1
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Li H, Wang Z, Yu S, Chen S, Zhou Y, Qu Y, Xu P, Jiang L, Yuan C, Huang M. Albumin-based drug carrier targeting urokinase receptor for cancer therapy. Int J Pharm 2023; 634:122636. [PMID: 36696930 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.122636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is a key participant in extracellular proteolysis, tissue remodeling and cell motility. uPAR overexpresses in most solid tumors and several hematologic malignancies, but has low levels on normal tissues, thus is advocated as a molecular target for cancer therapy. One of the obstacles for the evaluation of uPAR targeting agents in preclinical study is the species specificity, where targeting agents for human uPAR usually not bind to murine uPAR. Here, we develop a targeting agent that binds to both murine and human uPAR. This targeting agent is genetically fused to human serum albumin, a commonly used drug carrier, and the final construct is named as uPAR targeting carrier (uPARTC). uPARTC binds specifically to uPAR-overexpressing 293T/huPAR and 293T/muPAR as demonstrated by flow cytometry. A cytotoxic compound, celastrol, is embedded into uPARTC non-covalently. The resulting macromolecular complex show effective proliferation inhibition on both murine and human uPAR overexpressing cells, and exhibit potent antitumor efficacy on hepatoma H22-bearing mice. This work demonstrates that uPARTC is a promising tumor targeting drug carrier, which address the species-specificity challenge of uPAR targeting agents and can be used to load other cytotoxic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanlin Li
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Zhiyou Wang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Shujuan Yu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Shanli Chen
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Yuhan Qu
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Peng Xu
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Longguang Jiang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian 350108, China
| | - Cai Yuan
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, China.
| | - Mingdong Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian 350108, China.
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2
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Zhou Y, Yu S, Chen D, Li H, Xu P, Yuan C, Jiang L, Huang M. Nafamostat Mesylate in Combination with the Mouse Amino-Terminal Fragment of Urokinase-Human Serum Albumin Improves the Treatment Outcome of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Therapy. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:905-917. [PMID: 36463525 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly aggressive and causes a higher proportion of metastatic cases. However, therapies directed to specific molecular targets have rarely achieved clinically meaningful improvements in the outcome of TNBC therapy. A urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), one of the best-validated biomarkers of breast cancer, is an extracellular proteolytic serine protease involved in many pathological and physiological processes, including tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Nafamostat mesylate (NM) is a synthetic compound that inhibits various serine proteases and has been used as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of TNBC. Nevertheless, NM has poor specificity for serine proteases and is easy be hydrolyzed; moreover, the inhibitory mechanism of TNBC therapy is unclear. In this study, we combine NM with a macromolecular drug delivery vehicle, mouse amino-terminal fragment of urokinase-human serum albumin (mATF-HSA), to form a complex (mATF-HSA:NM) using the dilution-incubation-purification method. mATF specifically targets uPAR overexpressed on the surface of TNBC cells; moreover, HSA prevents NM from being hydrolyzed by numerous serine proteases. mATF-HSA:NM showed stronger inhibitory effects on the proliferation and metastasis of TNBC in vitro and in vivo without significant cytotoxicity on normal cells and tissues. In addition, we demonstrated that NM mediates metastasis of TNBC cells through inhibition of uPA using a stable uPA knockdown cell line (MDA-MB231 shuPA). Overall, we have developed a macromolecular complex targeted to treat high uPAR-expressing tumor types, and mATF-HSA can potentially be used to load other types of drugs with tumor-targeting specificity for mouse tumor models and is a promising tool to study tumor biology in mouse tumor models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China
| | - Shujuan Yu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China
| | - Dan Chen
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China
| | - Hanlin Li
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China
| | - Peng Xu
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China
| | - Cai Yuan
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China
| | - Longguang Jiang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China.,Fujian Key Lab Moratory of Marine Enzyme Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China
| | - Mingdong Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian350116, P.R. China
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3
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Mariewskaya KA, Krasilnikov MS, Korshun VA, Ustinov AV, Alferova VA. Near-Infrared Dyes: Towards Broad-Spectrum Antivirals. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010188. [PMID: 36613629 PMCID: PMC9820607 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Broad antiviral activity in vitro is known for many organic photosensitizers generating reactive oxygen species under irradiation with visible light. Low tissue penetration of visible light prevents further development of antiviral therapeutics based on these compounds. One possible solution to this problem is the development of photosensitizers with near-infrared absorption (NIR dyes). These compounds found diverse applications in the photodynamic therapy of tumors and bacterial infections, but they are scarcely mentioned as antivirals. In this account, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic prospects of various NIR-absorbing and singlet oxygen-generating chromophores for the development of broad-spectrum photosensitizing antivirals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kseniya A. Mariewskaya
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maxim S. Krasilnikov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-3, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir A. Korshun
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +7-4957246715
| | - Alexey V. Ustinov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vera A. Alferova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117997 Moscow, Russia
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4
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Zhang Y, Kim I, Lu Y, Xu Y, Yu DG, Song W. Intelligent poly(l-histidine)-based nanovehicles for controlled drug delivery. J Control Release 2022; 349:963-982. [PMID: 35944751 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems based on polymeric nanovehicles are among the most promising treatment regimens for malignant cancers. Such intelligent systems that release payloads in response to the physiological characteristics of tumor sites have several advantages over conventional drug carriers, offering, in particular, enhanced therapeutic effects and decreased toxicity. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is acidic, suggesting the potential of pH-responsive nanovehicles for enhancing treatment specificity and efficacy. The synthetic polypeptide poly(l-histidine) (PLH) is an appropriate candidate for the preparation of pH-responsive nanovehicles because the pKa of PLH (approximately 6.0) is close to the pH of the acidic TME. In addition, the pendent imidazole rings of PLH yield pH-dependent hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic phase transitions in the acidic TME, triggering the destabilization of nanovehicles and the subsequent release of encapsulated chemotherapeutic agents. Herein, we highlight the state-of-the-art design and construction of pH-responsive nanovehicles based on PLH and discuss the future challenges and perspectives of this fascinating biomaterial for targeted cancer treatment and "benchtop-to-clinic" translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai 201318, PR China.
| | - Il Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yiming Lu
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai 201318, PR China
| | - Yixin Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai 201318, PR China
| | - Deng-Guang Yu
- School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, PR China.
| | - Wenliang Song
- School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, PR China.
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5
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Zhai BT, Tian H, Sun J, Zou JB, Zhang XF, Cheng JX, Shi YJ, Fan Y, Guo DY. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) as a therapeutic target in cancer. J Transl Med 2022; 20:135. [PMID: 35303878 PMCID: PMC8932206 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03329-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is an attractive target for the treatment of cancer, because it is expressed at low levels in healthy tissues but at high levels in malignant tumours. uPAR is closely related to the invasion and metastasis of malignant tumours, plays important roles in the degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM), tumour angiogenesis, cell proliferation and apoptosis, and is associated with the multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumour cells, which has important guiding significance for the judgement of tumor malignancy and prognosis. Several uPAR-targeted antitumour therapeutic agents have been developed to suppress tumour growth, metastatic processes and drug resistance. Here, we review the recent advances in the development of uPAR-targeted antitumor therapeutic strategies, including nanoplatforms carrying therapeutic agents, photodynamic therapy (PDT)/photothermal therapy (PTT) platforms, oncolytic virotherapy, gene therapy technologies, monoclonal antibody therapy and tumour immunotherapy, to promote the translation of these therapeutic agents to clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing-Tao Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Huan Tian
- Xi'an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Jing Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Jun-Bo Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Xiao-Fei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Jiang-Xue Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Ya-Jun Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Yu Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China
| | - Dong-Yan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Research & Development of Characteristic Qin Medicine Resources (Cultivation), and Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Fundamentals and New Drugs Research, and Shaanxi Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, 712046, China.
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6
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Huang Z, Lin H, Yu S, Li H, Zhou Y, Cheng Y, Chen S, Yuan C, Huang M. A versatile insertion point on albumin to accommodate peptides and maintain their activities. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 205:49-54. [PMID: 35134454 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Genetic fusion of human serum albumin to peptides is an important strategy to enhance the plasma half-life of the peptide. An inherent challenge of such method is the reduction of specific activity of the cargo peptides upon connecting at N- or C-termini of albumin. Here, we report a finding that residue 363-364 of albumin can be inserted with a peptide while maintaining the peptide activities. We insert a peptide inhibitor into this site, and at the N-terminus of albumin, for comparison. The chimeric protein displays potent inhibition (IC50 value of 30 nM) to its target (uPAR), but not the N-terminally fused construct. We also study the chimera of HSA with a cyclic peptide inhibitor of murine urokinase-type plasminogen activator grafted at either the internal site or the N-terminus. The internally peptide-grafted protein possesses a much more potent inhibition compared to the N-terminally located fusion (IC50 value of 32 nM vs 19 μM). We further demonstrate that such internal fusion does not affect albumin expression, secondary structure, and inherent drug binding activity. Thus, this work identifies a versatile insertion point inside albumin for maintaining fusion peptide activity, and opens a new avenue to expand the applications of albumin fusion technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Huajian Lin
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Shujuan Yu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Hanlin Li
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Yang Zhou
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Yuan Cheng
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Shanli Chen
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Cai Yuan
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
| | - Mingdong Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
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7
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Yuan C, Guo Z, Yu S, Jiang L, Huang M. Development of inhibitors for uPAR: blocking the interaction of uPAR with its partners. Drug Discov Today 2021; 26:1076-1085. [PMID: 33486111 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2021.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) mediates a multitude of biological activities, has key roles in several clinical indications, including malignancies and inflammation, and, thus, has attracted intensive research over the past few decades. The pleiotropic functions of uPAR can be attributed to its interaction with an array of partners. Many inhibitors have been developed to intervene with the interaction of uPAR with these partners. Here, we review the development of these classes of uPAR inhibitor and their inhibitory mechanisms to promote the translation of these inhibitors to clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cai Yuan
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350116, China
| | - Zhanzhi Guo
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350116, China
| | - Shujuan Yu
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian, 350116, China
| | - Longguang Jiang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian, 350116, China.
| | - Mingdong Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fujian, 350116, China.
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8
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Hong Y, Che S, Hui B, Yang Y, Wang X, Zhang X, Qiang Y, Ma H. Lung cancer therapy using doxorubicin and curcumin combination: Targeted prodrug based, pH sensitive nanomedicine. Biomed Pharmacother 2019; 112:108614. [PMID: 30798129 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.108614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 01/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. To overcome the toxic side effects and multidrug resistance (MDR) during doxorubicin (DOX) chemotherapy, a urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) targeting U11 peptide decorated, pH-sensitive, dual drugs co-encapsulated nanoparticles (NPs) system is employed in this study. A U11 peptide conjugated, pH-sensitive DOX prodrug (U11-DOX) was synthesized and used as materials to produce NPs. A curcumin (CUR) and U11-DOX co-encapsulated NPs system (U11-DOX/CUR NPs) was constructed to treat lung cancer. After the characterization of biophysical properties of this NPs system, synergistic chemotherapeutic efficacy was evaluated in both cultured cancer cells and tumor-bearing animal model. U11-DOX/CUR NPs had a uniformly spherical shape with a core-shell structure. The mean particle size and zeta potential of the U11-DOX/CUR NPs was 121.3 nm and -33.5 mV, with a DOX and CUR EE of 81.7 and 90.5%, respectively. The DOX release from U11-DOX/CUR NPs was 83.5, 55.2, and 32.8% correspondence to the pH of 5.0, 6.0 and 7.4. Cellular uptake efficiency of U11-DOX/CUR NPs was significantly higher than non U11 peptide decorated DOX/CUR NPs. U11-DOX/CUR NPs displayed a pronounced synergy effects in vitro and an obvious tumor tissue accumulation efficiency in vivo. In vivo antitumor experiment showed that U11-DOX/CUR NPs could inhibit the tumor growth to a level of 85%.In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that U11-DOX/CUR NPs is a sustained released, pH responsive, synergistic antitumor system. This study suggests that the U11-DOX/CUR NPs have promising potential for combination treatment of lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Hong
- Department of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Shaomin Che
- Department of Oncology Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Beina Hui
- Department of Oncology Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunyi Yang
- Department of Oncology Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Department of Oncology Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaozhi Zhang
- Department of Oncology Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongqian Qiang
- Department of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Hailin Ma
- Department of Oncology Radiotherapy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
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9
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Li S, Yuan C, Chen J, Chen D, Chen Z, Chen W, Yan S, Hu P, Xue J, Li R, Zheng K, Huang M. Nanoparticle Binding to Urokinase Receptor on Cancer Cell Surface Triggers Nanoparticle Disintegration and Cargo Release. Am J Cancer Res 2019; 9:884-899. [PMID: 30809315 PMCID: PMC6376475 DOI: 10.7150/thno.29445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cell expresses abundant surface receptors. These receptors are important targets for cancer treatment and imaging applications. Our goal here is to develop nanoparticles with cargo loading and tumor targeting capability. Methods: A peptide targeting at cancer cell surface receptor (urokinase receptor, uPAR) was expressed in fusion with albumin (diameter of ~7 nm), and the fusion protein was assembled into nanoparticles with diameter of 40 nm, either in the presence or absence of cargo molecules, by a novel preparation method. An important feature of this method is that the nanoparticles were stabilized by hydrophobic interaction of the fusion protein and no covalent linking agent was used in the preparation. The stability, the cargo release, in vitro and in vivo properties of such formed nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, gel shift assay, laser scanning confocal microscopy and 3D fluorescent molecular tomography. Results: The nanoparticles were stable for more than two weeks in aqueous buffer, even in the buffer containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Interestingly, in the presence of urokinase receptor, the uPAR-targeting nanoparticle disintegrated into 7.5 nm fragments and released its cargo, but not the non-targeting nanoparticles made from albumin by the same preparation method. Such nanoparticles also showed higher uptake and cytotoxicity to the receptor-expressing cancer cells in vitro and higher tumor accumulation in xenografted tumor-bearing mice in vivo compared to the non-targeting nanoparticles. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate a new function of cell surface receptor as a responsive trigger to disassemble nanoparticles, besides its common use to enrich targeting agents. Such nanoparticles were thus named receptor-responsive nanoparticles (RRNP).
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10
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Xu P, Huang M. Small Peptides as Modulators of Serine Proteases. Curr Med Chem 2018; 27:3686-3705. [PMID: 30332941 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666181016163630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Serine proteases play critical roles in many physiological and pathological processes, and are proven diagnostic and therapeutic targets in a number of clinical indications. Suppression of the aberrant proteolytic activities of these proteases has been clinically used for the treatments of relevant diseases. Polypeptides with 10-20 residues are of great interests as medicinal modulators of serine proteases, because these peptides demonstrate the characteristics of both small molecule drugs and macromolecular drugs. In this review, we summarized the recent development of peptide-based inhibitors against serine proteases with potent inhibitory and high specificity comparable to monoclonal antibodies. In addition, we also discussed the strategies of enhancing plasma half-life and bioavailability of peptides in vivo, which is the main hurdle that limits the clinical translation of peptide-based drugs. This review advocates new avenue for the development of effective serine protease inhibitors and highlights the prospect of the medicinal use of these inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Xu
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
| | - Mingdong Huang
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350116, China
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11
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Zhang W, Song N, Zheng H, Feng W, Jia Q. Cobalt Phthalocyanine Tetracarboxylic Acid Functionalized Polymer Monolith for Selective Enrichment of Glycopeptides and Glycans. Proteomics 2018; 18:e1700399. [DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201700399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Zhang
- College of Chemistry; Jilin University; 130012 Changchun China
| | - Naizhong Song
- College of Chemistry; Jilin University; 130012 Changchun China
| | - Haijiao Zheng
- College of Chemistry; Jilin University; 130012 Changchun China
| | - Wei Feng
- The First Hospital of Jilin University; 130021 Changchun China
| | - Qiong Jia
- College of Chemistry; Jilin University; 130012 Changchun China
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education; School of Life Sciences; Jilin University; 130012 Changchun China
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12
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Yan S, Chen J, Cai L, Xu P, Zhang Y, Li S, Hu P, Chen X, Huang M, Chen Z. Phthalocyanine-based photosensitizer with tumor-pH-responsive properties for cancer theranostics. J Mater Chem B 2018; 6:6080-6088. [DOI: 10.1039/c8tb01884g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
A versatile phthalocyanine-based photosensitizer with tumor-pH-responsive properties for cancer theranostics.
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13
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Li R, Zheng K, Yuan C, Chen Z, Huang M. Be Active or Not: the Relative Contribution of Active and Passive Tumor Targeting of Nanomaterials. Nanotheranostics 2017; 1:346-357. [PMID: 29071198 PMCID: PMC5646738 DOI: 10.7150/ntno.19380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignant tumor (cancer) remains as one of the deadliest diseases throughout the world, despite its overall mortality drops. Nanomaterials (NMs) have been widely studied as diagnostic and/or therapeutic agents for tumors. A feature of NMs, compared to small molecules, is that NMs can be concentrated passively in tumors through enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. In the meantime, NMs can be engineered to target toward tumor specific markers in an active manner, e.g., receptor-mediated targeting. The relative contribution of the EPR effect and the receptor-mediated targeting to NM accumulation in tumor tissues has not been clearly defined yet. Here, we tackle this fundamental issue by reviewing previous studies. First, we summarize the current knowledge on these two tumor targeting strategies of NMs, and on how NMs arrive to tumors from blood circulation. We then demonstrate that contribution of the active and passive effects to total accumulation of NMs in tumors varies with time. Over time, the receptor-mediated targeting contributes more than the EPR effect with a ratio of 3 in the case of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR)-mediated targeting and human serum albumin (HSA)-mediated EPR effect. Therefore, this review highlights the dynamics of active and passive targeting of NMs on their accumulation at tumor sites, and is valuable for future design of NMs in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology of the Ministry of Agriculture, Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450002, China
| | - Ke Zheng
- Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350116, China
| | - Cai Yuan
- Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350116, China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
| | - Mingdong Huang
- Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350116, China.,Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002, China
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Bian Y, Jiang J. Recent Advances in Phthalocyanine-Based Functional Molecular Materials. STRUCTURE AND BONDING 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/430_2015_194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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