Emerging strategies for combating Fusobacterium nucleatum in colorectal cancer treatment: Systematic review, improvements and future challenges

Effect of synbiotic supplementation on obesity and gut microbiota in obese adults: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

Background

Synbiotics, combining specific probiotics and selected prebiotics, may benefit health issues like obesity, but evidence remains inconsistent.

Objective

This study aimed to verify the effect of a pre-screened synbiotics combination [containing Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis MN-Gup (MN-Gup), galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS)] on obesity in the population.

Methods

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 80 individuals with obesity consumed daily synbiotics (containing MN-Gup 1 × 1011 CFU/day, GOS 0.7 g/day, and XOS 0.7 g/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Body composition, blood lipids, serum hormone, bile acids, and gut microbiota were measured pre-and post-intervention.

Results

Synbiotics supplementation significantly decreased body fat percentage, waist, and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), increased peptide YY, cholecystokinin, oxyntomodulin, GSH (glutathione peroxidase) in individuals with obesity. Additionally, synbiotic supplementation led to an enrichment of beneficial bacteria and bile acids chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA). Bifidobacterium and Romboutsia were significantly positively correlated with CDCA. A more favorable effect was observed in individuals with obesity and abnormal LDL-C compared to those without dyslipidemia.

Conclusion

Twelve-week synbiotics intervention reduced body fat percentage, waist, and serum LDL-C, especially in individuals with obesity and abnormal LDL-C. The possible mechanisms may be related to changes in gut microbiota, bile acids and gut hormones.

Clinical trial registration

Chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2200064156.

A pH and glutathione-responsive carbon monoxide-driven nano-herb delivery system for enhanced immunotherapy in colorectal cancer

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a compound extracted from the herbal medicine Artemisia annua, has shown promise as a clinical treatment strategy for colorectal cancer. However, its clinical use is hindered by its low water solubility and bioavailability. A pH/glutathione (GSH) dual-responsive nano-herb delivery system (PMDC NPs) has been developed for the targeted delivery of DHA, accompanied by abundant carbon monoxide (CO) release. Due to the passive enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and active targeting mediated by pHCT74 peptide binding to overexpressed α-enolase on colorectal cancer cells, the pHCT74/MOF-5@DHA&CORM-401 nanoparticles (PMDC NPs) exhibited specific targeting capacity against colorectal cancer cells. Once reaching the tumor site, the pH/GSH dual-responsive behavior of metal-organic framework-5 (MOF-5) enabled the rapid release of cargo, including DHA and CORM-401, in the acidic tumor microenvironment. Subsequently, DHA stimulated CORM-401 to release CO, which facilitated ROS-induced ferroptosis and apoptosis, leading to immunogenic cell death (ICD) and a sustained antitumor response through the release of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Overall, PMDC NPs enhanced the bioavailability of DHA and exhibited outstanding therapeutic effectiveness both in vitro and in vivo, indicating their potential as a promising and feasible alternative for synergistic treatment with immunotherapy and gas therapy in the clinical management of colorectal cancer.

Controllable Silver Release for Efficient Treatment of Drug-Resistant Bacterial-Infected Wounds

The use of traditional Ag-based antibacterial agents is usually accompanied by uncontrollable silver release, which makes it difficult to find a balance between antibacterial performance and biosafety. Herein, we prepared a core-shell system of ZIF-8-derived amorphous carbon-coated Ag nanoparticles (Ag@C) as an ideal research model to reveal the synergistic effect and structure-activity relationship of the structural transformation of carbon shell and Ag core on the regulation of silver release behavior. It is found that Ag@C prepared at 600 °C (AC6) exhibits the best ion release kinetics due to the combination of relatively simple shell structure and lower crystallinity of the Ag core, thereby exerting stronger antibacterial properties (>99.999 %) at trace doses (20 μg mL-1) compared with most other Ag-based materials. Meanwhile, the carbon shell prevents the metal Ag from being directly exposed to the organism and thus endows AC6 with excellent biocompatibility. In animal experiments, AC6 can effectively promote wound healing by inactivating drug-resistant bacteria while regulating the expression of TNF-α and CD31. This work provides theoretical support for the scientific design and clinical application of controllable ion-releasing antibacterial agents.

The challenge and opportunity of gut microbiota-targeted nanomedicine for colorectal cancer therapy

The gut microbiota is an integral component of the colorectal cancer (CRC) microenvironment and is intimately associated with CRC initiation, progression, and therapeutic outcomes. We reviewed recent advancements in utilizing nanotechnology for modulating gut microbiota, discussing strategies and the mechanisms underlying their design. For future nanomedicine design, we propose a 5I principle for individualized nanomedicine in CRC management.

Various Antibacterial Strategies Utilizing Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes Prepared via Electrochemical Anodization Biofabrication Method

Currently, titanium and its alloys have emerged as the predominant metallic biomaterials for orthopedic implants. Nonetheless, the relatively high post-operative infection rate (2-5%) exacerbates patient discomfort and imposes significant economic costs on society. Hence, urgent measures are needed to enhance the antibacterial properties of titanium and titanium alloy implants. The titanium dioxide nanotube array (TNTA) is gaining increasing attention due to its topographical and photocatalytic antibacterial properties. Moreover, the pores within TNTA serve as excellent carriers for chemical ion doping and drug loading. The fabrication of TNTA on the surface of titanium and its alloys can be achieved through various methods. Studies have demonstrated that the electrochemical anodization method offers numerous significant advantages, such as simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and controllability. This review presents the development process of the electrochemical anodization method and its applications in synthesizing TNTA. Additionally, this article systematically discusses topographical, chemical, drug delivery, and combined antibacterial strategies. It is widely acknowledged that implants should possess a range of favorable biological characteristics. Clearly, addressing multiple needs with a single antibacterial strategy is challenging. Hence, this review proposes systematic research into combined antibacterial strategies to further mitigate post-operative infection risks and enhance implant success rates in the future.

Engineering lauric acid-based nanodrug delivery systems for restoring chemosensitivity and improving biocompatibility of 5-FU and OxPt against Fn-associated colorectal tumor

Colorectal cancer (CRC) occurs in the colorectum and ranks second in the global incidence of all cancers, accounting for one of the highest mortalities. Although the combination chemotherapy regimen of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and platinum(IV) oxaliplatin prodrug (OxPt) is an effective strategy for CRC treatment in clinical practice, chemotherapy resistance caused by tumor-resided Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) could result in treatment failure. To enhance the efficacy and improve the biocompatibility of combination chemotherapy, we developed an antibacterial-based nanodrug delivery system for Fn-associated CRC treatment. A tumor microenvironment-activated nanomedicine 5-FU-LA@PPL was constructed by the self-assembly of chemotherapeutic drug derivatives 5-FU-LA and polymeric drug carrier PPL. PPL is prepared by conjugating lauric acid (LA) and OxPt to hyperbranched polyglycidyl ether. In principle, LA is used to selectively combat Fn, inhibit autophagy in CRC cells, restore chemosensitivity of 5-FU as well as OxPt, and consequently enhance the combination chemotherapy effects for Fn-associated drug-resistant colorectal tumor. Both in vitro and in vivo studies exhibited that the tailored nanomedicine possessed efficient antibacterial and anti-tumor activities with improved biocompatibility and reduced non-specific toxicity. Hence, this novel anti-tumor strategy has great potential in the combination chemotherapy of CRC, which suggests a clinically relevant valuable option for bacteria-associated drug-resistant cancers.