Verteporfin-mediated on/off photoswitching functions synergistically to treat choroidal vascular diseases

Integrating mTOR Inhibition and Photodynamic Therapy Based on Carrier-Free Nanodrugs for Breast Cancer Immunotherapy

Conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT) in cancer treatment needs to utilize oxygen to produce reactive oxygen species to eliminate malignant tissues. However, oxygen consumption in tumor microenvironment exacerbates cancer cell hypoxia and may promote vasculature angiogenesis. Since the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a vital role in endothelial cell proliferation and fibrosis, mTOR inhibitor drugs hold the potential to reverse hypoxia-evoked angiogenesis for improved PDT effect. In this study, a carrier-free nanodrug formulation composed of Torin 1 as mTORC1/C2 dual inhibitor and Verteporfin as a photosensitizer and Yes-associated protein inhibitor is developed. These two drug molecules can self-assemble into stable nanoparticles through π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions with good long-term stability. The nanodrugs can prompt synergistic apoptosis, combinational anti-angiogenesis, and strong immunogenic cell death effects upon near-infrared light irradiation in vitro. Furthermore, the nanosystem also exhibits improved antitumor effect, anti-cancer immune response, and distant tumor inhibition through tumor microenvironment remodeling in vivo. In this way, the nanodrugs can reverse PDT-elicited angiogenesis and promote cancer immunotherapy to eliminate tumor tissues and prevent metastasis. This nanosystem provides insights into integrating mTOR inhibitors and photosensitizers for safe and effective breast cancer treatment in clinical settings.

Hyaluronic acid-modified and verteporfin-loaded polylactic acid nanogels promote scarless wound healing by accelerating wound re-epithelialization and controlling scar formation

Wound healing is a common occurrence. However, delayed healing and aberrant scarring result in pathological wound healing. Accordingly, a scarless wound healing remains a significant clinical challenge. In this study, we constructed hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified and verteporfin (VP)-loaded polylactic acid (PLA) nanogels (HA/VP-PLA) to promote scarless wound healing by accelerating wound re-epithelialization and controlling scar formation. Owing to the unique structure of HA incorporating and coating in VP-loaded PLA nanoparticles, HA/VP-PLA could be topically applied on wound to achieve targeted delivery to fibroblasts. Then, HA/VP-PLA released HA and lactic acid (LA) to stimulate the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts, as well as VP to inhibit Yes-associated protein (YAP) expression and nuclear localization to suppress fibrosis. In vitro (skin fibroblasts) and in vivo (rat and rabbit models) experiments strongly suggested that HA/VP-PLA promoted scarless wound healing by accelerating wound re-epithelialization and controlling scar formation. Therefore, our work provides a feasible strategy for scarless wound healing, and the sophisticated HA/VP-PLA exhibit a great potential for clinical applications.

Verteporfin attenuates trauma-induced heterotopic ossification of Achilles tendon by inhibiting osteogenesis and angiogenesis involving YAP/β-catenin signaling

Heterotopic ossification occurs as a pathological ossification condition characterized by ectopic bone formation within soft tissues following trauma. Vascularization has long been established to fuel skeletal ossification during tissue development and regeneration. However, the feasibility of vascularization as a target of heterotopic ossification prevention remained to be further clarified. Here, we aimed to identify whether verteporfin as a widely used FDA-approved anti-vascularization drug could effectively inhibit trauma-induced heterotopic ossification formation. In the current study, we found that verteporfin not only dose dependently inhibited the angiogenic activity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) but also the osteogenic differentiation of tendon stem cells (TDSCs). Moreover, YAP/β-catenin signaling axis was downregulated by the verteporfin. Application of lithium chloride, an agonist of β-catenin, recovered TDSCs osteogenesis and HUVECs angiogenesis that was inhibited by verteporfin. In vivo, verteporfin attenuated heterotopic ossification formation by decelerating osteogenesis and the vessels densely associated with osteoprogenitors formation, which could also be readily reversed by lithium chloride, as revealed by histological analysis and Micro-CT scan in a murine burn/tenotomy model. Collectively, this study confirmed the therapeutic effect of verteporfin on angiogenesis and osteogenesis in trauma-induced heterotopic ossification. Our study sheds light on the anti-vascularization strategy with verteporfin as a candidate treatment for heterotopic ossification prevention.

Nano-based eye drop: Topical and noninvasive therapy for ocular diseases

Eye drops are the most accessible therapy for ocular diseases, while inevitably suffering from their lower bioavailability which highly restricts the treatment efficacy. The introduction of nanotechnology has attracted considerable interest as it has advantages over conventional ones such as prolonged ocular surface retention time and enhanced ocular barrier penetrating properties, and achieving higher bioavailability and improved treatment efficacy. This review describes various ocular diseases treated with eye drops as well as the physiological and anatomical ocular barriers faced with through drug administration. It also summarizes the recent advances regarding the utilization of nanotechnology in developing eye drops, and how to optimize the nanocarrier-based ocular drug delivery systems. The prospective future research directions for nano-based eye drops are also discussed here.

Cerivastatin Synergizes with Trametinib and Enhances Its Efficacy in the Therapy of Uveal Melanoma

BACKGROUND

Metastatic uveal melanoma (MUM) is a highly aggressive, therapy-resistant disease. Driver mutations in Gα-proteins GNAQ and GNA11 activate MAP-kinase and YAP/TAZ pathways of oncogenic signalling. MAP-kinase and MEK-inhibitors do not significantly block MUM progression, likely due to persisting YAP/TAZ signalling. Statins inhibit YAP/TAZ activation by blocking the mevalonate pathway, geranyl-geranylation, and subcellular localisation of the Rho-GTPase. We investigated drugs that affect the YAP/TAZ pathway, valproic acid, verteporfin and statins, in combination with MEK-inhibitor trametinib.

METHODS

We established IC50 values of the individual drugs and monitored the effects of their combinations in terms of proliferation. We selected trametinib and cerivastatin for evaluation of cell cycle and apoptosis. Synergism was detected using isobologram and Chou-Talalay analyses. The most synergistic combination was tested in vivo.

RESULTS

Synergistic concentrations of trametinib and cerivastatin induced a massive arrest of proliferation and cell cycle and enhanced apoptosis, particularly in the monosomic, BAP1-mutated UPMM3 cell line. The combined treatment reduced ERK and AKT phosphorylation, increased the inactive, cytoplasmatic form of YAP and significantly impaired the growth of UM cells with monosomy of chromosome 3 in NSG mice.

CONCLUSION

Statins can potentiate the efficacy of MEK inhibitors in the therapy of UM.