Anti-neovascular therapy by liposomal drug targeted to membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase

Strategies for active tumor targeting-an update

A complete cure for cancer is still the holy grail for scientists. The existing treatment of cancer is primarily focused on surgery, radiation and conventional chemotherapy. However, chemotherapeutic agents also affect healthy tissues or organs due to a lack of specificity. While passive targeting is studied for anticancer drugs focused on the enhanced permeability and retention effect, it failed to achieve drug accumulation at the tumor site and desired therapeutic efficacy. This review presents an outline of the current significant targets for active tumor drug delivery systems and provides insight into the direction of active tumor-targeting strategies. For this purpose, a systematic understanding of the physiological factors, tumor microenvironment and its components, overexpressed receptor and associated proteins are covered here. We focused on angiogenesis mediated targeting, receptor-mediated targeting and peptide targeting. This active targeting along with integration with nano delivery systems helps in achieving specific action, thus reducing the associated adverse effects to healthy tissues. Although the tumor-targeting methods and possibilities explored so far seem revolutionary in cancer treatment, in-depth clinical studies data is required for its commercial translation.

Strategies to better treat glioblastoma: antiangiogenic agents and endothelial cell targeting agents

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most prevalent and aggressive form of glioma, with poor prognosis and high mortality rates. As GBM is a highly vascularized cancer, antiangiogenic therapies to halt or minimize the rate of tumor growth are critical to improving treatment. In this review, antiangiogenic therapies, including small-molecule drugs, nucleic acids and proteins and peptides, are discussed. The authors further explore biomaterials that have been utilized to increase the bioavailability and bioactivity of antiangiogenic factors for better antitumor responses in GBM. Finally, the authors summarize the current status of biomaterial-based targeting moieties that target endothelial cells in GBM to more efficiently deliver therapeutics to these cells and avoid off-target cell or organ side effects.

Orally delivered targeted nanotherapeutics for the treatment of colorectal cancer

INTRODUCTION

Colorectal cancer (CRC), the third-most common malignancy, has high morbidity and mortality. Oral nanotherapeutics have emerged as a promising strategy to improve the therapeutic outcomes and alleviate the adverse effects of drugs in CRC treatment.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we introduce the beneficial features of oral drug administration for CRC therapy, and further address the three basic elements of nanotherapeutics, namely, therapeutic agents, carrier materials, and targeting ligands. In addition, we also discuss the potentials of the new emerging technologies (e.g., immunotherapy, gene editing and microbiota manipulation) in the treatment of CRC.

EXPERT OPINION

Orally delivered targeted nanotherapeutics represent a promising strategy toward the efficient treatment of CRC. Although the current oral nanotherapeutics exert better therapeutic outcomes than the traditional drug formulations, their application has been restricted by drug resistance, tumor metastasis, and biosafety. Therefore, it is necessary to exploit new nanotherapeutics in the aspects of their three basic elements, and combine the new emerging technologies to those nanotherapeutics for CRC treatment.

The multifaceted roles of tumor-associated proteases and harnessing their activity for prodrug activation

The role of proteases in cancer was originally thought to be limited to the breakdown of basement membranes and extracellular matrix (ECM), thereby promoting cancer cell invasion into surrounding normal tissues. It is now well understood that proteases play a much more complicated role in all stages of cancer progression and that not only tumor cells, but also stromal cells are an important source of proteases in the tumor microenvironment. Among all the proteolytic enzymes potentially associated with cancer, some proteases have taken on heightened importance due to their significant up-regulation and ability to participate at multiple stages of cancer progression and metastasis. In this review, we discuss some of the advances in understanding of the roles of several key proteases from different classes in the development and progression of cancer and the potential to leverage their upregulated activity for the development of novel targeted treatment strategies.

TargetAntiAngio: A Sequence-Based Tool for the Prediction and Analysis of Anti-Angiogenic Peptides

Cancer remains one of the major causes of death worldwide. Angiogenesis is crucial for the pathogenesis of various human diseases, especially solid tumors. The discovery of anti-angiogenic peptides is a promising therapeutic route for cancer treatment. Thus, reliably identifying anti-angiogenic peptides is extremely important for understanding their biophysical and biochemical properties that serve as the basis for the discovery of new anti-cancer drugs. This study aims to develop an efficient and interpretable computational model called TargetAntiAngio for predicting and characterizing anti-angiogenic peptides. TargetAntiAngio was developed using the random forest classifier in conjunction with various classes of peptide features. It was observed via an independent validation test that TargetAntiAngio can identify anti-angiogenic peptides with an average accuracy of 77.50% on an objective benchmark dataset. Comparisons demonstrated that TargetAntiAngio is superior to other existing methods. In addition, results revealed the following important characteristics of anti-angiogenic peptides: (i) disulfide bond forming Cys residues play an important role for inhibiting blood vessel proliferation; (ii) Cys located at the C-terminal domain can decrease endothelial formatting activity and suppress tumor growth; and (iii) Cyclic disulfide-rich peptides contribute to the inhibition of angiogenesis and cell migration, selectivity and stability. Finally, for the convenience of experimental scientists, the TargetAntiAngio web server was established and made freely available online.

Nuclear imaging of liposomal drug delivery systems: A critical review of radiolabelling methods and applications in nanomedicine

The integration of nuclear imaging with nanomedicine is a powerful tool for efficient development and clinical translation of liposomal drug delivery systems. Furthermore, it may allow highly efficient imaging-guided personalised treatments. In this article, we critically review methods available for radiolabelling liposomes. We discuss the influence that the radiolabelling methods can have on their biodistribution and highlight the often-overlooked possibility of misinterpretation of results due to decomposition in vivo. We stress the need for knowing the biodistribution/pharmacokinetics of both the radiolabelled liposomal components and free radionuclides in order to confidently evaluate the images, as they often share excretion pathways with intact liposomes (e.g. phospholipids, metallic radionuclides) and even show significant tumour uptake by themselves (e.g. some radionuclides). Finally, we describe preclinical and clinical studies using radiolabelled liposomes and discuss their impact in supporting liposomal drug development and clinical translation in several diseases, including personalised nanomedicine approaches.

Lumican as a multivalent effector in wound healing

Wound healing, a complex physiological process, is responsible for tissue repair after exposure to destructive stimuli, without resulting in complete functional regeneration. Injuries can be stromal or epithelial, and most cases of wound repair have been studied in the skin and cornea. Lumican, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan, is expressed in the extracellular matrices of several tissues, such as the cornea, cartilage, and skin. This molecule has been shown to regulate collagen fibrillogenesis, keratinocyte phenotypes, and corneal transparency modulation. Lumican is also involved in the extravasation of inflammatory cells and angiogenesis, which are both critical in stromal wound healing. Lumican is the only member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan family expressed by the epithelia during wound healing. This review summarizes the importance of lumican in wound healing and potential methods of lumican drug delivery to target wound repair are discussed. The involvement of lumican in corneal wound healing is described based on in vitro and in vivo models, with critical emphasis on its underlying mechanisms of action. Similarly, the expression and role of lumican in the healing of other tissues are presented, with emphasis on skin wound healing. Overall, lumican promotes normal wound repair and broadens new therapeutic perspectives for impaired wound healing.

Innovations in Liposomal DDS Technology and Its Application for the Treatment of Various Diseases

Liposomes have been widely used as drug carriers in the field of drug delivery systems (DDS), and they are thought to be ideal nano-capsules for targeting DDS after being injected into the bloodstream. In general, DDS drugs meet the needs of aged and super-aged societies, since the administration route of drugs can be changed, the medication frequency reduced, the adverse effects of drugs suppressed, and so on. In fact, a number of liposomal drugs have been launched and used worldwide including liposomal anticancer drugs, and these drugs have appeared on the market owing to various innovations in liposomal DDS technologies. The accumulation of long-circulating liposomes in cancer tissue is driven by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. In this review, liposome-based targeting DDS for cancer therapy is briefly discussed. Since cancer angiogenic vessels are the ideal target of drug carriers after their injection and are critical for cancer growth, damaging of these neovessels has been an approach for eradicating cancer cells. Also, the usage of liposomal DDS for the treatment of ischemic stroke is possible, since we observed that PEGylated liposomes accumulate in the site of cerebral ischemia in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (t-MCAO) model rats. Interestingly, liposomes carrying neuroprotectants partly suppress ischemia/reperfusion injury of these model rats, suggesting that the EPR effect also works in ischemic diseases by causing an increase in the permeability of the blood vessel endothelium. The potential of liposomal DDS against life-threatening diseases might thus be attractive for supporting long-lived societies.

Design of novel chemotherapeutic delivery systems for colon cancer therapy based on oral polymeric nanoparticles

Oral delivery of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs (CCDs) is subject matter in the 21st century, which changes the dosage regimens of oncotherapy with enhancement in patient’s life and deducts the cost of therapy. The present report explored on the nano-oncology such as polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) as an oral CCDs delivery vehicle, showing great potential for colon cancer treatment. Proof-of-concept in vitro and in vivo results for delivery of CCDs using various oral PNPs are included in this review from the literatures. Subsequently, the gastrointestinal barriers for oral chemotherapy have been highlighted. Furthermore, PNPs achieving better accumulation in the cancer region by desirable quality of their passive- and active-targeting phenomena have also been highlighted.

Incorporating 131I into a PAMAM (G5.0) dendrimer-conjugate: design of a theranostic nanosensor for medullary thyroid carcinoma

We report the synthesis and purification of a targeting probe for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) by incorporating ¹³¹I into PAMAM (G5.0) dendrimers.

Radiation-Guided Gene Therapy of Cancer

Gene therapy has been proposed as a means to combat cancer. However, systemic toxicity observed in preclinical trials suggested the importance of selectively targeted delivery and inducible gene expression in tumor tissues. Discovery of radiation-inducible promoter sequences provides one way to minimize inadvertent toxicity from gene therapy in normal tissues. Radiation is administered to selectively induce cytotoxic gene expression in the targeted tumor tissues. With promising results from phase II clinical trials using TNF-expressing adenovirus, it is possible to have radiation-guided gene therapy regimes once the tumor-targeted delivery has been achieved. Tumor endothelium is an attractive biological target for gene therapy, because it has the advantage of stability, accessibility, and bioavailability for therapeutic agents. Technological development of DNA microarray, proteomic profiling, and phage-displayed libraries accelerates the identification of tumor-specific endothelial biomarkers and discovery of its relevant affinity reagents for targeted delivery. The application of radiation-guided gene delivery, its amplification, as well as expression of gene therapy presents great opportunities to be employed as an alternative cancer treatment.

New approaches to selectively target cancer-associated matrix metalloproteinase activity

Heightened matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity has been noted in the context of the tumor microenvironment for many years, and causal roles for MMPs have been defined across the spectrum of cancer progression. This is primarily due to the ability of the MMPs to process extracellular matrix (ECM) components and to regulate the bioavailability/activity of a large repertoire of cytokines and growth factors. These characteristics made MMPs an attractive target for therapeutic intervention but notably clinical trials performed in the 1990s did not fulfill the promise of preclinical studies. The reason for the failure of early MMP inhibitor (MMPI) clinical trials that are multifold but arguably principal among them was the inability of early MMP-based inhibitors to selectively target individual MMPs and to distinguish between MMPs and other members of the metzincin family. In the decades that have followed the MMP inhibitor trials, innovations in chemical design, antibody-based strategies, and nanotechnologies have greatly enhanced our ability to specifically target and measure the activity of MMPs. These advances provide us with the opportunity to generate new lines of highly selective MMPIs that will not only extend the overall survival of cancer patients, but will also afford us the ability to utilize heightened MMP activity in the tumor microenvironment as a means by which to deliver MMPIs or MMP activatable prodrugs.

Nanoparticle targeting of anti-cancer drugs that alter intracellular signaling or influence the tumor microenvironment

Nanoparticle-based therapeutics are poised to become a leading delivery strategy for cancer treatment because they potentially offer higher selectivity, reduced toxicity, longer clearance times, and increased efficacy compared to conventional systemic therapeutic approaches. This article reviews existing nanoparticle technologies and methods that are used to target drugs to treat cancer by altering signal transduction or modulating the tumor microenvironment. We also consider the implications of recent advances in the nanotherapeutics field for the future of cancer therapy.

Nanotechnological strategies for therapeutic targeting of tumor vasculature

Neovascularization plays fundamental roles in tumor growth and metastasis. Tumor blood vessels are highly accessible and express various angiogenic markers that are either not present or are expressed at low levels in normal vessels, thereby serving as favorable targets for cancer therapy. Cancer nanotechnology, as an integrated platform, offers great opportunities for optimizing drug efficacy and pharmacokinetics while reducing side effects. Nanoparticles with tunable size, shape and surface modification have been exploited to achieve effective tumor vascular targeting. Here, we briefly introduce the signatures of tumor neovascularization and the review investigations on vascular-targeted anti-tumor nanomedicines. We also provide our perspectives on the promising fields of combination therapy and theranostic nanomedicines, as well as the challenges of nanotechnology-based cancer therapy. Furthermore, introducing new functionality would significantly consolidate the current development of nanomaterials based on tumor vasculature targeting.

Nanopreparations for organelle-specific delivery in cancer

To efficiently deliver therapeutics into cancer cells, a number of strategies have been recently investigated. The toxicity associated with the administration of chemotherapeutic drugs due to their random interactions throughout the body necessitates the development of drug-encapsulating nanopreparations that significantly mask, or reduce, the toxic side effects of the drugs. In addition to reduced side effects associated with drug encapsulation, nanocarriers preferentially accumulate in tumors as a result of its abnormally leaky vasculature via the Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect. However, simple passive nanocarrier delivery to the tumor site is unlikely to be enough to elicit a maximum therapeutic response as the drug-loaded carriers must reach the intracellular target sites. Therefore, efficient translocation of the nanocarrier through the cell membrane is necessary for cytosolic delivery of the cargo. However, crossing the cell membrane barrier and reaching cytosol might still not be enough for achieving maximum therapeutic benefit, which necessitates the delivery of drugs directly to intracellular targets, such as bringing pro-apoptotic drugs to mitochondria, nucleic acid therapeutics to nuclei, and lysosomal enzymes to defective lysosomes. In this review, we discuss the strategies developed for tumor targeting, cytosolic delivery via cell membrane translocation, and finally organelle-specific targeting, which may be applied for developing highly efficacious, truly multifunctional, cancer-targeted nanopreparations.

Recent advances in nanoparticle-based nuclear imaging of cancers

Nuclear imaging techniques that include positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon computed tomography have found great success in the clinic because of their inherent high sensitivity. Radionuclide imaging is the most popular form of imaging to be used for molecular imaging in oncology. While many types of molecules have been used for radionuclide-based molecular imaging, there has been a great interest in developing newer nanomaterials for use in clinic, especially for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanomaterials have unique physical properties which allow them to be used as imaging probes to locate and identify cancerous lesions. Over the past decade, a great number of nanoparticles have been developed for radionuclide imaging of cancer. This chapter reviews the different kinds of nanomaterials, both organic and inorganic, which are currently being researched for as potential agents for nuclear imaging of variety of cancers. Several radiolabeled multifunctional nanocarriers have been extremely successful for the detection of cancer in preclinical models. So far, significant progress has been achieved in nanoparticle structure design, in vitro/in vivo trafficking, and in vivo fate mapping by using PET. There is a great need for the development of newer nanoparticles, which improve active targeting and quantify new biomarkers for early disease detection and possible prevention of cancer.

Using functional nanomaterials to target and regulate the tumor microenvironment: diagnostic and therapeutic applications

Malignant tumors remain a major health burden throughout the world and effective therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Cancer nanotechnology, as an integrated platform, has the potential to dramatically improve cancer diagnosis, imaging, and therapy, while reducing the toxicity associated with the current approaches. Tumor microenvironment is an ensemble performance of various stromal cells and extracellular matrix. The recent progress in understanding the critical roles and the underlying mechanisms of the tumor microenvironment on tumor progression has resulted in emerging diagnostic and therapeutic nanomaterials designed and engineered specifically targeting the microenvironment components. Meanwhile, the bio-physicochemical differences between tumor and normal tissues have recently been exploited to achieve specific tumor-targeting for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Here, the major players in the tumor microenvironment and their biochemical properties, which can be utilized for the design of multifunctional nanomaterials with the potential to target and regulate this niche, are summarized. The recent progress in engineering intelligent and versatile nanomaterials for targeting and regulating the tumor microenvironment is emphasized. Although further investigations are required to develop robust methods for more specific tumor-targeting and well-controlled nanomaterials, the applications of tumor microenvironment regulation-based nanotechnology for safer and more effective anticancer nanomedicines have been proven successful and will eventually revolutionize the current landscape of cancer therapy.

Radiolabeled lipid nanoparticles for diagnostic imaging

BACKGROUND

Nanoparticles are increasingly being incorporated into the design of diagnostic imaging agents. Significant research efforts have been conducted with one class of lipid nanoparticle (liposomes) radiolabeled with gamma-emitting radionuclides as radiopharmaceuticals for scintigraphic imaging of cancer, inflammation/infection and sentinel lymph node detection.

OBJECTIVE

This article reviews the current literature with special emphasis on the clinical studies performed with liposome radiopharmaceuticals for detection of tumors, infectious/inflammatory sites or metastatic lymph nodes. Future uses of liposome radiopharmaceuticals are also described.

METHODS

Characteristics required of the radionuclide, liposome formulation and radiolabeling method for an effective radiopharmaceutical are discussed. A description of the procedures and instrumentation for conducting an imaging study with liposome radiopharmaceutical is included. Clinical studies using liposome radiopharmaceuticals are summarized. Future imaging applications of first- and second-generation radiolabeled liposomes for chemodosimetry and the specific targeting of a disease process are also described.

RESULTS/CONCLUSION

The choice of radionuclide, liposome formulation and radiolabeling method must be carefully considered during the design of a liposome radiopharmaceutical for a given application. After-loading and surface chelation methods are the most efficient and practical. Clinical studies with liposome radiopharmaceuticals demonstrated that a wide variety of tumors could be detected with good sensitivity and specificity. Liposome radiopharmaceuticals could also clearly detect various soft tissue and bone inflammatory/infectious lesions, and performed equal to or better than infection imaging agents that are approved at present. Yet, despite these favorable results, no liposome radiopharmaceutical has been approved for any indication. Some of the reasons for this can be attributed to reports of an unexpected infusion-related adverse reaction in two studies, the requirement of more complex liposome manufacturing procedures, and the adoption of other competing imaging procedures. Continued research of liposome radiopharmaceutical design based on a better understanding of liposome biology, improved radiolabeling methodologies and advances in gamma camera technology is warranted.

Epidermal growth factor receptor variant type III markedly accelerates angiogenesis and tumor growth via inducing c-myc mediated angiopoietin-like 4 expression in malignant glioma

Background

Expression of the constitutively activated mutant EGFR variant III (EGFRvIII), the most common mutation in glioblastoma multiforme (GBMs), has been clinically correlated with tumor proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis. In this study, we examined the role of EGFRvIII on the tumor microenvironment, especially on angiogenesis.

Methods

To study the role of EGFRvIII in tumor angiogenesis, we prepared LN229 glioblastoma transfected with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), wild-type EGFR, or EGFRvIII (LN229-WT or -vIII), and examined tumor growth and microvessel density in the tumors. Additionally, the potential angiogenic factors were identified by real-time PCR analysis, and the functions in LN229-vIII cells were examined.

Results

LN229-vIII cells showed more aggressive tumor growth and higher vascularity as compared to LN229-WT cells in vivo, although there was no significant difference in the cell growth rates in vitro. We next investigated the expression of 60 angiogenesis-related factors to clarify the mechanisms underlying the difference in vascularity between tumor xenografts of LN229-vIII and LN229-WT. We found that the mRNA and protein expressions of angiopoietin-like 4 (Angptl4), a secreted protein involved in angiogenesis and metabolism regulation, were significantly induced by EGFRvIII overexpression, both in vitro and in vivo. Constitutive knockdown of Angptl4 in LN229-vIII using shRNA significantly decreased the microvessel density in the tumor xenografts and suppressed tumor growth. To clarify the regulatory mechanisms of Angptl4 by EGFRvIII, we analyzed the signaling pathways and transcription factors by pharmacological inhibition and RNA interference. U0126, an ERK signal inhibitor dramatically suppressed Angptl4 expression. The transcription factor c-Myc, which is regulated by ERK, was activated in the LN229-vIII cells and knockdown of c-Myc using siRNA also attenuated Angptl4 expression in the LN229-vIII cells. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay revealed increased recruitment of c-Myc to the promoter region of Angptl4 in the LN229-vIII cells.

Conclusions

In summary, we demonstrated that EGFRvIII induces Angptl4 expression through the ERK/c-Myc pathway and promotes tumor angiogenesis in malignant gliomas.

The effect of liposomal size on the targeted delivery of doxorubicin to Integrin αvβ3-expressing tumor endothelial cells

Size of the liposomes (LPs) specially governs its biodistribution. In this study, LPs were developed with controlled sizes, where variation in LP size dictates the ligand-receptor interaction, cellular internalization and its distribution within the tumor microenvironment. The therapeutic efficacies of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded RGD modified small size (~100 nm in diameter, dnm) and large size (~300 dnm) PEGylated LPs (RGD-PEG-LPs) were compared to that of Doxil (a clinically used DOX-loaded PEG-LP, ~100 dnm) in DOX resistant OSRC-2 (Renal cell carcinoma, RCC) tumor xenografts. Doxil, which accumulated in tumor tissue via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, failed to suppress tumor growth. Small size RGD-PEG-LP, that targets the tumor endothelial cells (TECs) and extravasates to tumor cells, failed to provide anti-tumor effect. Large size RGD-PEG-LP preferentially targets the TECs via minimization of the EPR effect, and significantly reduced the tumor growth, which was exerted through its strong anti-angiogenic activity on the tumor vasculature rather than having a direct effect on DOX resistant RCC. The prepared large size RGD-PEG-LP that targets the TECs via interacting with Integrin αvβ3, is a potentially effective and alternate therapeutic strategy for the treatment of DOX resistant tumor cells by utilizing DOX, in cases where Doxil is ineffective.

Nanoparticle-mediated delivery of anticancer agents to tumor angiogenic vessels

Nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery systems targeting tumor angiogenic vessels have been studied for antineovascular cancer therapy achieved by induction of apoptosis of angiogenic endothelial cells. Nanoparticles such as liposomes are considered to accumulate in tumors due to the enhanced permeability and retention effect. The delivery efficiency of this system appears to be affected by the density of tumor angiogenic vessels regardless of modification with tumor-targeting ligands on the surface of nanoparticles. It remains a challenging problem to deliver sufficient amounts of anticancer drugs to hypovascular tumors using nanoparticles. On the other hand, the strategy of angiogenic vessel-targeting is theoretically different from that of tumor cell-targeting since target angiogenic endothelial cells face the circulating blood. In addition, this strategy is expected to cause indirect tumor regression by disrupting angiogenic vessels. In this review, our recent studies are summarized to show the actual efficacy of angiogenic vessel-targeting delivery. We have developed various angiogenic vessel-targeted liposomes and evaluated them in experimental cancer models such as drug-resistant and hypovascular tumors. Our data indicate that increased apoptosis of angiogenic endothelial cells can be achieved by the targeted liposomes encapsulating cytotoxic drugs, resulting in enhanced anticancer effects. The advantages of angiogenic vessel-targeting are discussed based on our recent findings to provide an insight into why angiogenic vessels are a promising target for advanced cancer therapy.

Molecular targeting of liposomal nanoparticles to tumor microenvironment

Liposomes are biodegradable and can be used to deliver drugs at a much higher concentration in tumor tissues than in normal tissues. Both passive and active drug delivery by liposomal nanoparticles can significantly reduce the toxic side effects of anticancer drugs and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of the drugs delivered. Active liposomal targeting to tumors is achieved by recognizing specific tumor receptors through tumor-specific ligands or antibodies coupled onto the surface of the liposomes, or by stimulus-sensitive drug carriers such as acid-triggered release or enzyme-triggered drug release. Tumors are often composed of tumor cells and nontumor cells, which include endothelial cells, pericytes, fibroblasts, stromal, mesenchymal cells, innate, and adaptive immune cells. These nontumor cells thus form the tumor microenvironment, which could be targeted and modified so that it is unfavorable for tumor cells to grow. In this review, we briefly summarized articles that had taken advantage of liposomal nanoparticles as a carrier to deliver anticancer drugs to the tumor microenvironment, and how they overcame obstacles such as nonspecific uptake, interaction with components in blood, and toxicity. Special attention is devoted to the liposomal targeting of anticancer drugs to the endothelium of tumor neovasculature, tumor associated macrophages, fibroblasts, and pericytes within the tumor microenvironment.

Liposome imaging agents in personalized medicine

In recent years the importance of molecular and diagnostic imaging has increased dramatically in the treatment planning of many diseases and in particular in cancer therapy. Within nanomedicine there are particularly interesting possibilities for combining imaging and therapy. Engineered liposomes that selectively localize in tumor tissue can transport both drugs and imaging agents, which allows for a theranostic approach with great potential in personalized medicine. Radiolabeling of liposomes have for many years been used in preclinical studies for evaluating liposome in vivo performance and has been an important tool in the development of liposomal drugs. However, advanced imaging systems now provide new possibilities for non-invasive monitoring of liposome biodistribution in humans. Thus, advances in imaging and developments in liposome radiolabeling techniques allow us to enter a new arena where we start to consider how to use imaging for patient selection and treatment monitoring in connection to nanocarrier based medicines. Nanocarrier imaging agents could furthermore have interesting properties for disease diagnostics and staging. Here, we review the major advances in the development of radiolabeled liposomes for imaging as a tool in personalized medicine.

The use and importance of liposomes in positron emission tomography

Among different imaging modalities, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) gained importance in routine hospital practice depending on ability to diagnose diseases in early stages and tracing of therapy by obtaining metabolic information. The combination of PET with Computed Tomography (CT) forms hybrid imaging modality that gives chance to obtain better images having higher resolution by fusing both functional and anatomical images in the same imaging modality at the same time. Therefore, better contrast agents are essentially needed. The advance in research about developing drug delivery systems as specific nanosized targeted systems gained an additional importance for obtaining better diagnosis and therapy of different diseases. Liposomes appear to be more attractive drug delivery systems in delivering either drugs or imaging ligands to target tissue or organ of diseases with higher accumulation by producing in nano-scale, long circulating by stealth effect and specific targeting by modifying with specific ligands or markers. The combination of positron emitting radionuclides with liposomes are commonly in research level nowadays and there is no commercially available liposome formulation for PET imaging. However by conjugating positron emitter radionuclide with liposomes can form promising diagnostic agents for improved diagnosis and following up treatments by increasing image signal/contrast in the target tissue in lower concentrations by specific targeting as the most important advantage of liposomes. More accurate and earlier diagnosis of several diseases can be obtained even in molecular level with the use of stable and effectively radiolabeled molecular target specific nano sized liposomes with longer half-lived positron emitting radionuclides.

Development of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase-specific activatable fluorescent probe for malignant tumor detection

Membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is a protease that activates pro-MMP-2 and pro-MMP13, which are related to tumor malignancy. Therefore, probes that specifically image MT1-MMP would be useful for malignant tumor diagnosis. In the present study, we prepared rhodamine X-conjugated anti-MT1- MMP antibody (anti-MT1-MMP mAb-ROX) as an activatable fluorescent probe and evaluated its usefulness for MT1-MMP-specific imaging. Anti-MT1-MMP mAb-ROX was obtained in a quenched form with approximately three ROX molecules per mAb. Its fluorescence intensity increased approximately 14-fold in the presence of detergent, which is suitable for activatable systems. C6 glioma cells and MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma cells were used as MT1-MMP-positive and MT1-MMP-negative models, respectively. The fluorescence intensity of C6 cells treated with anti-MT1-MMP mAb-ROX, but not ROX-conjugated isotype control antibody (NC Ab-ROX), increased with time and was significantly higher than that of MCF-7 cells at 6 h (P < 0.001). The fluorescence intensity of cells treated with anti-MT1-MMP mAb-ROX was also suppressed by pre-treatment with a MT1-MMP endocytosis inhibitor (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the probes were intravenously administered to C6 and MCF-7 xenografted mice. The tumor-to-muscle (T/M) ratio of the anti-MT1-MMP mAb-ROX group was 15.1 ± 3.2 at 48 h and was significantly higher than that of the NC Ab-ROX group (T/M ratio = 4.6 ± 3.0, P < 0.05) in C6 xenografted mice, while the T/M ratio of the anti-MT1-MMP mAb-ROX and NC Ab-ROX groups was not different in MCF-7 xenografted mice. These findings suggest that anti-MT1-MMP mAb-ROX is a promising probe for specifically detecting MT1-MMP-expressing tumors.

Could nanoparticle systems have a role in the treatment of cerebral gliomas?

Malignant brain tumors are difficult to manage clinically and are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Late diagnosis and the limitations of conventional therapies that may result from inefficient delivery of the therapeutic or contrast agent to brain tumors due to the blood-brain barrier and nonspecificity of the agents, are major reasons for this unsolved clinical problem. Nanotechnology involves the design, synthesis, and characterization of materials and devices that have a functional organization in at least one dimension on the nanometer scale. The nanoparticle has emerged as a potential vector for brain delivery, able to overcome the difficulties of modern strategies. Moreover, multifunctionality can be engineered into a single nanoplatform so that it can provide tumor-specific detection, treatment, and follow-up monitoring. This review reports the latest research in nanoparticle-based glioma treatment.

FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR

In recent years, nanoparticles have emerged as potential delivery vectors targeting brain tumors, including multifunctional NP-s allowing tumor-specific detection, treatment, and follow-up monitoring. This review summarizes the latest research in nanoparticle-based glioma treatment.

Cancer antineovascular therapy with liposome drug delivery systems targeted to BiP/GRP78

Angiogenesis is crucial for tumor growth and hematogenous metastasis. Specifically expressed and functional protein molecules in angiogenic endothelial cells, especially on the plasma membrane, may be molecular targets for antiangiogenic drugs and drug delivery systems (DDS) in cancer therapy. To discover such target molecules, we performed subcellular proteome analysis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with or without vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using 2-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS). Among the identified proteins, BiP/GRP78, a molecular chaperone, was highly expressed in the membrane/organelle fraction of HUVECs after VEGF treatment. The involvement of BiP in VEGF-induced angiogenesis was examined by RNA interference. BiP knockdown significantly suppressed VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation and VEGF-induced phosphorylation of extracellular-regulated kinase 1/2, phospholipase C-γ, and VEGF receptor-2 in HUVECs. Cell surface biotinylation analysis revealed that the cell surface expression of BiP was elevated in VEGF-activated HUVECs. Aiming to apply BiP to a target molecule in liposomal DDS, we developed liposomes modified with the WIFPWIQL peptide, which has been shown to bind to BiP, and investigated its potential for cancer therapy. The WIFPWIQL-modified liposomes (WIFPWIQL liposomes) were significantly taken up by VEGF-activated HUVECs as compared to peptide-unmodified liposomes. WIFPWIQL liposomes appeared to accumulate in tumor endothelial cells in vivo. WIFPWIQL liposomes containing doxorubicin significantly suppressed tumor growth and prolonged the survival of colon26 NL-17 carcinoma cell-bearing mice. In summary, BiP may regulate VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation through VEGFR-2-mediated signaling and be an effective target molecule for cancer antineovascular therapy.

PET imaging of brain cancer with positron emitter-labeled liposomes

Since nanocarriers such as liposomes are known to accumulate in tumors of tumor-bearing animals, and those that have entrapped a positron emitter can be used to image a tumor by PET, we applied (18)F-labeled 100-nm-sized liposomes for the imaging of brain tumors. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified liposomes, which are known to accumulate in tumors by passive targeting and those modified with Ala-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly, which are known to home into angiogenic sites were used. Those liposomes labeled with DiI fluorescence accumulated in a glioma implanted in a rat brain 1h after the injection, although they did not accumulate in the normal brain tissues due to the protection afforded by the blood-brain barrier. Preformed liposomes were easily labeled with 1-[(18)F]fluoro-3,6-dioxatetracosane, and enabled the imaging of gliomas by PET with higher contrast than that obtained with [(18)F]deoxyfluoroglucose. In addition, the smallest tumor among those tested, having a diameter of 1mm was successfully imaged by the liposomal (18)F. Therefore, nanocarrier-based imaging of brain tumors is promising for the diagnosis of brain cancer and possible drug delivery-based therapy.

To exploit the tumor microenvironment: Passive and active tumor targeting of nanocarriers for anti-cancer drug delivery

Because of the particular characteristics of the tumor microenvironment and tumor angiogenesis, it is possible to design drug delivery systems that specifically target anti-cancer drugs to tumors. Most of the conventional chemotherapeutic agents have poor pharmacokinetics profiles and are distributed non-specifically in the body leading to systemic toxicity associated with serious side effects. Therefore, the development of drug delivery systems able to target the tumor site is becoming a real challenge that is currently addressed. Nanomedicine can reach tumor passively through the leaky vasculature surrounding the tumors by the Enhanced Permeability and Retention effect whereas ligands grafted at the surface of nanocarriers allow active targeting by binding to the receptors overexpressed by cancer cells or angiogenic endothelial cells. This review is divided into two parts: the first one describes the tumor microenvironment and the second one focuses on the exploitation and the understanding of these characteristics to design new drug delivery systems targeting the tumor. Delivery of conventional chemotherapeutic anti-cancer drugs is mainly discussed.

Recent advances in tumor vasculature targeting using liposomal drug delivery systems

Tumor vessels possess unique physiological features that might be exploited for improved drug delivery. The targeting of liposomal anticancer drugs to tumor vasculature is increasingly recognized as an effective strategy to obtain superior therapeutic efficacy with limited host toxicity compared with conventional treatments. This review introduces recent advances in the field of liposomal targeting of tumor vasculature, along with new approaches that can be used in the design and optimization of liposomal delivery systems. In addition, cationic liposome is focused on as a promising carrier for achieving efficient vascular targeting. The clinical implications are discussed of several approaches using a single liposomal anticancer drug formulation: dual targeting, vascular targeting (targeting tumor endothelial cells) and tumor targeting (targeting tumor cells).

Angiogenic vessel-targeting DDS by liposomalized oligopeptides

Liposomal oligopeptides are one of the promising nanocarriers to deliver a drug, DNA or siRNA to target tissues. In this chapter, we describe our methodology to develop liposomal oligopeptides targeting to tumor angiogenic vessels. At first, we introduce our strategies to identify objective peptides. We performed in vivo biopanning using a phage-displayed peptide library and identified Ala-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly (APRPG) peptide as a ligand for angiogenic vessels. To modify APRPG peptide on the surface of PEGylated liposomes, we synthesized a novel lipid derivative of the peptide, distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine-polyethyleneglycol-APRPG (DSPE-PEG-APRPG). The lipid derivative of APRPG peptide is expected to be readily incorporated into liposomal membrane and enables to present the peptides on the surface of PEGylated liposomes. We next describe how to evaluate the advantages of liposomal oligopeptides using specific examples; (1) Intratumoral distribution of APRPG-PEG-modified liposomes, (2) Therapeutic efficacy of adriamycin encapsulated in APRPG-PEG-modified liposomes, (3) Preparation of 5'-O-dipalmitoylphosphatidyl 2'-C-cyano-2'-deoxy-1-beta-D-arabino-pentofuranosylcytosine (DPP-CNDAC) liposomes modified with APRPG-PEG, and (4) Therapeutic experiment with APRPG-PEG-modified liposomal DPP-CNDAC.

Active targeting schemes for nanoparticle systems in cancer therapeutics

The objective of this review is to outline current major cancer targets for nanoparticle systems and give insight into the direction of the field. The major targeting strategies that have been used for the delivery of therapeutic or imaging agents to cancer have been broken into three sections. These sections are angiogenesis-associated targeting, targeting to uncontrolled cell proliferation markers, and tumor cell targeting. The targeting schemes explored for many of the reported nanoparticle systems suggest the great potential of targeted delivery to revolutionize cancer treatment.

Radionuclides delivery systems for nuclear imaging and radiotherapy of cancer

The recent developments of nuclear medicine in oncology have involved numerous investigations of novel specific tumor-targeting radiopharmaceuticals as a major area of interest for both cancer imaging and therapy. The current progress in pharmaceutical nanotechnology field has been exploited in the design of tumor-targeting nanoscale and microscale carriers being able to deliver radionuclides in a selective manner to improve the outcome of cancer diagnosis and treatment. These carriers include chiefly, among others, liposomes, microparticles, nanoparticles, micelles, dendrimers and hydrogels. Furthermore, combining the more recent nuclear imaging multimodalities which provide high sensitivity and anatomical resolution such as PET/CT (positron emission tomography/computed tomography) and SPECT/CT (combined single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography system) with the use of these specific tumor-targeting carriers constitutes a promising rally which will, hopefully in the near future, allow for earlier tumor detection, better treatment planning and more powerful therapy. In this review, we highlight the use, limitations, advantages and possible improvements of different nano- and microcarriers as potential vehicles for radionuclides delivery in cancer nuclear imaging and radiotherapy.

Liposomal nanomedicines as anticancer therapeutics: beyond targeting tumor cells

Tumor cells have long been the primary target cell type of liposomes for anticancer therapy. At present, it appears that tumor growth and metastasis is facilitated by interactions between tumor cells and supporting cells. These supporting cells consist of adaptive and innate immune cells, endothelial cells, pericytes, fibroblasts, stromal and mesenchymal cells. Insight into the activity of these cells and communication between these cells has provided new tactics for targeting alternative cell types in tumor treatment and offered new drug classes that could be used to modulate the activity of these supporting cells. Here, we provide an overview of liposomal systems that have been designed to target supporting cells in tumor tissue and therapeutic results of these systems.

Tumor targeting of doxorubicin by anti-MT1-MMP antibody-modified PEG liposomes

Immunoliposomes are potent carriers for targeting of therapeutic drugs to specific cells. Membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), which plays an important role in angiogenesis, is expressed on angiogenic endothelium cells as well as tumor cells. Then, the MT1-MMP might be useful as a target molecule for tumor and neovascularity. In the present study, we addressed a utility of antibodies against the MT1-MMP as a targeting ligand of liposomal anticancer drug. Fab' fragments of antibody against the MT1-MMP were modified at distal end of polyethylene glycol (PEG) of doxorubicin (DXR)-encapsulating liposomes, DXR-sterically stabilized immunoliposomes (DXR-SIL[anti-MT1-MMP(Fab')]). Modification with the antibody significantly enhanced cellular uptake of DXR-SIL[anti-MT1-MMP(Fab')] into the HT1080 cells, which highly express MT1-MMP, compared with the non-targeted liposomes (DXR-stealthliposomes (DXR-SL)), suggesting that MT1-MMP antibody (Fab') is a potent targeting ligand for the MT1-MMP expressed cells. In vivo systemic administration of DXR-SIL[anti-MT1-MMP(Fab')] into the tumor-bearing mice showed significant suppression of tumor growth compared to DXR-SL. This is presumably due to the active targeting of immunoliposomes for tumor and neovascularity. However, tumor accumulation of DXR-SIL[anti-MT1-MMP(Fab')] and DXR-SL were comparable, suggesting that both liposomal formulations accumulated in tumor via enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect, but not via targeting to the MT1-MMP expressed on both the endothelial and tumor cells. It appears that the enhanced antitumor activity of DXR-SIL[anti-MT1-MMP(Fab')] resulted from acceleration of cellular uptake of lioposomes owing to the incorporated antibody after extravasation from capillaries in tumor.

Conditional mutagenesis by cell-permeable proteins: potential, limitations and prospects

The combination of two powerful technologies, the Cre/loxP recombination system and the protein transduction technique, holds great promise for the advancement of biomedical and genome research by enabling precise and rapid control over mutation events. Protein transduction is a recently developed technology to deliver biologically active proteins directly into mammalian cells. It involves the generation of fusion proteins consisting of the cargo molecule to be delivered and a so-called protein transduction domain. Recently, the derivation of cell permeable variants of the DNA recombinase Cre has been reported. Cre is a site-specific recombinase that recognizes 34 base pair loxP sites and has been widely used to genetically engineer mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo. Recombinant cell-permeable Cre recombinase was found to efficiently induce recombination of loxP-modified alleles in various mammalian cell lines. Here we review recent advances in conditional expression and mutagenesis employing cell-permeable Cre proteins. Moreover, this review summarizes recent findings of studies aimed at deciphering the molecular mechanism of the cellular uptake of cell-permeable fusion proteins.

Cancer gene therapy targeting angiogenesis: An updated Review

Since the relationship between angiogenesis and tumor growth was established by Folkman in 1971, scientists have made efforts exploring the possibilities in treating cancer by targeting angiogenesis. Inhibition of angiogenesis growth factors and administration of angiogenesis inhibitors are the basics of anti-angiogenesis therapy. Transfer of anti-angiogenesis genes has received attention recently not only because of the advancement of recombinant vectors, but also because of the localized and sustained expression of therapeutic gene product inside the tumor after gene transfer. This review provides the up-to-date information about the strategies and the vectors studied in the field of anti-angiogenesis cancer gene therapy.

Identification of oligopeptides binding to peritoneal tumors of gastric cancer

This is a report of in vivo intraperitoneal biopanning, and we successfully identified a novel peptide to target the multiple peritoneal tumors of gastric cancer. A phage display library was injected directly into the abdominal cavity of mice bearing peritoneal tumors of human gastric cancer, and phages associated with the tumors were subsequently reclaimed from isolated samples. The tumor-associated phages were amplified and the biopanning cycle was repeated five times to enrich for high affinity tumor-selective binding peptides. Finally, a tri-peptide motif, KLP, which showed homology with laminin 5 (a ligand for alpha3beta1 integrin), was identified as a binding peptide for peritoneal tumors of gastric cancer. Phage clones displaying the sequence KLP showed 64-fold higher binding to peritoneal tumors than control phage and were preferentially distributed in tumors rather than in normal organs after intraperitoneal injection into mice. In addition, the KLP phages were more likely to bind to cancer cells in malignant ascites derived from a patient with recurrent gastric cancer. Synthesized peptide containing the motif KLP (SWKLPPS) also showed a strong binding activity to peritoneal tumors without cancer growth effect. Liposomes conjugated with SWKLPPS peptide appeared significantly more often in tumors than control liposomes after intraperitoneal injection into mice. Furthermore, modification of liposomes with SWKLPPS peptide enhanced the antitumor activity of adriamycin on gastric cancer cells. The peptide motif KLP seems a potential targeting ligand for the treatment of peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

The protease complex consisting of dipeptidyl peptidase IV and seprase plays a role in the migration and invasion of human endothelial cells in collagenous matrices

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4/CD26) and seprase/fibroblast activation protein alpha are homologous type II transmembrane, homodimeric glycoproteins that exhibit unique prolyl peptidase activities. Human DPP4 is ubiquitously expressed in epithelial and endothelial cells and serves multiple functions in cleaving the penultimate positioned prolyl bonds at the NH(2) terminus of a variety of physiologically important peptides in the circulation. Recent studies showed a linkage between DPP4 and down-regulation of certain chemokines and mitogenic growth factors, and degradation of denatured collagens (gelatin), suggesting a role of DPP4 in the cell invasive phenotype. Here, we found the existence of a novel protease complex consisting of DPP4 and seprase in human endothelial cells that were activated to migrate and invade in the extracellular matrix in vitro. DPP4 and seprase were coexpressed with the three major protease systems (matrix metalloproteinase, plasminogen activator, and type II transmembrane serine protease) at the cell surface and organize as a complex at invadopodia-like protrusions. Both proteases were colocalized at the endothelial cells of capillaries, but not large blood vessels, in invasive breast ductal carcinoma in vivo. Importantly, monoclonal antibodies against the gelatin-binding domain of DPP4 blocked the local gelatin degradation by endothelial cells in the presence of the major metallo- and serine protease systems that modified pericellular collagenous matrices and subsequent cell migration and invasion. Thus, we have identified a novel mechanism involving the DPP4 gelatin-binding domain of the DPP4-seprase complex that facilitates the local degradation of the extracellular matrix and the invasion of the endothelial cells into collagenous matrices.

Decrease in LDL receptor-related protein expression and function correlates with advanced stages of Wilms tumors

BACKGROUND

The molecular processes responsible for the invasive phenotype of pediatric Wilms tumors (WT) are poorly understood. A candidate WT suppressor gene (WT1) has been found mutated in a number of these pediatric kidney tumors. However, the disruption of normal WT1 protein function cannot solely explain WT growth. The aim of the present study is to identify new molecular players that regulate the invasive character of WT.

PROCEDURE

Fresh frozen samples from 45 renal tumors of Wilms were obtained from the National Wilms Tumor Study Group's Biological Samples Bank. Gelatin zymography, Western blotting, and immunodetection were used to compare tissue biopsies originating from the infiltrating (stage III), metastatic (stage IV), and anaplastic phenotype of Wilms tumors (WT).

RESULTS

The expression of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) diminished in stage IV and anaplastic WT. Moreover, the expression of RAP, an LRP intracellular chaperone, was also decreased. The diminished expression of LRP and RAP correlated with increased levels of several known extracellular ligands that LRP usually recycles from the extracellular matrix (ECM) environment, including PAI-1, MMP-9, and TIMP-1. The proteolytic processing of MT1-MMP, a functional regulator of LRP, also correlated with the WT invasive phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

The low expression of LRP, whose function is regulated by MT1-MMP and whose activity in recycling ECM-associated proteolytic enzymes becomes drastically diminished in advanced stages of WT, may in part explain the acquired invasive potential of the developing WT pediatric cancer.

Potential applications of flat-panel volumetric CT in morphologic and functional small animal imaging

Noninvasive radiologic imaging has recently gained considerable interest in basic and preclinical research for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic efficacy. In this report, we introduce flat-panel volumetric computed tomography (fpVCT) as a powerful new tool for noninvasive imaging of different organ systems in preclinical research. The three-dimensional visualization that is achieved by isotropic high-resolution datasets is illustrated for the skeleton, chest, abdominal organs, and brain of mice. The high image quality of chest scans enables the visualization of small lung nodules in an orthotopic lung cancer model and the reliable imaging of therapy side effects such as lung fibrosis. Using contrast-enhanced scans, fpVCT displayed the vascular trees of the brain, liver, and kidney down to the subsegmental level. Functional application of fpVCT in dynamic contrast-enhanced scans of the rat brain delivered physiologically reliable data of perfusion and tissue blood volume. Beyond scanning of small animal models as demonstrated here, fpVCT provides the ability to image animals up to the size of primates.

Unexpected effect of matrix metalloproteinase down-regulation on vascular intravasation and metastasis of human fibrosarcoma cells selected in vivo for high rates of dissemination

The human tumor/chick embryo model involving grafting of human HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells on the chorioallantoic membrane was used in conjunction with quantitative real-time Alu PCR to select in vivo a pair of isogenic cell lines (HT-hi/diss and HT-lo/diss), dramatically differing in their ability to disseminate from the primary tumor (i.e., intravasate into the chorioallantoic membrane vasculature and metastasize to the lungs). During an immunohistochemical time course study, HT-hi/diss cells were sequentially visualized having escaped from the primary tumors, engaged with the blood vessels, and eventually observed inside the chorioallantoic membrane capillaries, thus reflecting early intravasating events. In contrast, HT-lo/diss cells seemed restricted to their primary tumor. Importantly, after i.v. inoculation, both variants arrested, extravasated, and proliferated in host tissues with similar efficiencies, highlighting that the observed earlier events at the periphery of the primary tumor could account for their differential dissemination. In a mechanistic probing of these events, we determined that HT-hi/diss intravasation was sensitive to a broad-range matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor. To analyze the possible role of individual MMPs, membrane-bound MMP-14 and secreted MMP-9 were individually down-regulated in HT-hi/diss cells with their corresponding small interfering RNAs. Despite efficient down-regulation of MMP-14, neither intravasation nor metastasis of HT-hi/diss cells was affected significantly. However, a substantial down-regulation of MMP-9 was accompanied by a surprising 3-fold increase in intravasation and metastasis. The results emphasize a rising awareness that targeting certain MMPs might result in an enhanced malignancy, exemplified herein at the intravasation level as this step of the metastatic cascade is dissected and quantified.

Antiangiogenic photodynamic therapy (PDT) by using long-circulating liposomes modified with peptide specific to angiogenic vessels

For the improvement of therapeutic efficacy in photodynamic therapy (PDT) by using a photosensitizer, benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid ring A (BPD-MA), we previously prepared polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified liposomes encapsulating BPD-MA (PEG-Lip BPD-MA). PEGylation of liposomes enhanced the accumulation of BPD-MA in tumor tissue at 3 h after injection of it into Meth-A-sarcoma-bearing mice, but, unexpectedly, decreased the suitability of the drug for PDT when laser irradiation was performed at 3 h after the injection of the liposomal photosensitizer. To improve the bioavailability of PEG-Lip BPD-MA, we endowed the liposomes with active-targeting characteristics by using Ala-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly (APRPG) pentapeptide, which had earlier been isolated as a peptide specific to angiogenic endothelial cells. APRPG-PEG-modified liposomal BPD-MA (APRPG-PEG-Lip BPD-MA) accumulated in tumor tissue similarly as PEG-Lip BPD-MA and to an approx. 4-fold higher degree than BPD-MA delivered with non-modified liposomes at 3 h after the injection of the drugs into tumor-bearing mice. On the contrary, unlike the treatment with PEG-Lip BPD-MA, APRPG-PEG-Lip BPD-MA treatment strongly suppressed tumor growth after laser irradiation at 3 h after injection. Finally, we observed vasculature damage in the dorsal air sac angiogenesis model by APRPG-PEG-Lip BPD-MA-mediated PDT. The present results suggest that antiangiogenic PDT is an efficient modality for tumor treatment and that tumor neovessel-targeted, long-circulating liposomes are a useful carrier for delivering photosensitizer to angiogenic endothelial cells.