Self-sensibilized polymeric prodrug co-delivering MMP-9 shRNA plasmid for combined treatment of tumors

Supramolecular assemblies with spatio-temporal sequential drug delivery capability treat spinal cord injury via neuroprotection and immunoregulation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in irreversible motor and sensory deficits. However, up to data, clinical first-line drugs have ambiguous benefits and debilitating side effects, mainly due to the insufficient accumulation, poor physiological barrier penetration, and lack of spatio-temporal controlled release at lesion tissue. Herein, we proposed a supramolecular assemblies composed of hyperbranched polymer-formed core/shell structure through host-guest interactions. Such HPAA-BM@CD-HPG-C assemblies co-loaded with p38 inhibitor (SB203580) and insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1) are able to achieve time- and space-programmed sequential delivery benefiting from their cascaded responsiveness. The core-shell disassembly of HPAA-BM@CD-HPG-C occurs in acidic micro-environment around lesion, achieving preferentially the burst release of IGF-1 to protect survival neurons. Subsequently, the HPAA-BM cores containing SB203580 are endocytosed by the recruited macrophages and degraded by intracellular GSH, accelerating the release of SB203580 to promote the conversion from M1 to M2 macrophage. Hence, the successive synergy of neuroprotection and immunoregulation effects contribute to subsequent nerve repair and locomotor recovery as demonstrated in vitro and in vivo studies. Thus, our fabrication provides a strategy that multiple drugs co-delivery in a spatio-temporal selective manner adapting to the disease progression through self-cascaded disintegration, are expected to realize multidimensional precise treatment of SCI.

Biodegradable nanomaterials for diagnosis and therapy of tumors

Although degradable nanomaterials have been widely designed and applied for cancer bioimaging and various cancer treatments, few reviews of biodegradable nanomaterials have been reported. Herein, we have summarized the representative research advances of biodegradable nanomaterials with respect to the mechanism of degradation and their application in tumor imaging and therapy. First, four kinds of tumor microenvironment (TME) responsive degradation are presented, including pH, glutathione (GSH), hypoxia and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) responsive degradation. Second, external stimulation degradation is summarized briefly. Next, we have outlined the applications of nanomaterials in bioimaging. Finally, we have focused on some typical examples of biodegradable nanomaterials in radiotherapy (RT), photothermal therapy (PTT), starvation therapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy (CDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), gene therapy, immunotherapy and combination therapy.

Insights Into the Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Cancer and its Various Therapeutic Aspects: A Review

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases that regulate the turnover of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Gross and La Piere discovered MMPs in 1962 during an experiment on tissue samples from a tadpole’s tail. Several subtypes of MMPs have been identified, depending on their substrate specificity and localization. MMPs are involved as essential molecules in multiple and diverse physiological processes, such as reproduction, embryonic development, bone remodeling, tissue repair, and regulation of inflammatory processes. Its activity is controlled at various levels such as at transcription level, pro-peptide activation level and by the activity of a family of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase, endogenous inhibitors of MMPs. Cancer metastasis, which is the spread of a tumor to a distant site, is a complex process that is responsible for the majority of cancer-related death It is considered to be an indicator of cancer metastasis. During metastasis, the tumor cells have to invade the blood vessel and degrade the ECM to make a path to new loci in distant places. The degradation of blood vessels and ECM is mediated through the activity of MMPs. Hence, the MMP activity is critical to determining the metastatic potential of a cancer cell. Evasion of apoptosis is one of the hallmarks of cancer that are found to be correlated with the expression of MMPs. As a result, given the importance of MMPs in cancer, we describe the role of these multifunctional enzymes MMPs in various aspects of cancer formation and their rising possibilities as a novel therapeutic target in this review. There is also a brief discussion of various types of therapeutic components and drugs that function against MMPs.

Nanotechnology and Matrix Metalloproteinases in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. This great mortality is due to its late diagnosis when the disease is already at advanced stages. Although the efforts made to develop more effective treatments, around 90% of cancer deaths are due to metastasis that confers a systemic character to the disease. Likewise, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are endopeptidases that participate in all the events of the metastatic process. MMPs’ augmented concentrations and an increased enzymatic activity have been considered bad prognosis markers of the disease. Therefore, synthetic inhibitors have been created to block MMPs’ enzymatic activity. However, they have been ineffective in addition to causing considerable side effects. On the other hand, nanotechnology offers the opportunity to formulate therapeutic agents that can act directly on a target cell, avoiding side effects and improving the diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment of cancer. The goal of the present review is to discuss novel nanotechnological strategies in which MMPs are used with theranostic purposes and as therapeutic targets to control cancer progression.

Developing a novel calcium magnesium silicate/graphene oxide incorporated silk fibroin porous scaffold with enhanced osteogenesis, angiogenesis and inhibited osteoclastogenesis

Recently, biofunctional ions (Mg2+, Si4+, etc.) and graphene derivatives are proved to be promising in stimulating bone formation. In this study, a novel inorganic/organic composite porous scaffold based on silk fibroin (SF), graphene oxide (GO), and calcium magnesium silicate (CMS) was developed for bone repair. The porous scaffolds obtained by lyophilization showed a little difference in pore structure while GO and CMS displayed a good interaction with SF matrix. The addition of CMS with good mineralization potential and sustainedly release ability of biofunctional ions (Ca2+, Mg2+ and Si4+) increased the strength of SF scaffolds a little and facilitated the osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) by upregulating bone formation-related genes (ALP, COL1, OC and Runx2). The further incorporation of GO in SF scaffolds enhanced the compressive strength and water retention, and also remarkably promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Besides, the angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was significantly promoted by CMS/GO/SF scaffold extract through the upregulation of angiogenesis genes (eNOs and bFGF). Moreover, the osteoclastic formation ability of RAW264.7 cells was suppressed by the released ions from CMS/GO/SF scaffold through the down-regulation of CAK, MMP9 and TRAP. The promoted osteogenesis, angiogenesis and inhibited osteoclastogenesis functions of CMS/GO/SF composite scaffold may enable it as a novel therapy for bone repair and regeneration.

Protease-triggered bioresponsive drug delivery for the targeted theranostics of malignancy

Proteases have a fundamental role in maintaining physiological homeostasis, but their dysregulation results in severe activity imbalance and pathological conditions, including cancer onset, progression, invasion, and metastasis. This striking importance plus superior biological recognition and catalytic performance of proteases, combining with the excellent physicochemical characteristics of nanomaterials, results in enzyme-activated nano-drug delivery systems (nanoDDS) that perform theranostic functions in highly specific response to the tumor phenotype stimulus. In the tutorial review, the key advances of protease-responsive nanoDDS in the specific diagnosis and targeted treatment for malignancies are emphatically classified according to the effector biomolecule types, on the premise of summarizing the structure and function of each protease. Subsequently, the incomplete matching and recognition between enzyme and substrate, structural design complexity, volume production, and toxicological issues related to the nanocomposites are highlighted to clarify the direction of efforts in nanotheranostics. This will facilitate the promotion of nanotechnology in the management of malignant tumors.

Recent Advances in Stimulus-Responsive Nanocarriers for Gene Therapy

Gene therapy provides a promising strategy for curing monogenetic disorders and complex diseases. However, there are challenges associated with the use of viral delivery vectors. The advent of nanomedicine represents a quantum leap in the application of gene therapy. Recent advances in stimulus-responsive nonviral nanocarriers indicate that they are efficient delivery systems for loading and unloading of therapeutic nucleic acids. Some nanocarriers are responsive to cues derived from the internal environment, such as changes in pH, redox potential, enzyme activity, reactive oxygen species, adenosine triphosphate, and hypoxia. Others are responsive to external stimulations, including temperature gradients, light irradiation, ultrasonic energy, and magnetic field. Multiple stimuli-responsive strategies have also been investigated recently for experimental gene therapy.

Dual ATP/reduction-responsive polyplex to achieve the co-delivery of doxorubicin and miR-23b for the cancer treatment

Combination therapy based on the co-delivery of therapeutic genes and anti-cancer drugs has emerged as a promising approach in the cancer treatment, and stimuli-responsive delivery systems could further improve the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, an ATP aptamer and its complementary DNA were used to form Duplex into which doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded to construct DOX-Duplex, and then the lipoic acid-modified oligoethyleneimine (LA-OEI) was employed as a carrier to realize the co-delivery of DOX-Duplex and miR-23b. The ternary nanocomplex LA-OEI/miR-23b/DOX-Duplex showed excellent anti-proliferative effect by inducing the cell apoptosis via mitochondrial signaling pathway and arresting the cell cycle at S phase. Meanwhile, the co-delivery of DOX-Duplex and miR-23b could efficiently inhibit the metastasis of cancer cells by reducing the expression level of MMP-9. The favorable anti-tumor efficacy of ternary nanocomplex was attributed to the rapid drug release in response to intracellular ATP concentration and reduction conditions and the synergistic effect between DOX-Duplex and miR-23b. Thus, ATP aptamer and reduction-responsive polymer provided a convenient platform to construct dual stimuli-responsive systems for the co-delivery of gene and drug in the cancer treatment.

Co-delivery Systems of Multiple Drugs Using Nanotechnology for Future Cancer Therapy

Cancer treatments have improved significantly during the last decade but are not yet satisfactory. Combination therapy is often administered to improve efficacy and safety. Drug delivery systems can also improve efficacy and safety. To control the spatiotemporal distribution of drugs, nanotechnology involving liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and polymeric micelles has been developed. Co-delivery systems of multiple drugs are a promising approach to combat cancer. Synergistic effects and reduced side effects are expected from the use of co-delivery systems. In this review, we summarize various co-delivery systems for multiple drugs, including small-molecule drugs, nucleic acids, genes, and proteins. Co-delivery of drugs with different properties is relatively difficult, but some researchers have succeeded in developing such co-delivery systems. Environment-responsive carrier designs can control the release of cargos. Although their preparation is more complicated than that of mono-delivery systems, co-delivery systems can simplify clinical procedures and improve patient QOL.

Development of nanosilver doped carboxymethyl chitosan-polyamideamine alginate composite dressing for wound treatment

Nowadays, treatment to the infected wounds caused by bacterial even multi-resistant bacterial strains and subsequently complete skin regeneration remain a critical clinical challenge. Herein, a novel multi-functional platform (Alg/1.0Ag@CMC-PAMAM/PRP) was prepared as wound dressings by mixing platelet rich plasma (PRP) with the sodium alginate (Alg) based dressing containing nano silver (Ag)-doped carboxymethyl chitosan grafted polyamideamine (Ag@CMC-PAMAM) cationic polymers. The present dressings exhibited high swelling, suitable water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and good mechanical properties and degradability, as well as sustained release of PRP. Besides, the component of Ag@CMC-PAMAM nanoparticles endow them with excellent antibacterial performance, while the incorporation of PRP promotes the effect of anti-inflammatory and angiogenesis by up-regulating relative activity factor expression of TGF-β1, CD31 and α-SMA and down-regulating the inflammatory-relative genes including TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, all of which promote the closure of wound and produce a superior healing effect to the commercial Aquacel Ag group. This work indicates that the prepared Alg/1.0Ag@CMC-PAMAM/PRP wound dressing is a promising biomaterial with synergistic effect of antibacterial property and wound healing.

PSMA-Targeting Reduction-Cleavable Hyperbranched Polyamide-Amine Gene Delivery System to Treat the Bone Metastases of Prostate Cancer

Objective

This study aimed to develop aptamer-anchored hyperbranched poly(amido amine) (HPAA) for the systemic delivery of miRNA-133a-3p and to evaluate its therapeutic potential against bone metastasis of prostate cancer in vivo and in vitro.

Methods

A glutathione (GSH)-responsive cationic HPAA was prepared by the Michael addition reaction. Furthermore, HPAA-PEG was produced by PEGylation, and then the aptamer targeted to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) was conjugated to the HPAA-PEG. The obtained HPAA-PEG-APT could form nanocomplexes with miRNA-133a-3p through electrostatic adsorption.

Results

The results of immunocytochemistry indicated that the complexes could target PSMA-expressing LNCaP cells. The ability of HPAA-PEG-APT to facilitate the delivery of miRNA-133a-3p into LNCaP cells was proven, and HPAA-PEG-APT/miRNA-133a-3p demonstrated enhanced antitumor activity, lower cytotoxicity and better biocompatibility in vitro. Moreover, in a mouse tibial injection tumor model, the intravenous injection of the HPAA-PEG-APT/miRNA-133a-3p complex significantly inhibited cancer growth and extended the survival time.

Conclusion

This study provided an aptamer-anchored HPAA-loaded gene system to deliver miRNA-133a-3p for better therapeutic efficacy of bone metastasis of prostate cancer.

In vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors for cancer therapy

Gene therapy by expression constructs or down-regulation of certain genes has shown great potential for the treatment of various diseases. The wide clinical application of nucleic acid materials dependents on the development of biocompatible gene carriers. There are enormous various compounds widely investigated to be used as non-viral gene carriers including lipids, polymers, carbon materials, and inorganic structures. In this review, we will discuss the recent discoveries on non-viral gene delivery systems. We will also highlight the in vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors to treat cancer in different tissue and organs including brain, breast, lung, liver, stomach, and prostate. Finally, we will delineate the state-of-the-art and promising perspective of in vivo gene editing using non-viral nano-vectors.

Aptamer Hybrid Nanocomplexes as Targeting Components for Antibiotic/Gene Delivery Systems and Diagnostics: A Review

With the passage of time and more advanced societies, there is a greater emergence and incidence of disease and necessity for improved treatments. In this respect, nowadays, aptamers, with their better efficiency at diagnosing and treating diseases than antibodies, are at the center of attention. Here, in this review, we first investigate aptamer function in various fields (such as the detection and remedy of pathogens, modification of nanoparticles, antibiotic delivery and gene delivery). Then, we present aptamer-conjugated nanocomplexes as the main and efficient factor in gene delivery. Finally, we focus on the targeted co-delivery of genes and drugs by nanocomplexes, as a new exciting approach for cancer treatment in the decades ahead to meet our growing societal needs.

The choice of anti-tumor strategies based on micromolecules or drug loading function of biomaterials

With advances in modern medicine, diverse tumor therapies have been developed. However, because of a lack of effective methods, the delivery of drugs or micromolecules in the human body has many limitations. Biomaterials are natural or synthetic functional materials that are prone to contact or interact with living systems. Therefore, the application of biomaterials provides innovative anti-tumor strategies, especially in tumor targeting, chemotherapy sensitization, tumor immunotherapy. The combination of biomaterials and drugs provides a promising strategy to overcome the biological barriers of drug delivery. Nanomaterials can target specific tumor sites to enhance the efficiency of tumor therapies and decrease the toxicity of drug through passive targeting, active targeting and direct targeting. Additionally, biomaterials can be used to enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs. Furthermore, modifiable biomaterials can induce effective anti-tumor immune response. Currently, the developmental trend of biomaterial for drug delivery is motivated by the combination and diversification of different therapies. With interdisciplinary development, a variety of anti-tumor strategies will emerge in an endless stream to bring great hope for tumor therapy. In this review, we will discuss the anti-tumor strategies based on nanoparticles and injectable scaffolds.

Sgc8 aptamer targeted glutathione-responsive nanoassemblies containing Ara-C prodrug for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Cytarabine (Ara-C) is an essential medicine used in the clinical treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, Ara-C suffers from high hydrophilicity, rapid plasma degradation and significant side effects. Thus, herein, to eliminate the limitations of Ara-C in the treatment of leukemia, Sgc8 aptamer targeting and glutathione (GSH)-responsive polymeric micelles (PCL-ss-Ara@Sgc8-BSA) were prepared. The prodrug was synthesized via covalent bond formation between acryloyl chloride-terminal PCL-ss-PCL and Ara-C, and surface decoration with Sgc8-bovine serum albumin (Sgc8-BSA). The obtained PCL-ss-Ara@Sgc8-BSA exhibited good GSH-responsive drug release behavior, obvious targetability and sufficient antitumor effect to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells (CCRF-CEM). A hemolysis test was further carried out to demonstrate that these polymeric micelles are safe to be administrated intravenously. Compared with free Ara-C, PCL-ss-Ara@Sgc8-BSA significantly enhanced tumor growth inhibition in mice bearing CCRF-CEM xenograft tumors, while causing little side effects, and improved the survival rate of CCRF-CEM tumor-bearing mice in vivo. Therefore, this new self-assembling small molecular prodrug equipped with Sgc8 targeting function is a potential treatment for the targeted therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A cationic polymeric prodrug with chemotherapeutic self-sensibilization co-delivering MMP-9 shRNA plasmid for a combined therapy to nasopharyngeal carcinoma

To obtain a high-efficiency drug and gene co-delivery system to HNE-1 tumor therapy, a polymeric prodrug (PAAs-MTX) with chemotherapeutic sensibilization was synthesized consisting of a GSH-response hyperbranched poly(amido amine) (PAAs) and an antitumor drug of methotrexate (MTX). Then, the targeting molecule to HNE-1 cells, transferrin (Tf), was conjugated to form the Tf-PAAs-MTX. This polymeric prodrug could deliver MMP-9 shRNA plasmid (pMMP-9) again to form the drug and gene co-delivery system of Tf-PAAs-MTX/pMMP-9. The co-delivery system showed the effective drug and gene delivery ability with high cytotoxicity and gene transfection efficiency to HNE-1 cells. Besides that, Tf-PAAs-MTX also showed the chemotherapeutic sensibilization effect, the formulation containing PAAs segments showed much higher cytotoxicity than that of free MTX. Benefiting from the sensibilization effect and MTX/pMMP-9 co-delivery strategy, this Tf-PAAs-MTX/pMMP-9 co-delivery system exhibited the significantly improved therapeutic efficacy to HNE-1 tumor in a combined manner which was confirmed by in vitro and in vivo assays. Moreover, its biocompatibility, especially the blood compatibility was analyzed. This polymeric prodrug provided an easily delivery system combining the drug/gene co-delivery, chemotherapeutic sensibilization and targeting into one single platform, which showed a promising application in nasopharyngeal carcinoma therapy.

Transferrin-targeting redox hyperbranched poly(amido amine)-functionalized graphene oxide for sensitized chemotherapy combined with gene therapy to nasopharyngeal carcinoma

A drug and gene co-delivery system with chemotherapeutic sensibilization was prepared and used for nasopharyngeal carcinoma therapy. For this purpose, the graphene oxide (GO) was conjugated with the redox hyperbranched poly(amido amine) (HPAA) and then the targeting molecule, transferrin (Tf), was also conjugated. The obtained Tf-HPAA-GO could co-deliver docetaxel (DOC) and MMP-9 shRNA plasmid (pMMP-9) effectively and showed the targeting effect to HNE-1 cells. The co-delivery system showed the effective drug and gene delivery ability with high cytotoxicity and gene transfection efficiency. Besides that, Tf-HPAA-GO/DOC also showed the chemotherapeutic sensibilization effect, the formulation containing HPAA segments showed much higher cytotoxicity than free DOC. Benefiting from the sensibilization effect and DOC/pMMP-9 co-delivery strategy, this Tf-HPAA-GO/DOC/pMMP-9 co-delivery system exhibited the significantly improved therapeutic efficacy to HNE-1 tumor in a combined manner which was confirmed by in vitro and in vivo assays. This strategy provided an easily delivery system combining the drug/gene co-delivery, chemotherapeutic sensibilization, and targeting into one single platform, which showed a promising application in cancer therapy.

Folate-Targeted pH and Redox Dual Stimulation-Responsive Nanocarrier for Codelivering of Docetaxel and TFPI-2 for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Therapy

Due to the increasing incidence of tumor metastasis and multidrug resistance, even though a combined use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is introduced, the 5-year average survival rate of an advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patient still remains low. Hence, targeted slow-release anticancer drugs represent a potential therapy for advanced NPC. In this study, pH and redox dual stimulation-responsive folate-targeted folic acid - β-cyclodextrin - hyperbranched poly(amido amine)s (FA-DS-PAAs) nanocarriers for codelivery of docetaxel (DOC) and tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI-2) for NPC therapy are discussed. Physical and chemical properties, in vitro DOC-release properties, folic acid (FA)-targeting, transfection, Western blotting, DOC and TFPI-2 codelivery, therapeutic properties, targeted inhibition, and biocompatibility, in vivo FA-targeting, toxicity, and therapeutic properties of FA-DS-PAAs/DOC/TFPI2 nanoparticles are evaluated. The results indicate that the 200 nm low-toxicity FA-DS-PAAs/DOC/TFPI2 nanoparticles could enhance TFPI2 gene expression, make cancer cells more sensitive to DOC, induce cell apoptosis, and reduce cell invasion more effectively compared with monochemotherapy. With respect to the targeted release of drugs (DOC and TFPI2) in tumor cells, FA-DS-PAAs/DOC/TFPI2 is associated with the slowest growth rate of tumor and the smallest volume of tumor, so this study demonstrates the best synergetic antitumor effect. We anticipate that this study is important because it not only provides a potential new therapy approach for NPC but also paves the preclinical way for potential application of FA-DS-PAAs/DOC/TFPI2.

Hierarchical bioresponsive nanocarriers for codelivery of curcumin and doxorubicin

Hierarchical responsive nanocarriers have received much attention for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics. In this study, we designed pH and redox dual-stage responsive nanocarriers in the different delivery stages for co-delivery phosphorylated curcumin (p-Cur) with doxorubicin (Dox). The MSNs nanocarriers were functionalized via specific cleavable PEGylation and hydrogel coating crosslinked by disulfide bonds: MSNs as core load Dox; p-Cur encapsulated in hydrogel coating. In blood circulation, PEGylation endow the nanocarriers with long time during blood circulation; while in tumor tissue, PEG shells could be cleaved due to the pH-sensitive bond and expose the cationic hydrogel coating to improve cell uptake; while inside tumor cells, hydrogel coating could be cleaved due to the GSH and release the drugs. The results showed that the dual-responsive shells endowed the nanocarriers with tumor extracellular pH-triggered cell uptake and specific cancer cell target release. The synergistic effects of the p-Cur and Dox enhanced cellular apoptosis in Hela cells.