on demand, providing great promise for quantitative analysis of both low-abundance and high-residue targets for biomedical applications.

The associations between interleukin-17 single-nucleotide polymorphism and colorectal cancer susceptibility: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Numerous case-control studies have reported associations between interleukin-17 (IL-17) polymorphisms and colorectal cancer; however, the results were inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis was to further clarify the effects of IL-17 polymorphisms on colorectal cancer susceptibility.

Materials and method

Relevant studies were extracted from the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CMB) up to April 2021. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were used to estimate the strength of the associations.

Results

Ten articles including 2599 cases and 2845 controls were enrolled in our research after strict literature screening. Highly significant associations between the IL-17A rs2275913 polymorphism and increased colorectal cancer susceptibility were observed in all five gene models (allelic, dominant, recessive, homozygous, and heterozygous models), and subgroup analysis based on ethnicity revealed that these associations existed not only in the Asian population but also in the Caucasian population. However, the results showed no significantly elevated colorectal cancer risk correlated with the IL-17F rs763780 polymorphism, and a slightly lower colorectal cancer susceptibility for the Caucasian population was discovered in the recessive and homozygous models of this mutation.

Conclusion

The IL-17A rs2275913 polymorphism may be an independent risk factor contributing to colorectal cancer susceptibility, while the IL-17F rs763780 polymorphism may decrease susceptibility to colorectal cancer. Future studies with large-scale samples are warranted to identify these associations.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-022-02586-2.

Abnormal ECA-Binding Membrane Glycans and Galactosylated CAT and P4HB in Lesion Tissues as Potential Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of cancer. Despite decades of research efforts, the search for novel biomarkers is still urgently needed for the diagnosis of HCC and the improvement of clinical outcomes. Previous studies of HCC clinical biomarkers have usually focused on serum and urine samples (e.g., serum Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). However, cellular membrane proteins in lesion tissues are less used in HCC diagnosis. The abnormal expression of membrane glycoproteins in tumor lesions are considered as potential targets for tumor diagnosis and tumor therapies. Here, a lectin array has been employed to screen and identify abnormal glycopatterns and cellular membrane glycans in HCC lesion tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. We found that there was significantly less expression of Erythrina cristagalli (ECA) lectin binding (Galβ1-3/β1-4) glycans on the cellular membrane of HCC lesion tissues compared with those of adjacent non-tumor tissues. Immunohistochemistry analysis further showed that ECA-binding ability on the membrane proteins of HCC tissues progressively decreased in different tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stages (stage I to stage III) as the malignancy of liver cancer increased. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis showed ECA-binding ability yielding a sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 75%, and a combination of ECA and AFP has better clinical diagnostic efficiency, yielding a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 85%, than ECA or AFP assay alone. ECA pull-down followed by mass spectrometry further showed that there was significantly less expression of ECA binding membrane catalase (CAT) and prolyl 4-hydroxylase beta polypeptide (P4HB) in HCC tissues compared with the adjacent non-tumor tissues. The abnormally increased expression of total CAT and P4HB and decreased expression of galactosylated membrane CAT and P4HB in HCC cell lines were correlated with an HCC metastasis status. Our findings suggest that abnormal declined ECA-binding galatosylated membrane glycans and two galactosylated-CAT and P4HB glycoproteins in lesion tissues are potential biomarkers in the diagnosis and/or metastasis prediction for HCC.

A natural cuttlefish melanin nanoprobe for preoperative and intraoperative mapping of lymph nodes

Lymphatic metastasis plays an important role in malignant tumor invasion. Efficient identification of sentinel lymph node (SLN) is extremely significant for designing therapeutic strategies and assessing prognosis. In this work, we developed a natural cuttlefish melanin nanoprobe for the preoperative and intraoperative evaluation of lymphatic metastasis. The cuttlefish melanin nanoparticle could improve the water-solubility and biocompatibility of the near-infrared-II (NIR-II) dye, and extend the retention time of small molecule dye. The NIR-II imaging results verified that the nanoparticles have a high accumulation, high sensitivity, and high signal-to-noise ratio in the lymphatic system. Moreover, the nanoparticles have obvious naked-eye identification potential due to their natural brownish-black color. Additionally, the nanoparticles can combine with Gd ions to achieve preoperative lymphatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results of this study provide a unique approach to effectively identify and accurately remove lymph nodes before operation and during surgery, exhibiting tremendous potential in clinical translation.

Branched PCL-Based Thermogelling Copolymers: Controlling Polymer Architecture to Tune Drug Release Profiles

Temperature-responsive hydrogels, or thermogels, are a unique class of biomaterials that show facile and spontaneous transition from solution to gel when warmed. Their high biocompatibility, and ease of formulation with both small molecule drugs and biologics have made these materials prime candidates as injectable gel depots for sustained local drug delivery. At present, controlling the kinetics and profile of drug release from thermogels is achieved mainly by varying the ratio of hydrophobic: hydrophilic composition and the polymer molecular weight. Herein, we introduce polymer branching as a hitherto-overlooked polymer design parameter that exhibits profound influences on the rate and profile of drug release. Through a family of amphiphilic thermogelling polymers with systematic variations in degree of branching, we demonstrate that more highly-branched polymers are able to pack less efficiently with each other during thermogel formation, with implications on their physical properties and stability towards gel erosion. This in turn resulted in faster rates of release for both encapsulated small molecule hydrophobic drug and protein. Our results demonstrate the possibility of exploiting polymer branching as a hitherto-overlooked design parameter for tailoring the kinetics and profile of drug release in injectable thermogel depots.

Supramolecular Helical Miktoarm Star Polymers

We report a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular miktoarm star polymer containing three distinct helical arms. Our design involves two helical poly(methacrylamide) arms connected by a barbituric acid (Ba) at the center, prepared through the reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization with a bifunctional agent. Together with a telechelic helical poly(isocyanide) end-functionalized with a Hamilton Wedge (HW) that is complementary to Ba, the two components assemble into an AB₂-type star copolymer. The assembly is driven by the hydrogen bonding between HW and Ba, which is quantified by ¹H NMR titration and isothermal titration calorimetry. Gel-permeation chromatography provides evidence for the formation of the desired miktoarm star architecture. This strategy of site-specific functionalization on helical polymers provides a modular approach to preparing nonlinear supramolecular ensembles with topologically diverse building blocks.

Introducing Zirconium Organic Gels for Efficient Radioiodine Gas Removal

Iodine radioisotope, as one of the most important fission products of uranium, may cause severe damage to human health when it is accidentally discharged into the environment. Hence, efficient removal of radioactive iodine is one of the most critical issues for both used nuclear fuel (UNF) reprocessing and environmental remediation. In this work, three metal-organic gels (MOGs) were introduced for iodine removal. The presented zirconium-based MOGs, namely, CWNU, CWNU-NH₂, and CWNU-2NH₂, were prepared via moderate solvothermal reactions. These MOGs all exhibit excellent chemical stability and reusability, marked iodine sorption capability, and favorable machinability, which can even rival commercial ones. The sorption capacities are determined to be 3.36, 4.10, and 4.20 g/g, respectively. The increased amount of amino group is considered to be responsible for the elevated iodine sorption capacity and kinetics, as confirmed by combined sorption studies and XPS analysis. The presented work sheds light on the utilization of MOGs for radioiodine capture.

Semiconducting Polymer Nanoparticles for Photoactivatable Cancer Immunotherapy and Imaging of Immunoactivation

Immunotherapy that stimulates the body's own immune system to kill cancer cells has emerged as a promising cancer therapeutic method. However, some types of cancer exhibited a low response rate to immunotherapy, and the high risk of immune-related side effects has been aroused during immunotherapy, which greatly restrict its broad applications in cancer therapy. Phototherapy that uses external light to trigger the therapeutic process holds advantages including high selectivity and efficiency, and low side effects. Recently, it has been proven to be able to stimulate immune response in the tumor region by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), the process of which was termed photo-immunotherapy, dramatically improving therapeutic specificity over conventional immunotherapy in several aspects. Among numerous optical materials for photo-immunotherapy, semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (SPNs) have gained more and more attention owing to their excellent optical properties and good biocompatibility. In this review, we summarize recent developments of SPNs for immunotherapy and imaging of immunoactivation. Different therapeutic modalities triggered by SPNs including photo-immunotherapy and photo-immunometabolic therapy are first introduced. Then, applications of SPNs for real-time monitoring immunoactivation are discussed. Finally, the conclusion and future perspectives of this research field are given.

Grouping of chemicals into mode of action classes by automated effect pattern analysis using the zebrafish embryo toxicity test

A central element of high throughput screens for chemical effect assessment using zebrafish is the assessment and quantification of phenotypic changes. By application of an automated and more unbiased analysis of these changes using image analysis, patterns of phenotypes may be associated with the mode of action (MoA) of the exposure chemical. The aim of our study was to explore to what extent compounds can be grouped according to their anticipated toxicological or pharmacological mode of action using an automated quantitative multi-endpoint zebrafish test. Chemical-response signatures for 30 endpoints, covering phenotypic and functional features, were generated for 25 chemicals assigned to 8 broad MoA classes. Unsupervised clustering of the profiling data demonstrated that chemicals were partially grouped by their main MoA. Analysis with a supervised clustering technique such as a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) allowed to identify markers with a strong potential to discriminate between MoAs such as mandibular arch malformation observed for compounds interfering with retinoic acid signaling. The capacity for discriminating MoAs was also benchmarked to an available battery of in vitro toxicity data obtained from ToxCast library indicating a partially similar performance. Further, we discussed to which extent the collected dataset indicated indeed differences for compounds with presumably similar MoA or whether other factors such as toxicokinetic differences could have an important impact on the determined response patterns.

Stimuli-responsive cyclodextrin-based supramolecular assemblies as drug carriers

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are widely employed in biomedical applications because of their unique structures. Various biomedical applications can be achieved in a spatiotemporally controlled manner by integrating the host-guest chemistry of CDs with stimuli-responsive functions. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in stimuli-responsive supramolecular assemblies based on the host-guest chemistry of CDs. The stimuli considered in this review include endogenous (pH, redox, and enzymes) and exogenous stimuli (light, temperature, and magnetic field). We mainly discuss the mechanisms of the stimuli-responsive ability and present typical designs of the corresponding supramolecular assemblies for drug delivery and other potential biomedical applications. The limitations and perspectives of CD-based stimuli-responsive supramolecular assemblies are discussed to further promote the translation of laboratory products into clinical applications.

Effectiveness of an ocular adhesive polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane hybrid thermo-responsive FK506 hydrogel in a murine model of dry eye

Dry eye is a common ocular disease that results in discomfort and impaired vision, impacting an individual's quality of life. A great number of drugs administered in eye drops to treat dry eye are poorly soluble in water and are rapidly eliminated from the ocular surface, which limits their therapeutic effects. Therefore, it is imperative to design a novel drug delivery system that not only improves the water solubility of the drug but also prolongs its retention time on the ocular surface. Herein, we develop a copolymer from mono-functional POSS, PEG, and PPG (MPOSS-PEG-PPG, MPEP) that exhibits temperature-sensitive sol-gel transition behavior. This thermo-responsive hydrogel improves the water solubility of FK506 and simultaneously provides a mucoadhesive, long-acting ocular delivery system. In addition, the FK506-loaded POSS hydrogel possesses good biocompatibility and significantly improves adhesion to the ocular surface. In comparison with other FK506 formulations and the PEG-PPG-FK506 (F127-FK506) hydrogel, this novel MPOSS-PEG-PPG-FK506 (MPEP-FK506) hydrogel is a more effective treatment of dry eye in the murine dry eye model. Therefore, delivery of FK506 in this POSS hydrogel has the potential to prolong drug retention time on the ocular surface, which will improve its therapeutic efficacy in the management of dry eye.

Upconversion nanoparticles regulated drug & gas dual-effective nanoplatform for the targeting cooperated therapy of thrombus and anticoagulation

Thromboembolism is the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality. Currently, for the lack of targeting, short half-life, low bioavailability and high bleeding risk of the classical thrombolytic drugs, pharmacological thrombolysis is usually a slow process based on micro-pumping. In addition, frequently monitoring and regulating coagulation functions are also required during (and after) the process of thrombolysis. To address these issues, a targeted thrombolytic and anticoagulation nanoplatform (UCATS-UK) is developed based on upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) that can convert 808 or 980 nm near-infrared (NIR) light into UV/blue light. This nanoplatform can target and enrich in the thrombus site. Synergistic thrombolysis and anticoagulation therapy thus could be realized through the controlled release of urokinase (UK) and nitric oxide (NO). Both in vitro and in vivo experiments have confirmed the excellent thrombolytic and anticoagulative capabilities of this multifunctional nanoplatform. Combined with the unique fluorescent imaging capability of UCNPs, this work is expected to contribute to the development of clinical thrombolysis therapy towards an integrated system of imaging, diagnosis and treatment.

•

This work is not only the first application of UCNPs in the thrombolysis therapy, but also the first attempt to develop a dual effective drug & gas nanoplatform for thrombolytic & anticoagulation therapy.

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Besides conventional in vitro and animal experiments, a 3D printed vascular model is also constructed to further verify the feasibility of UCATS-UK.

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Through surface chemical modification, the nanoplatform possesses the capabilities of targeting thrombus, as well as light-controlled NO release for drug-free anticoagulation therapy.

Glass Transition Temperature of PLGA Particles and the Influence on Drug Delivery Applications

Over recent decades, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) based nano- and micro- drug delivery vehicles have been rapidly developed since PLGA was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Common factors that influence PLGA particle properties have been extensively studied by researchers, such as particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), surface morphology, zeta potential, and drug loading efficiency. These properties have all been found to be key factors for determining the drug release kinetics of the drug delivery particles. For drug delivery applications the drug release behavior is a critical property, and PLGA drug delivery systems are still plagued with the issue of burst release when a large portion of the drug is suddenly released from the particle rather than the controlled release the particles are designed for. Other properties of the particles can play a role in the drug release behavior, such as the glass transition temperature (T_g). The T_g, however, is an underreported property of current PLGA based drug delivery systems. This review summarizes the basic knowledge of the glass transition temperature in PLGA particles, the factors that influence the T_g, the effect of T_g on drug release behavior, and presents the recent awareness of the influence of T_g on drug delivery applications.

Acacetin ameliorates cardiac hypertrophy by activating Sirt1/AMPK/PGC-1α pathway

Cardiac hypertrophy is a major risk factor for developing heart failure. This study investigates the effects of the natural flavone acacetin on myocardial hypertrophy in cellular level and whole animals. In cardiomyocytes from neonatal rat with hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II (Ang II), acacetin at 0.3, 1, and 3 μM reduced the increased myocyte surface area, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and ROS production by upregulating anti-oxidative molecules (i.e. Nrf2, SOD1, SOD2, HO-1), anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, and downregulating the pro-apoptotic protein Bax and the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, acacetin rescued Ang II-induced impairment of PGC-1α, PPARα and pAMPK. These beneficial effects of acacetin were mediated by activation of Sirt1, which was confirmed in cardiac hypertrophy induced by abdominal aorta constriction (AAC) in SD rats. Acacetin prodrug (10 mg/kg, s.c., b.i.d.) treatment reduced the elevated artery blood pressure, improved the increased heart size and thickness of left ventricular wall and the ventricular fibrosis associated with inhibiting myocardial fibrosis and BNP, and reversed the impaired protective signal molecules including PGC-1α, Nrf2, PPARα, pAMPK and Sirt1 of left ventricular tissue. Our results demonstrate the novel pharmacological effect that acacetin ameliorates cardiac hypertrophy via Sirt1-mediated activation of AMPK/PGC-1α signal molecules followed by reducing oxidation, inflammation and apoptosis.

Characterization of DNA methylation as well as mico-RNA expression and screening of epigenetic markers in adipogenesis

This study aimed to use bioinformatics methods to characterize epigenetic changes in terms of micro-RNA(miRNA) expression and DNA methylation during adipogenesis. The mRNA and miRNA expression microarray and DNA methylation dataset were obtained from the GEO database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs), differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and differentially methylated probes (DMPs) were filtered using the limma package. The R language cluster profile package was used for functional and enrichment analysis. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING and visualized in Cytoscape. The Connection map (CMap) website tool was used to screen potential therapeutic drugs for adipogenesis. When comparing the early and late stages of adipogenesis, 111 low miRNA targeted upregulated genes and 64 high miRNA targeted downregulated genes were obtained, as well as 663 low-methylated high-expressed genes and 237 high-methylated low-expressed genes. In addition, 41 genes (24 upregulated and 17 downregulated) were simultaneously regulated by abnormal miRNA changes and DNA methylation. Ten chemicals were identified as putative therapeutics for adipogenesis. In addition, among the dual-regulated genes identified, CANX, HNRNPA1, MCL1, and PPIF may play key roles in the epigenetic regulation of adipogenesis and may serve as aberrant methylation or miRNA targeting biomarkers.

Progress and Hurdles of Therapeutic Nanosystems against Cancer

Nanomedicine against cancer, including diagnosis, prevention and treatment, has increased expectations for the solution of many biomedical challenges in the fight against this disease. In recent decades, an exhaustive design of nanosystems with high specificity, sensitivity and selectivity has been achieved due to a rigorous control over their physicochemical properties and an understanding of the nano–bio interface. However, despite the considerable progress that has been reached in this field, there are still different hurdles that limit the clinical application of these nanosystems, which, along with their possible solutions, have been reviewed in this work. Specifically, physiological processes as biological barriers and protein corona formation related to the administration routes, designing strategies to overcome these obstacles, promising new multifunctional nanotherapeutics, and recent clinical trials are presented in this review.

Biocompatible 2D Cu-TCPP Nanosheets Derived from Cu2O Nanocubes as Multifunctional Nanoplatforms for Combined Anticancer Therapy

Two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could serve as multifunctional nanoplatforms to load small-molecule drugs and enzyme-mimicking nanoparticles (NPs) with a high efficiency for combined cancer therapy. Herein, we have prepared novel 2D Cu-tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) nanosheets with an average thickness of 1.2 ± 0.1 nm using Cu₂O nanocubes (50 nm) as a template and solid copper ion supplier. Cu₂O nanocubes can be consumed and hybridized with the obtained Cu-TCPP, depending on the molar ratio of Cu₂O and TCPP linker. The resultant Cu₂O/Cu-TCPP could serve as nanoplatforms for co-loading of Pt and Au NPs to construct multifunctional Cu₂O/Cu-TCPP/(Pt-Au) nanomedicines, which showed a superior anticancer effect via multiple therapeutic modes. For instance, Cu(II)-TCPP can produce ¹O₂ in the presence of acidic H₂O₂ by the Russell mechanism and the intrinsic Cu(I) ions (derived from the residual Cu₂O) could mediate a Fenton-like reaction in tumorous tissues to generate toxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH). Moreover, the loaded Pt NPs with catalase (CAT)-mimic activity could decompose hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into O₂ within the tumor cells, increasing the local O₂ concentration, modulating the tumorous hypoxia atmosphere, and promoting the O₂-dependent glucose oxidation reaction. Furthermore, Au NPs with glucose oxidase (GOx)-mimic activity could accelerate the consumption of glucose and cut nutrient supply to induce starvation therapy. Consequently, our designed 2D MOF-based therapeutic nanomedicines would be a promising candidate for future smart and combined cancer therapy.

Identification of a glycolysis-related gene signature for predicting prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer in the world. Although great advances in HCC diagnosis and treatment have been achieved, due to the complicated mechanisms in tumor development and progression, the prognosis of HCC is still dismal. Recent studies have revealed that the Warburg effect is related to the development, progression and treatment of various cancers; however, there have been a few explorations of the relationship between glycolysis and HCC prognosis.

Methods

mRNA expression profiling was downloaded from public databases. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore glycolysis-related genes (GRGs), and the LASSO method and Cox regression analysis were used to identify GRGs related to HCC prognosis and to construct predictive models associated with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The relationship between the predictive model and the tumor mutation burden (TMB) and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) was explored. Finally, real-time PCR was used to validate the expression levels of the GRGs in clinical samples and different cell lines.

Results

Five GRGs (ABCB6, ANKZF1, B3GAT3, KIF20A and STC2) were identified and used to construct gene signatures to predict HCC OS and DFS. Using the median value, HCC patients were divided into low- and high-risk groups. Patients in the high-risk group had worse OS/DFS than those in the low-risk group, were related to higher TMB and were associated with a higher rate of CD4+ memory T cells resting and CD4+ memory T cells activated. Finally, real-time PCR suggested that the five GRGs were all dysregulated in HCC samples compared to adjacent normal samples.

Conclusions

We identified five GRGs associated with HCC prognosis and constructed two GRGs-related gene signatures to predict HCC OS and DFS. The findings in this study may contribute to the prediction of prognosis and promote HCC treatment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09209-9.

Mechanisms of Pharmacoresistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: New Drugs but Old Problems

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy with poor prognosis when diagnosed at advanced stages in which curative treatments are no longer applicable. A small group of these patients may still benefit from transarterial chemoembolization. The only therapeutic option for most patients with advanced HCC is systemic pharmacological treatments based on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immunotherapy. Available drugs only slightly increase survival, as tumor cells possess additive and synergistic mechanisms of pharmacoresistance (MPRs) prior to or enhanced during treatment. Understanding the molecular basis of MPRs is crucial to elucidate the genetic signature underlying HCC resistome. This will permit the selection of biomarkers to predict drug treatment response and identify tumor weaknesses in a personalized and dynamic way. In this article, we have reviewed the role of MPRs in current first-line drugs and the combinations of immunotherapeutic agents with novel TKIs being tested in the treatment of advanced HCC.

S-Adenosylmethionine: From the Discovery of Its Inhibition of Tumorigenesis to Its Use as a Therapeutic Agent

Alterations of methionine cycle in steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma induce MAT1A decrease and MAT2A increase expressions with the consequent decrease of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM). This causes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). SAM administration antagonizes pathological conditions, including galactosamine, acetaminophen, and ethanol intoxications, characterized by decreased intracellular SAM. Positive therapeutic effects of SAM/vitamin E or SAM/ursodeoxycholic acid in animal models with NAFLD and intrahepatic cholestasis were not confirmed in humans. In in vitro experiments, SAM and betaine potentiate PegIFN-alpha-2a/2b plus ribavirin antiviral effects. SAM plus betaine improves early viral kinetics and increases interferon-stimulated gene expression in patients with viral hepatitis non-responders to pegIFNα/ribavirin. SAM prevents hepatic cirrhosis, induced by CCl4, inhibits experimental tumors growth and is proapoptotic for hepatocellular carcinoma and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. SAM plus Decitabine arrest cancer growth and potentiate doxorubicin effects on breast, head, and neck cancers. Furthermore, SAM enhances the antitumor effect of gemcitabine against pancreatic cancer cells, inhibits growth of human prostate cancer PC-3, colorectal cancer, and osteosarcoma LM-7 and MG-63 cell lines; increases genomic stability of SW480 cells. SAM reduces colorectal cancer progression and inhibits the proliferation of preneoplastic rat liver cells in vivo. The discrepancy between positive results of SAM treatment of experimental tumors and modest effects against human disease may depend on more advanced human disease stage at moment of diagnosis.

Nanotransferrin-Based Programmable Catalysis Mediates Three-Pronged Induction of Oxidative Stress to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy

Current oxidative stress amplifying strategies for immunogenic cell death (ICD) promotion are mainly restricted to immune tolerance induced by adaptive cellular antioxidation, limited tumor-selectivity, and tumoral immunosuppression. Herein, a facile and efficient scenario of genetically engineering transferrin-expressing cell membrane nanovesicle encapsulated IR820-dihydroartemisinin nanomedicine (Tf@IR820-DHA) was developed to boost a-PD-L1-mediated immune checkpoint blocking (ICB) via synergetic triple stimuli-activated oxidative stress-associated ICD. We demonstrate that the engineered transferrin of Tf@IR820-DHA has excellent tumor targeting and Fe(III)-loading properties and thus delivered Fe(III) and IR820-DHA nanoparticles (NPs) to the lesion location effectively. We found that the self-carrying Fe(III)-mediated programmable catalysis of DHA and glutathione (GSH) depletion generated plenty of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, DHA also acted as an immunomodulator to decrease the number of T regulatory cells, thereby remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment and achieving double T cell activation. Furthermore, the IR820 molecule served as a competent sonosensitizer to produce ROS under ultrasound activation and guide precise immunotherapy via fluorescent/photoacoustic (FL/PA) imaging. Through its three-pronged delivery of stimuli-activated oxidative stress (DHA-induced chemodynamic therapy, catalysis-conferred GSH depletion, and IR820-mediated sonodynamic therapy), Tf@IR820-DHA caused high levels of targeted ICD. This significantly increased the proportions of IFN-γ-secreting T cells (CD4⁺ T and CD8⁺ T) and enhanced a-PD-L1-mediated ICB against primary and distant tumors, which represents a promising approach for cancer nanoimmunotherapy.

Silk fibroin-capped metal-organic framework for tumor-specific redox dyshomeostasis treatment synergized by deoxygenation-driven chemotherapy

Disturbance in redox homeostasis always leads to oxidative damages to cellular components, which inhibits cancer cell proliferation and causes tumor regression. Therefore, synergistic effects arising from cellular redox imbalance together with other treatment modalities are worth further investigation. Herein, a metal-organic framework nanosystem (NMOF) based on coordination between Fe (III) and 4,4,4,4-(porphine-5,10,15,20-tetrayl) tetrakis (benzoic acid) (TCPP) was synthesized through a one-pot method. After surface capping of silk fibroin (SF) to form NMOF@SF nanoparticles (NPs), this nanoplatform can serve as an eligible nanocarrier to deliver tirapazamine (TPZ), a hypoxia-activated precursor. As-developed NS@TPZ (NST) NPs remained inactive in the normal tissue, whereas became highly active upon endocytosis by tumor cells via glutathione (GSH)-mediated reduction of Fe (III) into Fe (II), further enabling Fe (II)-mediated chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Upon optical laser irradiation, TCPP-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) coordinated with CDT to aggravate intracellular oxidative stress. Thus, such reactive oxygen species accumulation and GSH deprivation contributed to a deleterious redox dyshomeostasis. On the other hand, local deoxygenation caused by PDT can increase the cytotoxicity of released TPZ, which significantly improved the integral therapeutic effectiveness relying on the combined redox balance disruption and bioreductive chemotherapy. More importantly, severe immunogenic cell death can be triggered by the combinatorial treatment modalities and the presence of SF, which facilitated an almost complete tumor eradication in vivo. Taken together, this paradigm provides an insightful strategy for tumor-specific redox dyshomeostasis treatment synergized by deoxygenation-driven chemotherapy, which can remarkably enhance antitumor efficacy with negligible adverse effects. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Recently, silk fibroin (SF) has been demonstrated to be effective in activating antitumor immune system through polarization tumor-associated macrophages into M1 subtype. However, engineering SF into multifunctional nanocomposites is seldom reported for combination tumor therapy. In another aspect, disruption of redox homeostasis becomes increasingly attractive for tumor suppression with high clinical-relevance. Herein, we established a newfashioned NMOF nanosystem, named as NST, for tumor-specific redox dyshomeostasis treatment synergized by deoxygenation-driven chemotherapy. This platform takes advantages of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ coupled Fenton-like reaction and GSH depletion, as well as TCPP-mediated photosensitization for admirable redox unbalancing, which further initiates hypoxia-relevant toxin of TPZ for chemotherapy. Finally, combinatorial treatments and the presence of SF could trigger ICD for rendering a complete tumor eradication in vivo.

Biological Utility of Fluorinated Compounds: from Materials Design to Molecular Imaging, Therapeutics and Environmental Remediation

The applications of fluorinated molecules in bioengineering and nanotechnology are expanding rapidly with the controlled introduction of fluorine being broadly studied due to the unique properties of C-F bonds. This review will focus on the design and utility of C-F containing materials in imaging, therapeutics, and environmental applications with a central theme being the importance of controlling fluorine-fluorine interactions and understanding how such interactions impact biological behavior. Low natural abundance of fluorine is shown to provide sensitivity and background advantages for imaging and detection of a variety of diseases with ¹⁹F magnetic resonance imaging, ¹⁸F positron emission tomography and ultrasound discussed as illustrative examples. The presence of C-F bonds can also be used to tailor membrane permeability and pharmacokinetic properties of drugs and delivery agents for enhanced cell uptake and therapeutics. A key message of this review is that while the promise of C-F containing materials is significant, a subset of highly fluorinated compounds such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have been identified as posing a potential risk to human health. The unique properties of the C-F bond and the significant potential for fluorine-fluorine interactions in PFAS structures necessitate the development of new strategies for facile and efficient environmental removal and remediation. Recent progress in the development of fluorine-containing compounds as molecular imaging and therapeutic agents will be reviewed and their design features contrasted with environmental and health risks for PFAS systems. Finally, present challenges and future directions in the exploitation of the biological aspects of fluorinated systems will be described.

The Structure-Self-Assembly Relationship in PDMAEMA/Polyester Miktoarm Stars

Well-defined miktoarm star-shaped polymers based on heterofunctional glucose derivative initiator, N,N’-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and various cyclic esters, such as ε-caprolactone (CL), lactide (LA), glycolide (GA), were obtained by combining atom...

The Impact of MOF in pH-dependent Drug Delivery System: Progress in Last Decade

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystalline materials of one-, two-, or three-dimensional networks manufactured from metal ions/clusters and multidentate organic linkers through coordination bonding. MOFs are one of the most...

Combination of phototherapy with immune checkpoint blockade: Theory and practice in cancer

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has evolved as a revolutionized therapeutic modality to eradicate tumor cells by releasing the brake of the antitumor immune response. However, only a subset of patients could benefit from ICB treatment currently. Phototherapy usually includes photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). PTT exerts a local therapeutic effect by using photothermal agents to generate heat upon laser irradiation. PDT utilizes irradiated photosensitizers with a laser to produce reactive oxygen species to kill the target cells. Both PTT and PDT can induce immunogenic cell death in tumors to activate antigen-presenting cells and promote T cell infiltration. Therefore, combining ICB treatment with PTT/PDT can enhance the antitumor immune response and prevent tumor metastases and recurrence. In this review, we summarized the mechanism of phototherapy in cancer immunotherapy and discussed the recent advances in the development of phototherapy combined with ICB therapy to treat malignant tumors. Moreover, we also outlined the significant progress of phototherapy combined with targeted therapy or chemotherapy to improve ICB in preclinical and clinical studies. Finally, we analyzed the current challenges of this novel combination treatment regimen. We believe that the next-generation technology breakthrough in cancer treatment may come from this combinational win-win strategy of photoimmunotherapy.

Ratiometric FRET Encoded Hierarchical ZrMOF @ Au Cluster for Ultrasensitive Quantifying MicroRNA In Vivo

Here, Zirconium metal-organic frameworks @ gold (ZrMOF @ Au) cluster architectures have been fabricated and then functionalized with two fluorescent dyes (Quasar [QS] and Cyanine5.5 [Cy5.5]) through deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization, to form a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) encoded ZrMOF  @  Au-QS/Cy5.5 complex. In the presence of the target intracellular microRNA (miR)-21, the fluorescence of Cy5.5 at 705 nm (F₇₀₅ ) decreases and the fluorescence of QS at 665 nm (F₆₆₅ ) increases when Cy5.5 is released from the surface of ZrMOF  @  Au-QS/Cy5.5. The change in the fluorescence ratio (F₇₀₅ /F₆₆₅ ) shows an outstanding linear range of 0.006-67.9 amol/ng_RNA , and the limit of detection is 4.51 zmol/ng_RNA in living cells. The high ratio loading of nucleic acid on surface of ZrMOF @ Au cluster and two fluorescence encoded signal enables better sensitivity and reliability. Zeptomolar sensitivity and good linearity against target affords distinct imaging-based monitoring of the cancer marker miR-21 both in living cells and in vivo. At the same time, the architecture displays remarkable photothermal conversion efficiency (53.7%) and gives rise to outstanding therapy ability in vivo. This strategy offers new avenues for the intelligent quantification of miRNAs for simultaneous diagnoses and treatments of early-stage cancers.

Machine Learning-Driven Biomaterials Evolution

Biomaterials is an exciting and dynamic field, which uses a collection of diverse materials to achieve desired biological responses. While there is constant evolution and innovation in materials with time, biomaterials research has been hampered by the relatively long development period required. In recent years, driven by the need to accelerate materials development, the applications of machine learning in materials science has progressed in leaps and bounds. The combination of machine learning with high-throughput theoretical predictions and high-throughput experiments (HTE) has shifted the traditional Edisonian (trial and error) paradigm to a data-driven paradigm. In this review, each type of biomaterial and their key properties and use cases are systematically discussed, followed by how machine learning can be applied in the development and design process. The discussions are classified according to various types of materials used including polymers, metals, ceramics, and nanomaterials, and implants using additive manufacturing. Last, the current gaps and potential of machine learning to further aid biomaterials discovery and application are also discussed.

Folate-functionalized SMMC-7721 liver cancer cell membrane-cloaked paclitaxel nanocrystals for targeted chemotherapy of hepatoma

In this study, we prepared a folic acid-functionalized SMMC-7721 liver cancer cell membrane (CM)-encapsulated paclitaxel nanocrystals system (FCPN) for hepatoma treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization showed that FCPN was irregular spherical shapes with a particle size larger than 200 nm and a coated thickness of approximately 20 nm. In an in vitro release experiment, FCPN indicated a slowly release effect of paclitaxel (PTX). Cell experiments demonstrated that FCPN was taken up by SMMC-7721 cells and significantly inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells, which illustrated that FCPN had good targeting ability compared with PN and CPN. According to the results of in vivo animal experiments, FCPN significantly inhibited tumor growth. Tissue distribution experiments proved that FCPN could accumulate significantly in tumor tissues, which further explained why FCPN had good targeting ability. These results clearly suggested that folate-functionalized homotypic CM bionic nanosystems might represent a very valuable method for liver cancer treatment in the future.

Identification and Validation of an Immune-related Prognostic Signature for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The immune system plays vital roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) initiation and progression. The present study aimed to construct an immune-gene related prognostic signature (IRPS) for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients.

METHODS

Gene expression data were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The IRPS was established via least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regression analysis. The prognostic values of the IRPS were further validated using the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) dataset.

RESULTS

A total of 62 genes were identified as candidate immune-related prognostic genes. According to the results of Lasso and multivariate Cox regression analysis, we established an IRPS and confirmed its stability and reliability in the ICGC dataset. The IRPS was significantly associated with advanced clinicopathological characteristics. Both Cox regression analyses revealed that the IRPS could be independent risk factors influencing prognosis of HCC patients. The relationships between the IRPS and infiltration of immune cells demonstrated that the IRPS was associated with immune cell infiltration. Furthermore, a nomogram was constructed to estimate the survival probability of HCC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The IRPS was effective for predicting prognosis of HCC patients, which might serve as novel prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers for HCC.

A pure nanoICG-based homogeneous lipiodol formulation: toward precise surgical navigation of primary liver cancer after long-term transcatheter arterial embolization

PURPOSE

To surmount the critical issues of indocyanine green (ICG), and thus achieving a precise surgical navigation of primary liver cancer after long-term transcatheter arterial embolization.

METHODS

In this study, a facile and green pure-nanomedicine formulation technology is developed to construct carrier-free indocyanine green nanoparticles (nanoICG), and which subsequently dispersed into lipiodol via a super-stable homogeneous lipiodol formulation technology (SHIFT nanoICG) for transcatheter arterial embolization combined near-infrared fluorescence-guided precise hepatectomy.

RESULTS

SHIFT nanoICG integrates excellent anti-photobleaching capacity, great optical imaging property, and specific tumoral deposition to recognize tumor regions, featuring entire-process enduring fluorescent-guided precise hepatectomy, especially in resection of the indiscoverable satellite lesions (0.6 mm × 0.4 mm) in rabbit bearing VX2 orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma models.

CONCLUSION

Such a simple and effective strategy provides a promising avenue to address the clinical issue of clinical hepatectomy and has excellent potential for a translational pipeline.

Nanotechnology-Employed Bacteria-Based Delivery Strategy for Enhanced Anticancer Therapy

Bacteria and their derivatives (membrane vesicles, MVs) exhibit great advantages for targeting hypoxic tumor cores, strong penetration ability and activating immune responses, holding great potential as auspicious candidates for therapeutic and drug-delivery applications. However, the safety issues and low therapeutic efficiency by single administration still need to be solved. To further optimize their performance and to utilize their natural abilities, scientists have strived to modify bacteria with new moieties on their surface while preserving their advantages. The aim of this review is to give a comprehensive overview of a non-genetic engineering modification strategy that can be used to optimize the bacteria with nanomaterials and the design strategy that can be used to optimize MVs for better targeted therapy. Here, the advantages and disadvantages of these processes and their applicability for the development of bacteria-related delivery system as antitumor therapeutic agents are discussed. The prospect and the challenges of the above targeted delivery system are also proposed.

A carrier-free supramolecular nanoprodrug based on lactose-functionalized dimeric camptothecin via self-assembly in water for targeted and fluorescence imaging-guided chemo-photodynamic therapy

Most carrier-based nano drug delivery systems (nano-DDSs) are subjected to complex preparation or purification processes, metabolic instability and potential systemic toxicity. To overcome these issues, it is urgent to develop a multifunctional carrier-free nano-DDS that can be fabricated by a simple approach for enhanced anticancer efficacy. In this work, the carrier-free supramolecular nanoprodrug (CF SNPD) based on lactose (Lac) functionalized dimeric camptothecin (CPT) was developed, in which Lac and CPT were conjugated by the aromatized thioacetal (ATA, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive bond). The obtained Lac-ATA-CPT₂ prodrug and the photosensitizer Chlorin e6 (Ce6) formed CF SNPD (denoted as Ce6@Lac-ATA-CPT₂ NPs) in water by supramolecular self-assembly. The design of dimeric CPT endowed Ce6@Lac-ATA-CPT₂ NPs with ultrahigh drug-loading capacity (up to 94%) and excellent stability. The Lac-functionalized CF SNPD displayed active specific targetability to HepG2 cells resulting from the carbohydrate-protein interactions. Furthermore, the fluorescence signal of Ce6 facilitated the precise tracking and localization of Ce6@Lac-ATA-CPT₂ NPs within the cell. Meanwhile, the ROS generated by Ce6 not only cleaved ATA linker to trigger on-demand CPT release, but also exhibited a killing effect on tumor cells, enabling synergistic therapy via CPT-mediated chemotherapy (CT) and Ce6-induced photodynamic therapy (PDT). Therefore, the multifunctional CF SNPD may be one of the promising therapeutic options for liver cancer.

LncRNA PTPRG-AS1 Promotes the Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Enhancing YWHAG

Objectives

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. LncRNA PTPRG-AS1 (PTPRG-AS1) has been confirmed to function as a regulator in various cancers, whose function during HCC tumorigenesis is still not clear now. Thus, we aim to dig out the biological function and its mechanisms of PTPRG-AS1 in HCC.

Methods

PTPRG-AS1 relative expression in tissues and cells was detected and analyzed using real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Subcellular distribution of PTPRG-AS1 was examined by FISH experiments. The effects of PTPRG-AS1 in the growth of HCC were studied by in vitro CCK-8 experiments, transwell invasion experiments, and in vivo xenograft tumor experiments. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay was performed to verify the interaction between PTPRG-AS1 and miR-199a-3p or miR-199a-3p and its target gene, YWHAG.

Results

PTPRG-AS1 was upregulated in HCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. We identified PTPRG-AS1 mainly localized in the cytoplasm of HCC cells. Downregulation of PTPRG-AS1 suppressed HCC progression, while overexpression of PTPRG-AS1 showed the opposite effects. Furthermore, PTPRG-AS1 served as a miR-199a-3p sponge and positively regulated YWHAG expression. Besides, PTPRG-AS1 could promote HCC through miR-199a-3p/YWHAG axis.

Conclusions

Taken together, we demonstrated PTPRG-AS1 may serve as a ceRNA and reversely regulates the expression of miR-199a-3p, thus facilitating HCC tumorigenesis and metastasis, which is expected to provide new clues for the treatment of HCC.

Emerging Nano-Based Strategies Against Drug Resistance in Tumor Chemotherapy

Drug resistance is the most significant causes of cancer chemotherapy failure. Various mechanisms of drug resistance include tumor heterogeneity, tumor microenvironment, changes at cellular levels, genetic factors, and other mechanisms. In recent years, more attention has been paid to tumor resistance mechanisms and countermeasures. Nanomedicine is an emerging treatment platform, focusing on alternative drug delivery and improved therapeutic effectiveness while reducing side effects on normal tissues. Here, we reviewed the principal forms of drug resistance and the new possibilities that nanomaterials offer for overcoming these therapeutic barriers. Novel nanomaterials based on tumor types are an excellent modality to equalize drug resistance that enables gain more rational and flexible drug selectivity for individual patient treatment. With the emergence of advanced designs and alternative drug delivery strategies with different nanomaterials, overcome of multidrug resistance shows promising and opens new horizons for cancer therapy. This review discussed different mechanisms of drug resistance and recent advances in nanotechnology-based therapeutic strategies to improve the sensitivity and effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs, aiming to show the advantages of nanomaterials in overcoming of drug resistance for tumor chemotherapy, which could accelerate the development of personalized medicine.

Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy: Current Progress and Challenges

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity with a complex pathophysiology. Traditional cancer therapies include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. However, limitations such as lack of specificity, cytotoxicity, and multi-drug resistance pose a substantial challenge for favorable cancer treatment. The advent of nanotechnology has revolutionized the arena of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanoparticles (1-100 nm) can be used to treat cancer due to their specific advantages such as biocompatibility, reduced toxicity, more excellent stability, enhanced permeability and retention effect, and precise targeting. Nanoparticles are classified into several main categories. The nanoparticle drug delivery system is particular and utilizes tumor and tumor environment characteristics. Nanoparticles not only solve the limitations of conventional cancer treatment but also overcome multidrug resistance. Additionally, as new multidrug resistance mechanisms are unraveled and studied, nanoparticles are being investigated more vigorously. Various therapeutic implications of nanoformulations have created brand new perspectives for cancer treatment. However, most of the research is limited to in vivo and in vitro studies, and the number of approved nanodrugs has not much amplified over the years. This review discusses numerous types of nanoparticles, targeting mechanisms, and approved nanotherapeutics for oncological implications in cancer treatment. Further, we also summarize the current perspective, advantages, and challenges in clinical translation.

Lovastatin enhances chemosensitivity of paclitaxel-resistant prostate cancer cells through inhibition of CYP2C8

Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for prostate cancer, with paclitaxel being commonly used for hormone-resistant prostate cancer. However, drug resistance often develops and leads to treatment failure in a variety of prostate cancer patients. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the sensitivity of prostate cancer to chemotherapy. Lovastatin (LV) is a natural compound extracted from Monascus-fermented foods and is an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR), which has been approved by the FDA for hyperlipidemia treatment. We have previously found that LV could inhibit the proliferation of refractory cancer cells. Up to now, the effect of LV on chemosensitization and the mechanisms involved have not been evaluated in drug-resistant prostate cancer. In this study, we used prostate cancer cell line PC3 and its paclitaxel-resistant counterpart PC3-TxR as the cell model. Alamar Blue cell viability assay showed that LV and paclitaxel each conferred concentration-dependent inhibition of PC3-TxR cells. When paclitaxel was combined with LV, the proliferation of PC3-TxR cells was synergistically inhibited, as demonstrated by combination index <1. Moreover, colony formation decreased while apoptosis increased in paclitaxel plus LV group compared with paclitaxel alone group. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that the combination of paclitaxel and LV could significantly reduce the expression of CYP2C8, an important drug-metabolizing enzyme. Bioinformatics analysis from the TCGA database showed that CYP2C8 expression was negatively correlated with progression-free survival (PFS) in prostate cancer patients. Our results suggest that LV might increase the sensitivity of resistant prostate cancer cells to paclitaxel through inhibition of CYP2C8 and could be utilized as a chemosensitizer for paclitaxel-resistant prostate cancer cells.

Rational design of non-toxic GOx-based biocatalytic nanoreactor for multimodal synergistic therapy and tumor metastasis suppression

Rationale: Glucose oxidase (GOx)-based biocatalytic nanoreactors can cut off the energy supply of tumors for starvation therapy and deoxygenation-activated chemotherapy. However, these nanoreactors, including mesoporous silica, calcium phosphate, metal-organic framework, or polymer nanocarriers, cannot completely block the reaction of GOx with glucose in the blood, inducing systemic toxicity from hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and anoxia. The low enzyme loading capacity can reduce systemic toxicity but limits its therapeutic effect. Here, we describe a real 'ON/OFF' intelligent nanoreactor with a core-shell structure (GOx + tirazapamine (TPZ))/ZIF-8@ZIF-8 modified with the red cell membrane (GTZ@Z-RBM) for cargo delivery.

Methods: GTZ@Z-RBM nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by the co-precipitation and epitaxial growth process under mild conditions. The core-shell structure loaded with GOx and TPZ was characterized for hydrate particle size and surface charge. The GTZ@Z-RBM NPs morphology, drug, and GOx loading/releasing abilities, system toxicity, multimodal synergistic therapy, and tumor metastasis suppression were investigated. The in vitro and in vivo outcomes of GTZ@Z-RBM NPs were assessed in 4T1 breast cancer cells.

Results: GTZ@Z-RBM NPs could spatially isolate the enzyme from glucose in a physiological environment, reducing systemic toxicity. The fabricated nanoreactor with high enzyme loading capacity and good biocompatibility could deliver GOx and TPZ to the tumors, thereby exhausting glucose, generating H₂O₂, and aggravating hypoxic microenvironment for starvation therapy, DNA damage, and deoxygenation-activated chemotherapy. Significantly, the synergistic therapy effectively suppressed the breast cancer metastasis in mice and prolonged life without systemic toxicity. The in vitro and in vivo results provided evidence that our biomimetic nanoreactor had a powerful synergistic cascade effect in treating breast cancer.

Conclusion: GTZ@Z-RBM NPs can be used as an 'ON/OFF' intelligent nanoreactor to deliver GOx and TPZ for multimodal synergistic therapy and tumor metastasis suppression.

High molecular weight hyper-branched PCL-based thermogelling vitreous endotamponades

Vitreous endotamponades play essential roles in facilitating retina recovery following vitreoretinal surgery, yet existing clinically standards are suboptimal as they can cause elevated intra-ocular pressure, temporary loss of vision, and cataracts while also requiring prolonged face-down positioning and removal surgery. These drawbacks have spurred the development of next-generation vitreous endotamponades, of which supramolecular hydrogels capable of in-situ gelation have emerged as top contenders. Herein, we demonstrate thermogels formed from hyper-branched amphiphilic copolymers as effective transparent and biodegradable vitreous endotamponades for the first time. These hyper-branched copolymers are synthesised via polyaddition of polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, poly(ε-caprolactone)-diol, and glycerol (branch inducing moiety) with hexamethylene diisocyanate. The hyper-branched thermogels are injected as sols and undergo spontaneous gelation when warmed to physiological temperatures in rabbit eyes. We found that polymers with an optimal degree of hyper-branching showed excellent biocompatibility and was able to maintain retinal function with minimal atrophy and inflammation, even at absolute molecular weights high enough to cause undesirable in-vivo effects for their linear counterparts. The hyper-branched thermogel is cleared naturally from the vitreous through surface hydrogel erosion and negates surgical removal. Our findings expand the scope of polymer architectures suitable for in-vivo intraocular therapeutic applications beyond linear constructs.