Co-delivery of HIF1α siRNA and gemcitabine via biocompatible lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles for effective treatment of pancreatic cancer

Validation of ZIP4 as a tumour-associated antigen for nanotargeting

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains a highly aggressive and untreatable cancer. There is a need to develop a new PDAC-associated antigen-targeting drug delivery system to tackle this disease. We validated choosing ZIP4 as a putative target in PDAC theranostics. We developed a nanosystem composed of a fluorescent polystyrene core coated with gold nanoparticles onto which a ZIP4-specific polyclonal antibody is attached. The polystyrene core's fluorescence properties allow the nanosystem tracking by intravital imaging. We also developed two ZIP4-expressing cell lines by stably transfecting HEK293 and RWP1 cells with a ZIP4-coding plasmid that simultaneously provides cells with puromycin resistance. We studied the cell internalisation of the as-synthesised nanoparticles and demonstrated that ZIP4-expressing HEK293 and ZIP4-expressing RWP1 cells tended to take up more ZIP4-targeting nanoparticles. Moreover, we observed that ZIP4-targeting nanoparticles accumulated more in ZIP4-expressing HEK293 and RWP1 tumours when injected intravenously in a subcutaneous xenograft and an orthotopic in vivo model, respectively. Furthermore, the administration of these nanoparticles did not induce any significant systemic toxicity as determined by histological analysis of all organs. Altogether, these results provide the first evidence of the feasibility of using a ZIP4-targeting nanosystem further to design efficient therapeutic and diagnostic tools for PDAC.

Enhancing siRNA cancer therapy: Multifaceted strategies with lipid and polymer-based carrier systems

Cancers are increasing in prevalence and many challenges remain for their treatment, such as chemoresistance and toxicity. In this context, siRNA-based therapeutics have many potential advantages for cancer therapies as a result of their ability to reduce or prevent expression of specific cancer-related genes. However, the direct delivery of naked siRNA is hindered by issues like enzymatic degradation, insufficient cellular uptake, and poor pharmacokinetics. Hence, the discovery of a safe and efficient delivery vehicle is essential. This review explores various lipid and polymer-based delivery systems for siRNA in cancer treatment. Both polymers and lipids have garnered considerable attention as carriers for siRNA delivery. While all of these systems protect siRNA and enhance transfection efficacy, each exhibits its unique strengths. Lipid-based delivery systems, for instance, demonstrate high entrapment efficacy and utilize cost-effective materials. Conversely, polymeric-based delivery systems offer advantages through chemical modifications. Nonetheless, certain drawbacks still limit their usage. To address these limitations, combining different materials in formulations (lipid, polymer, or targeting agent) could enhance pharmaceutical properties, boost transfection efficacy, and reduce side effects. Furthermore, co-delivery of siRNA with other therapeutic agents presents a promising strategy to overcome cancer resistance. Lipid-based delivery systems have been demonstrated to encapsulate many therapeutic agents and with high efficiency, but most are limited in terms of the functionalities they display. In contrast, polymeric-based delivery systems can be chemically modified by a wide variety of routes to include multiple components, such as release or targeting elements, from the same materials backbone. Accordingly, by incorporating multiple materials such as lipids, polymers, and/or targeting agents in RNA formulations it is possible to improve the pharmaceutical properties and therapeutic efficacy while reducing side effects. This review focuses on strategies to improve siRNA cancer treatments and discusses future prospects in this important field.

Lipid nanoparticles for RNA delivery: Self-assembling vs driven-assembling strategies

Among non-viral vectors, lipid nanovectors are considered the gold standard for the delivery of RNA therapeutics. The success of lipid nanoparticles for RNA delivery, with three products approved for human use, has stimulated further investigation into RNA therapeutics for different pathologies. This requires decoding the pathological intracellular processes and tailoring the delivery system to the target tissue and cells. The complexity of the lipid nanovectors morphology originates from the assembling of the lipidic components, which can be elicited by various methods able to drive the formation of nanoparticles with the desired organization. In other cases, pre-formed nanoparticles can be mixed with RNA to induce self-assembly and structural reorganization into RNA-loaded nanoparticles. In this review, the most relevant lipid nanovectors and their potentialities for RNA delivery are described on the basis of the assembling mechanism and of the particle architecture.

Targeted Nanoparticle-Based Diagnostic and Treatment Options for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the deadliest cancers, presents significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment due to its aggressive, metastatic nature and lack of early detection methods. A key obstacle in PDAC treatment is the highly complex tumor environment characterized by dense stroma surrounding the tumor, which hinders effective drug delivery. Nanotechnology can offer innovative solutions to these challenges, particularly in creating novel drug delivery systems for existing anticancer drugs for PDAC, such as gemcitabine and paclitaxel. By using customization methods such as incorporating conjugated targeting ligands, tumor-penetrating peptides, and therapeutic nucleic acids, these nanoparticle-based systems enhance drug solubility, extend circulation time, improve tumor targeting, and control drug release, thereby minimizing side effects and toxicity in healthy tissues. Moreover, nanoparticles have also shown potential in precise diagnostic methods for PDAC. This literature review will delve into targeted mechanisms, pathways, and approaches in treating pancreatic cancer. Additional emphasis is placed on the study of nanoparticle-based delivery systems, with a brief mention of those in clinical trials. Overall, the overview illustrates the significant advances in nanomedicine, underscoring its role in transcending the constraints of conventional PDAC therapies and diagnostics.

Understanding Cancer's Defense against Topoisomerase-Active Drugs: A Comprehensive Review

In recent years, the emergence of cancer drug resistance has been one of the crucial tumor hallmarks that are supported by the level of genetic heterogeneity and complexities at cellular levels. Oxidative stress, immune evasion, metabolic reprogramming, overexpression of ABC transporters, and stemness are among the several key contributing molecular and cellular response mechanisms. Topo-active drugs, e.g., doxorubicin and topotecan, are clinically active and are utilized extensively against a wide variety of human tumors and often result in the development of resistance and failure to therapy. Thus, there is an urgent need for an incremental and comprehensive understanding of mechanisms of cancer drug resistance specifically in the context of topo-active drugs. This review delves into the intricate mechanistic aspects of these intracellular and extracellular topo-active drug resistance mechanisms and explores the use of potential combinatorial approaches by utilizing various topo-active drugs and inhibitors of pathways involved in drug resistance. We believe that this review will help guide basic scientists, pre-clinicians, clinicians, and policymakers toward holistic and interdisciplinary strategies that transcend resistance, renewing optimism in the ongoing battle against cancer.

An update on strategies for optimizing polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery: exploiting transformability and bioactivity of PLN and harnessing intracellular lipid transport mechanism

INTRODUCTION

Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle (PLN) is an emerging nanoplatform with distinct properties and functionalities from other nanocarrier systems. PLN can be optimized to overcome various levels of drug delivery barriers to achieve desired therapeutic outcomes via rational selection of polymer and lipid combinations based on a thorough understanding of their properties and interactions with therapeutic agents and biological systems.

AREAS COVERED

This review provides an overview of PLN including the motive and history of PLN development, types of PLN, preparation methods, attestations of their versatility, and design strategies to circumvent various barriers for increasing drug delivery accuracy and efficiency. It also highlights recent advances in PLN design including: rationale selection of polymer and lipid components to achieve spatiotemporal drug targeting and multi-targeted cascade drug delivery; utilizing the intracellular lipid transport mechanism for active targeting to desired organelles; and harnessing bioreactive lipids and polymers to magnify therapeutic effects.

EXPERT OPINION

A thorough understanding of properties of PLN components and their biofate is important for enhancing disease site targeting, deep tumor tissue penetration, cellular uptake, and intracellular trafficking of PLN. For futuristic PLN development, active lipid transport and dual functions of lipids and polymers as both nanocarrier material and pharmacological agents can be further explored.

CRISPR-Cas12a powered hybrid nanoparticle for extracellular vesicle aggregation and in-situ microRNA detection

Efficient extracellular vesicle (EV) enrichment and timely internal RNA detection for cancer diagnostics are highly desirable and remain a challenge. Here, we report a rapid EV aggregation induced in-situ microRNA detection technology based on cationic lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles encapsulating cascade system of catalytic hairpin assembly and CRISPR-Cas12a (CLHN-CCC), allowing for EV enrichment in three-dimensional space and in-situ detection of internal microRNAs in one step within 30 min. The enrichment efficiency (>90%) of CLHN-CCC is demonstrated in artificial EVs, cell-secreted EVs and serum EVs, which is 5-fold higher than that of traditional ultracentrifugation. The sensitive detection of artificial EVs and internal miR-1290 was achieved with the limit of detection of 10 particles/μL and 0.07 amol, respectively. After lyophilization, CLHN-CCC shows no obvious loss of performance within 6 months, making it much more robust and user friendly. This technique could sensitively (sensitivity = 92.9%) and selectively (selectivity = 85.7%) identify low amount miR-1290 in serum EVs, distinguishing early-stage pancreatic cancer patients from healthy subjects, showing high potential for clinical applications.

Targeting Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) in Cancer: Emerging Therapeutic Strategies and Pathway Regulation

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a key regulator for balancing oxygen in the cells. It is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of target genes involved in oxygen homeostasis in response to hypoxia. Recently, research has demonstrated the multiple roles of HIF-1 in the pathophysiology of various diseases, including cancer. It is a crucial mediator of the hypoxic response and regulator of oxygen metabolism, thus contributing to tumor development and progression. Studies showed that the expression of the HIF-1α subunit is significantly upregulated in cancer cells and promotes tumor survival by multiple mechanisms. In addition, HIF-1 has potential contributing roles in cancer progression, including cell division, survival, proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Moreover, HIF-1 has a role in regulating cellular metabolic pathways, particularly the anaerobic metabolism of glucose. Given its significant and potential roles in cancer development and progression, it has been an intriguing therapeutic target for cancer research. Several compounds targeting HIF-1-associated processes are now being used to treat different types of cancer. This review outlines emerging therapeutic strategies that target HIF-1 as well as the relevance and regulation of the HIF-1 pathways in cancer. Moreover, it addresses the employment of nanotechnology in developing these promising strategies.

Recent advances in drug delivery and targeting for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

Despite significant treatment efforts, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the deadliest solid tumor, is still incurable in the preclinical stages due to multifacet stroma, dense desmoplasia, and immune regression. Additionally, tumor heterogeneity and metabolic changes are linked to low grade clinical translational outcomes, which has prompted the investigation of the mechanisms underlying chemoresistance and the creation of effective treatment approaches by selectively targeting genetic pathways. Since targeting upstream molecules in first-line oncogenic signaling pathways typically has little clinical impact, downstream signaling pathways have instead been targeted in both preclinical and clinical studies. In this review, we discuss how the complexity of various tumor microenvironment (TME) components and the oncogenic signaling pathways that they are connected to actively contribute to the development and spread of PDAC, as well as the ways that recent therapeutic approaches have been targeted to restore it. We also illustrate how many endogenous stimuli-responsive linker-based nanocarriers have recently been developed for the specific targeting of distinct oncogenes and their downstream signaling cascades as well as their ongoing clinical trials. We also discuss the present challenges, prospects, and difficulties in the development of first-line oncogene-targeting medicines for the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients.

Targeted delivery of genistein for pancreatic cancer treatment using hyaluronic-coated cubosomes bioactivated with frankincense oil

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy that remains a major cause of cancer-related deaths. Research for innovative anticancer therapeutic options is thus imperative. In this regard, phytotherapeutics offer great promise as efficient treatment modalities, especially leveraging nanodrug delivery. Herein, we innovatively coloaded the flavonoid genistein (Gen) and frankincense essential oil (FO) within cubosomes, which were then coated with the bioactive ligand hyaluronic acid (HA/Gen-FO-Cub) for active-targeting of pancreatic cancer. The novel HA/Gen-FO-Cub displayed optimum nanosize (198.2 ± 4.5 nm), PDI (0.27 ± 0.01), zeta-potential (-34.7 ± 1.2 mV), Gen entrapment (99.3 ± 0.01 %), and controlled Gen release (43.7 ± 1.2 % after 120 h). HA/Gen-FO-Cub exerted selective anticancer activity on pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1; 8-fold drop in IC50), cellular uptake and anti-migratory effect compared to Gen solution. HA/Gen-FO-Cub revealed prominent cytocompatibility (100 ± 5.9 % viability of human dermal fibroblast). Moreover, HA/Gen-FO-Cub boosted the in vivo anticancer activity of Gen in an orthotopic cancer model, affording tumor growth suppression (2.5-fold drop) and downregulation of NFκB and VEGF (2.9- and 1.8-fold decrease, respectively), compared to Gen suspension. Antimetastatic efficacy and Bcl-2-downexpression was histologically confirmed. Our findings demonstrate the promising anticancer aptitude of HA/Gen-FO-Cub as an effective phytotherapeutic nanodelivery system for pancreatic cancer therapy.

Acquired and intrinsic gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer therapy: Environmental factors, molecular profile and drug/nanotherapeutic approaches

A high number of cancer patients around the world rely on gemcitabine (GEM) for chemotherapy. During local metastasis of cancers, surgery is beneficial for therapy, but dissemination in distant organs leads to using chemotherapy alone or in combination with surgery to prevent cancer recurrence. Therapy failure can be observed as a result of GEM resistance, threatening life of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. The mortality and morbidity of PC in contrast to other tumors are increasing. GEM chemotherapy is widely utilized for PC suppression, but resistance has encountered its therapeutic impacts. The purpose of current review is to bring a broad concept about role of biological mechanisms and pathways in the development of GEM resistance in PC and then, therapeutic strategies based on using drugs or nanostructures for overcoming chemoresistance. Dysregulation of the epigenetic factors especially non-coding RNA transcripts can cause development of GEM resistance in PC and miRNA transfection or using genetic tools such as siRNA for modulating expression level of these factors for changing GEM resistance are suggested. The overexpression of anti-apoptotic proteins and survival genes can contribute to GEM resistance in PC. Moreover, supportive autophagy inhibits apoptosis and stimulates GEM resistance in PC cells. Increase in metabolism, glycolysis induction and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) stimulation are considered as other factors participating in GEM resistance in PC. Drugs can suppress tumorigenesis in PC and inhibit survival factors and pathways in increasing GEM sensitivity in PC. More importantly, nanoparticles can increase pharmacokinetic profile of GEM and promote its blood circulation and accumulation in cancer site. Nanoparticles mediate delivery of GEM with genes and drugs to suppress tumorigenesis in PC and increase drug sensitivity. The basic research displays significant connection among dysregulated pathways and GEM resistance, but the lack of clinical application is a drawback that can be responded in future.

Promoting Intratumoral Drug Accumulation by Bio-Membrane Regulated Active Targeting for Tumor Photothermal Therapy

Introduction

Insufficient tumor permeability and inadequate nanoparticle retention continue to be significant limitations in the efficacy of anti-tumor drug therapy. Numerous studies have focused on enhancing tumor perfusion by improvement of tumor-induced endothelial leakage, often known as the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. However, these approaches have produced suboptimal therapeutic outcomes and have been associated with significant side effects. Therefore, in this study, we prepared tumor cell membrane-coated gold nanorods (GNR@TM) to enhance drug delivery in tumors through homogeneous targeting of tumor cell membranes and in situ real-time photo-controlled therapy.

Methods

Here, we fabricated GNR@TM, and characterized it using various techniques including Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer, particle size analysis, potential measurement, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of GNR@TM were analyzed by flow cytometry, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), TEM, CCK8 assay and live/dead staining. Tissue drug distribution was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and immunofluorescence staining. Furthermore, to evaluate the therapeutic effect, mice bearing MB49 tumors were intravenously administered with GNR@TM. Subsequently, near-infrared (NIR) laser therapy was performed, and the mice's tumor growth and body weight were monitored.

Results

The tumor cell membrane coating endowed GNR@TM with extended circulation time in vivo and homotypic targeting to tumor, thereby enhancing the accumulation of GNR@TM within tumors. Upon 780 nm laser, GNR@TM exhibited excellent photothermal conversion capability, leading to increased tumor vascular leakage. This magnification of the EPR effect induced by NIR laser further increased the accumulation of GNR@TM at the tumor site, demonstrating strong antitumor effects in vivo.

Conclusion

In this study, we successfully developed a NIR-triggered nanomedicine that increased drug accumulation in tumor through photo-controlled therapy and homotypic targeting of the tumor cell membrane. GNR@TM has been demonstrated effective suppression of tumor growth, excellent biocompatibility, and significant potential for clinical applications.

Development of glycan-targeted nanoparticles as a novel therapeutic opportunity for gastric cancer treatment

Chemotherapy resistance remains a major cause of therapeutic failure in gastric cancer. The combination of genetic material such as interference RNAs (iRNAs) to silence cancer-associated genes with chemotherapeutics has become a novel approach for cancer treatment. However, finding the right target genes and developing non-toxic, highly selective nanocarrier systems remains a challenge. Here we developed a novel sialyl-Tn-targeted polylactic acid—didodecyldimethylammonium bromide nanoparticle (PLA-DDAB) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with dsRNA targeting ST6GalNac-I and/or galectin-3 genes. Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), we have demonstrated that 99mtechnetium radiolabeled sialyl-Tn-targeted nanoparticles can reach the tumor site and downregulate ST6GalNAc-I and galectin-3 RNA expression levels when injected intravenously. Furthermore, using an in vivo gastric tumor model, these nanoparticles increased the effectiveness of 5-FU in reducing tumor growth. Our findings indicate that cancer-associated glycan-targeted NPs loaded with dsRNA targeting ST6GalNAc-I and/or galectin-3 in combination with standard chemotherapy, have the potential to become a novel therapeutic tool for gastric cancer.

Lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles: a custom-tailored next-generation approach for cancer therapeutics

Lipid-based polymeric nanoparticles are the highly popular carrier systems for cancer drug therapy. But presently, detailed investigations have revealed their flaws as drug delivery carriers. Lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPHNPs) are advanced core-shell nanoconstructs with a polymeric core region enclosed by a lipidic layer, presumed to be derived from both liposomes and polymeric nanounits. This unique concept is of utmost importance as a combinable drug delivery platform in oncology due to its dual structured character. To add advantage and restrict one's limitation by other, LPHNPs have been designed so to gain number of advantages such as stability, high loading of cargo, increased biocompatibility, rate-limiting controlled release, and elevated drug half-lives as well as therapeutic effectiveness while minimizing their drawbacks. The outer shell, in particular, can be functionalized in a variety of ways with stimuli-responsive moieties and ligands to provide intelligent holding and for active targeting of antineoplastic medicines, transport of genes, and theragnostic. This review comprehensively provides insight into recent substantial advancements in developing strategies for treating various cancer using LPHNPs. The bioactivity assessment factors have also been highlighted with a discussion of LPHNPs future clinical prospects.

Biogenetic Vesicle-Based Cancer Vaccines with Tunable Surface Potential and Immune Potency

Cancer vaccines are designed to motivate antigen-specific immune responses and facilitate tumor regression with minimal side effects. To fully exert the potential of vaccines, rationally designed formulations that effectively deliver antigens and trigger potent immune reactions are urgently needed. This study demonstrates a simple and controllable vaccine-developing strategy that assembles tumor antigens into bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), natural delivery vehicles with intrinsic immune adjuvant properties, via electrostatic interaction. This OMV-delivered vaccine (OMVax) stimulated both innate and adaptive immune responses, leading to enhanced metastasis inhibition and prolonged survival of tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, the influence of different surface charged OMVax on antitumor immunity activation is investigated and declined immune response activation occurred with increased positive surface charge. Together, these findings suggest a simple vaccine formulation that can be enhanced by optimizing the surface charges of vaccine formulations.

Therapeutic potential of gene therapy for gastrointestinal diseases: Advancements and future perspectives

Advancements in understanding the pathogenesis mechanisms underlying gastrointestinal diseases, encompassing inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal cancer, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, have led to the identification of numerous novel therapeutic targets. These discoveries have opened up exciting possibilities for developing gene therapy strategies to treat gastrointestinal diseases. These strategies include gene replacement, gene enhancement, gene overexpression, gene function blocking, and transgenic somatic cell transplantation. In this review, we introduce the important gene therapy targets and targeted delivery systems within the field of gastroenterology. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive overview of recent progress in gene therapy related to gastrointestinal disorders and shed light on the application of innovative gene-editing technologies in treating these conditions. These developments are fueling a revolution in the management of gastrointestinal diseases. Ultimately, we discuss the current challenges (particularly regarding safety, oral efficacy, and cost) and explore potential future directions for implementing gene therapy in the clinical settings for gastrointestinal diseases.

Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment by Nano-Based Drug Delivery Systems

Pancreatic cancer represents one of the most lethal cancer types worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Due to the inability to diagnose it promptly and the lack of efficacy of existing treatments, research and development of innovative therapies and new diagnostics are crucial to increase the survival rate and decrease mortality. Nanomedicine has been gaining importance as an innovative approach for drug delivery and diagnosis, opening new horizons through the implementation of smart nanocarrier systems, which can deliver drugs to the specific tissue or organ at an optimal concentration, enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing systemic toxicity. Varied materials such as lipids, polymers, and inorganic materials have been used to obtain nanoparticles and develop innovative drug delivery systems for pancreatic cancer treatment. In this review, it is discussed the main scientific advances in pancreatic cancer treatment by nano-based drug delivery systems. The advantages and disadvantages of such delivery systems in pancreatic cancer treatment are also addressed. More importantly, the different types of nanocarriers and therapeutic strategies developed so far are scrutinized.

Nanodelivery systems: An efficient and target-specific approach for drug-resistant cancers

BACKGROUND

Cancer treatment is still a global health challenge. Nowadays, chemotherapy is widely applied for treating cancer and reducing its burden. However, its application might be in accordance with various adverse effects by exposing the healthy tissues and multidrug resistance (MDR), leading to disease relapse or metastasis. In addition, due to tumor heterogeneity and the varied pharmacokinetic features of prescribed drugs, combination therapy has only shown modestly improved results in MDR malignancies. Nanotechnology has been explored as a potential tool for cancer treatment, due to the efficiency of nanoparticles to function as a vehicle for drug delivery.

METHODS

With this viewpoint, functionalized nanosystems have been investigated as a potential strategy to overcome drug resistance.

RESULTS

This approach aims to improve the efficacy of anticancer medicines while decreasing their associated side effects through a range of mechanisms, such as bypassing drug efflux, controlling drug release, and disrupting metabolism. This review discusses the MDR mechanisms contributing to therapeutic failure, the most cutting-edge approaches used in nanomedicine to create and assess nanocarriers, and designed nanomedicine to counteract MDR with emphasis on recent developments, their potential, and limitations.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies have shown that nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery confers distinct benefits over traditional pharmaceuticals, including improved biocompatibility, stability, permeability, retention effect, and targeting capabilities.

Lipid-based nanoparticles as drug delivery systems for cancer immunotherapy

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown remarkable success in cancer treatment. However, in cancer patients without sufficient antitumor immunity, numerous data indicate that blocking the negative signals elicited by immune checkpoints is ineffective. Drugs that stimulate immune activation-related pathways are emerging as another route for improving immunotherapy. In addition, the development of nanotechnology presents a promising platform for tissue and cell type-specific delivery and improved uptake of immunomodulatory agents, ultimately leading to enhanced cancer immunotherapy and reduced side effects. In this review, we summarize and discuss the latest developments in nanoparticles (NPs) for cancer immuno-oncology therapy with a focus on lipid-based NPs (lipid-NPs), including the characteristics and advantages of various types. Using the agonists targeting stimulation of the interferon genes (STING) transmembrane protein as an exemplar, we review the potential of various lipid-NPs to augment STING agonist therapy. Furthermore, we present recent findings and underlying mechanisms on how STING pathway activation fosters antitumor immunity and regulates the tumor microenvironment and provide a summary of the distinct STING agonists in preclinical studies and clinical trials. Ultimately, we conduct a critical assessment of the obstacles and future directions in the utilization of lipid-NPs to enhance cancer immunotherapy.

Emergence of Small Interfering RNA-Based Gene Drugs for Various Diseases

Small molecule, peptide, and protein-based drugs have been developed over decades to treat various diseases. The importance of gene therapy as an alternative to traditional drugs has increased after the discovery of gene-based drugs such as Gendicine for cancer and Neovasculgen for peripheral artery disease. Since then, the pharma sector is focusing on developing gene-based drugs for various diseases. After the discovery of the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism, the development of siRNA-based gene therapy has been accelerated immensely. siRNA-based treatment for hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR) using Onpattro and acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) by Givlaari and three more FDA-approved siRNA drugs has set up a milestone and further improved the confidence for the development of gene therapeutics for a spectrum of diseases. siRNA-based gene drugs have more advantages over other gene therapies and are under study to treat different types of diseases such as viral infections, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and many more. However, there are a few bottlenecks to realizing the full potential of siRNA-based gene therapy. They include chemical instability, nontargeted biodistribution, undesirable innate immune responses, and off-target effects. This review provides a comprehensive view of siRNA-based gene drugs: challenges associated with siRNA delivery, their potential, and future prospects.

Recent Advances in Well-Designed Therapeutic Nanosystems for the Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Treatment Dilemma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly malignant tumor with an extremely poor prognosis and low survival rate. Due to its inconspicuous symptoms, PDAC is difficult to diagnose early. Most patients are diagnosed in the middle and late stages, losing the opportunity for surgery. Chemotherapy is the main treatment in clinical practice and improves the survival of patients to some extent. However, the improved prognosis is associated with higher side effects, and the overall prognosis is far from satisfactory. In addition to resistance to chemotherapy, PDAC is significantly resistant to targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The failure of multiple treatment modalities indicates great dilemmas in treating PDAC, including high molecular heterogeneity, high drug resistance, an immunosuppressive microenvironment, and a dense matrix. Nanomedicine shows great potential to overcome the therapeutic barriers of PDAC. Through the careful design and rational modification of nanomaterials, multifunctional intelligent nanosystems can be obtained. These nanosystems can adapt to the environment's needs and compensate for conventional treatments' shortcomings. This review is focused on recent advances in the use of well-designed nanosystems in different therapeutic modalities to overcome the PDAC treatment dilemma, including a variety of novel therapeutic modalities. Finally, these nanosystems' bottlenecks in treating PDAC and the prospect of future clinical translation are briefly discussed.

Liposome-based diagnostic and therapeutic applications for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the harshest and most challenging cancers to treat, often labeled as incurable. Chemotherapy continues to be the most popular treatment yet yields a very poor prognosis. The main barriers such as inefficient drug penetration and drug resistance, have led to the development of drug carrier systems. The benefits, ease of fabrication and modification of liposomes render them as ideal future drug delivery systems. This review delves into the versatility of liposomes to achieve various mechanisms of treatment for pancreatic cancer. Not only are there benefits of loading chemotherapy drugs and targeting agents onto liposomes, as well as mRNA combined therapy, but liposomes have also been exploited for immunotherapy and can be programmed to respond to photothermal therapy. Multifunctional liposomal formulations have demonstrated significant pre-clinical success. Functionalising drug-encapsulated liposomes has resulted in triggered drug release, specific targeting, and remodeling of the tumor environment. Suppressing tumor progression has been achieved, due to their ability to more efficiently and precisely deliver chemotherapy. Currently, no multifunctional surface-modified liposomes are clinically approved for pancreatic cancer thus we aim to shed light on the trials and tribulations and progress so far, with the hope for liposomal therapy in the future and improved patient outcomes. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Considering that conventional treatments for pancreatic cancer are highly associated with sub-optimal performance and systemic toxicity, the development of novel therapeutic strategies holds outmost relevance for pancreatic cancer management. Liposomes are being increasingly considered as promising nanocarriers for providing not only an early diagnosis but also effective, highly specific, and safer treatment, improving overall patient outcome. This manuscript is the first in the last 10 years that revises the advances in the application of liposome-based formulations in bioimaging, chemotherapy, phototherapy, immunotherapy, combination therapies, and emergent therapies for pancreatic cancer management. Prospective insights are provided regarding several advantages resulting from the use of liposome technology in precision strategies, fostering new ideas for next-generation diagnosis and targeted therapies of pancreatic cancer.

Unravelling the enigma of siRNA and aptamer mediated therapies against pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a fatal disease that has a poor 5-year survival rate. The poor prognosis can be attributed to both troublesome detections at the initial stage, which makes the majority of the treatment options largely unsuccessful and leads to extensive metastasis, as well as to its distinct pathophysiological characteristics, such as rich desmoplastic tumours bounded by dysplastic and hypo perfused vessels restricting the mobility of therapeutic agents. Continued attempts have been made to utilise innovative measures for battling PC to increase the therapeutic effectiveness of therapies and overcome their cytotoxicity. Combined cancer targeting and gene silencing approach has shown improved outcomes in patients' survival rates and quality of life, offering a potential solution to therapeutic complications. It particularly targets various barriers to alleviate delivery problems and diminish tumour recurrence and metastasis. While aptamers, a type of single-stranded nucleic acids with strong binding affinity and specificity to target molecules, have recently surfaced as a viable PC strategy, siRNA can interfere with the expression of certain genes. By concurrently suppressing genes and boosting targeted approach, the cocktail of siRNA/Aptamer and other therapeutic drugs can circumvent the multi-drug resistance phenomena. Additionally, combination therapy with additive or synergistic effects can considerably increase the therapeutic efficacy of anti-cancer medications. This study outlines the primary difficulties in treating PC, along with recent developments in siRNA/Aptamer mediated drug delivery to solve the major hiccup of oncology field.

Focused ultrasound-mediated small-molecule delivery to potentiate immune checkpoint blockade in solid tumors

In the last decade, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has revolutionized the standard of treatment for solid tumors. Despite success in several immunogenic tumor types evidenced by improved survival, ICB remains largely unresponsive, especially in "cold tumors" with poor lymphocyte infiltration. In addition, side effects such as immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are also obstacles for the clinical translation of ICB. Recent studies have shown that focused ultrasound (FUS), a non-invasive technology proven to be effective and safe for tumor treatment in clinical settings, could boost the therapeutic effect of ICB while alleviating the potential side effects. Most importantly, the application of FUS to ultrasound-sensitive small particles, such as microbubbles (MBs) or nanoparticles (NPs), allows for precise delivery and release of genetic materials, catalysts and chemotherapeutic agents to tumor sites, thus enhancing the anti-tumor effects of ICB while minimizing toxicity. In this review, we provide an updated overview of the progress made in recent years concerning ICB therapy assisted by FUS-controlled small-molecule delivery systems. We highlight the value of different FUS-augmented small-molecules delivery systems to ICB and describe the synergetic effects and underlying mechanisms of these combination strategies. Furthermore, we discuss the limitations of the current strategies and the possible ways that FUS-mediated small-molecule delivery systems could boost novel personalized ICB treatments for solid tumors.

Nanoparticles design considerations to co-deliver nucleic acids and anti-cancer drugs for chemoresistance reversal

Chemoresistance and hence the consequent treatment failure is considerably challenging in clinical cancer therapeutics. The understanding of the genetic variations in chemoresistance acquisition encouraged the use of gene modulatory approaches to restore anti-cancer drug efficacy. Many smart nanoparticles are designed and optimized to mediate combinational therapy between nucleic acid and anti-cancer drugs. This review aims to define a rational design of such co-loaded nanocarriers with the aim of chemoresistance reversal at various cellular levels to improve the therapeutic outcome of anticancer treatment. Going through the principles of therapeutics loading, physicochemical characteristics tuning, and different nanocarrier modifications, also looking at combination effectiveness on chemosensitivity restoration. Up to now, these emerging nanocarriers are in development status but are expected to introduce outstanding outcomes.

Injectable Immunotherapeutic Hydrogel Containing RNA-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles Reshapes Tumor Microenvironment for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

Pancreatic cancer immunotherapy is becoming a promising strategy for improving the survival rate of postsurgical patients. However, the low response rate to immunotherapy suggests a low number of antigen-specific T cells and a high number of immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment. Herein, we developed an in situ injectable thermosensitive chitosan hydrogel loaded with lipid-immune regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) mRNA/C-C chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) siRNA (LPR) nanoparticle complexes (LPR@CHG) that reprogram the antitumoral immune niche. The LPR@CHG hydrogel upregulates IRF5 and downregulates CCL5 secretion, which contribute to a significant increase in M1 phenotype macrophages. Tumor growth is controlled by effective M1 phenotype macrophage that initiate T cell-mediated immune responses. Overall, the LPR@CHG hydrogel is expected to be a meaningful immunotherapy platform that can reshape the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and improve the efficacy of current pancreatic immunotherapies while minimizing systemic toxicity.

Melatonin loaded hybrid nanomedicine: DoE approach, optimization and in vitro study on diabetic retinopathy model

Melatonin (MEL) is a pleiotropic neurohormone of increasing interest as a neuroprotective agent in ocular diseases. Improving the mucoadhesiveness is a proposed strategy to increase the bioavailability of topical formulations. Herein, the design and optimization of MEL-loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (mel-LPHNs) using Design of Experiment (DoE) was performed. LPHNs consisted of PLGA-PEG polymer nanoparticles coated with a cationic lipid-shell. The optimized nanomedicine showed suitable size for ophthalmic administration (189.4 nm; PDI 0.260) with a positive surface charge (+39.8 mV), high encapsulation efficiency (79.8 %), suitable pH and osmolarity values, good mucoadhesive properties and a controlled release profile. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy confirmed the encapsulation of melatonin in the systems and the interaction between lipids and polymer matrix. Biological evaluation in an in vitro model of diabetic retinopathy demonstrated enhanced neuroprotective and antioxidant activities of mel-LPHNs, compared to melatonin aqueous solution at the same concentration (0.1 and 1 μM). A modified Draize test was performed to assess the ocular tolerability of the formulation showing no signs of irritation. To the best our knowledge, this study reported for the first time the development of mel-LPHNs, a novel and safe hybrid platform suitable for the topical management of retinal diseases.

A Perspective on EGFR and Proteasome-based Targeted Therapy for Cancer

BACKGROUND

Cancer is known to be the most leading cause of death worldwide. It is understood that the sources causing cancer mainly include the activity of endogenous oncogenes, nonviral compounds and the fundamental portion of these oncogenes; the tyrosine kinase activity and proteasome activity are the main biomarkers responsible for cell proliferation. These biomarkers can be used as main targets and are believed to be the 'prime switches' for the signal communication activity to regulate cell death and cell cycle. Thus, signal transduction inhibitors (ligandreceptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors) and proteasome inhibitors can be used as a therapeutic modality to block the action of signaling between the cells as well as protein breakdown in order to induce cell apoptosis.

AIMS

This article highlights the key points and provides an overview of the recent patents on EGFR and proteosome-based inhibitors having therapeutic efficacy. This review focuses on the patents related to therapeutic agents, their preparation process and the final outcome.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this study is to facilitate the advancement and current perspectives in the treatment of cancer.

CONCLUSION

There are numerous strategies discussed in these patents to improve the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of EGFR and proteasome inhibitors. Further, the resistance to targeted therapy after long-term treatment can be overcome by using various excipients that can be used as a strategy to carry the drug. However, there is a need and scope for improving targeted therapeutics for cancer treatment with better fundamentals and characteristics. The widespread research on cancer therapy can create the path for future advancements in therapy with more prominent outcomes.

A spotlight on alkaloid nanoformulations for the treatment of lung cancer

Numerous naturally available phytochemicals have potential anti-cancer activities due to their vast structural diversity. Alkaloids have been extensively used in cancer treatment, especially lung cancers, among the plant-based compounds. However, their utilization is limited by their poor solubility, low bioavailability, and inadequacies such as lack of specificity to cancer cells and indiscriminate distribution in the tissues. Incorporating the alkaloids into nanoformulations can overcome the said limitations paving the way for effective delivery of the alkaloids to the site of action in sufficient concentrations, which is crucial in tumor targeting. Our review attempts to assess whether alkaloid nanoformulation can be an effective tool in lung cancer therapy. The mechanism of action of each alkaloid having potential is explored in great detail in the review. In general, Alkaloids suppress oncogenesis by modulating several signaling pathways involved in multiplication, cell cycle, and metastasis, making them significant component of many clinical anti-cancerous agents. The review also explores the future prospects of alkaloid nanoformulation in lung cancer. So, in conclusion, alkaloid based nanoformulation will emerge as a potential gamechanger in treating lung cancer in the near future.

Engineering nanosystems to overcome barriers to cancer diagnosis and treatment

Over the past two decades, multidisciplinary investigations into the development of nanoparticles for medical applications have continually increased. However, nanoparticles are still subject to biological barriers and biodistribution challenges, which limit their overall clinical potential. This has motivated the implementation of innovational modifications to a range of nanoparticle formulations designed for cancer imaging and/or cancer treatment to overcome specific barriers and shift the accumulation of payloads toward the diseased tissues. In recent years, novel technological and chemical approaches have been employed to modify or functionalize the surface of nanoparticles or manipulate the characteristics of nanoparticles. Combining these approaches with the identification of critical biomarkers provides new strategies for enhancing nanoparticle specificity for both cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applications. This review discusses the most recent advances in the design and engineering of nanoparticles as well as future directions for developing the next generation of nanomedicines.

Emerging nanotechnology-based therapeutics to combat multidrug-resistant cancer

Cancer often develops multidrug resistance (MDR) when cancer cells become resistant to numerous structurally and functionally different chemotherapeutic agents. MDR is considered one of the principal reasons for the failure of many forms of clinical chemotherapy. Several factors are involved in the development of MDR including increased expression of efflux transporters, the tumor microenvironment, changes in molecular targets and the activity of cancer stem cells. Recently, researchers have designed and developed a number of small molecule inhibitors and derivatives of natural compounds to overcome various mechanisms of clinical MDR. Unfortunately, most of the chemosensitizing approaches have failed in clinical trials due to non-specific interactions and adverse side effects at pharmacologically effective concentrations. Nanomedicine approaches provide an efficient drug delivery platform to overcome the limitations of conventional chemotherapy and improve therapeutic effectiveness. Multifunctional nanomaterials have been found to facilitate drug delivery by improving bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs to overcome MDR. In this review article, we discuss the major factors contributing to MDR and the limitations of existing chemotherapy- and nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems to overcome clinical MDR mechanisms. We critically review recent nanotechnology-based approaches to combat tumor heterogeneity, drug efflux mechanisms, DNA repair and apoptotic machineries to overcome clinical MDR. Recent successful therapies of this nature include liposomal nanoformulations, cRGDY-PEG-Cy5.5-Carbon dots and Cds/ZnS core–shell quantum dots that have been employed for the effective treatment of various cancer sub-types including small cell lung, head and neck and breast cancers.

The Proteoglycan Glypican-1 as a Possible Candidate for Innovative Targeted Therapeutic Strategies for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for 90% of all pancreatic cancers, with a 5-year survival rate of 7% and 80% of patients diagnosed with advanced or metastatic malignancies. Despite recent advances in diagnostic testing, surgical techniques, and systemic therapies, there remain limited options for the effective treatment of PDAC. There is an urgent need to develop targeted therapies that are able to differentiate between cancerous and non-cancerous cells to reduce side effects and better inhibit tumor growth. Antibody-targeted strategies are a potentially effective option for introducing innovative therapies. Antibody-based immunotherapies and antibody-conjugated nanoparticle-based targeted therapies with antibodies targeting specific tumor-associated antigens (TAA) can be proposed. In this context, glypican-1 (GPC1), which is highly expressed in PDAC and not expressed or expressed at very low levels in non-malignant lesions and healthy pancreatic tissues, is a useful TAA that can be achieved by a specific antibody-based immunotherapy and antibody-conjugated nanoparticle-based targeted therapy. In this review, we describe the main clinical features of PDAC. We propose the proteoglycan GPC1 as a useful TAA for PDAC-targeted therapies. We also provide a digression on the main developed approaches of antibody-based immunotherapy and antibody-conjugated nanoparticle-based targeted therapy, which can be used to target GPC1.

Spheroplexes: Hybrid PLGA-cationic lipid nanoparticles, for in vitro and oral delivery of siRNA

Vectorized small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are widely used to induce gene silencing. Among the delivery systems used, lipid-based particles are the most effective. Our objective was the development of novel lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles, from lipoplexes (complexes of cationic lipid and siRNAs), and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), using a simple modified nanoprecipitation method. Due to their morphology, we called these hybrid nanoparticles Spheroplexes. We elucidated their structure using several physico-chemical techniques and showed that they are composed of a hydrophobic PLGA matrix, surrounded by a lipid envelope adopting a lamellar structure, in which the siRNA is complexed, and they retain surface characteristics identical to the starting nanoparticles, i.e. lipoplexes siRNA. We analyzed the composition of the particle population and determined the final percentage of spheroplexes within this population, 80 to 85% depending on the preparation conditions, using fluorescent markers and the ability of flow cytometry to detect nanometric particles (approximately 200 nm). Finally, we showed that spheroplexes are very stable particles and more efficient than siRNA lipoplexes for the delivery of siRNA to cultured cells. We administered spheroplexes contain siRNAs targeting TNF-α to mice with ulcerative colitis induced by dextran sulfate and our results indicate a disease regression effect with a response probably mediated by their uptake by macrophages / monocytes at the level of lamina propria of the colon. The efficacy of decreased level of TNF-α in vivo seemed to be an association of spheroplexes polymer-lipid composition and the specific siRNA. These results demonstrate that spheroplexes are a promising hybrid nanoparticle for the oral delivery of siRNA to the colon.

Smart active-targeting of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles for therapeutic applications: Recent advances and challenges

The advances in producing multifunctional lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPHNs) by combining the biomimetic behavior of liposomes and architectural advantages of polymers have provided great opportunities for selective and efficient therapeutics delivery. The constructed LPHNs exhibit different therapeutic efficacies for special uses based on characteristics of different excipients. However, the high mechanical/structural stability of hybrid nano-systems could be viewed as both a negative property and a positive feature, where the concomitant release of drug molecules in a controllable manner is required. In addition, difficulties in scaling up the LPHNs production, due to involvement of several criteria, limit their application for biomedical fields, especially in monitoring, bioimaging, and drug delivery. To address these challenges bio-modifications have exhibited enormous potential to prepare reproducible LPHNs for site-specific therapeutics delivery, diagnostic and preventative applications. The ever-growing surface bio-functionality has provided continuous vitality to this biotechnology and has also posed desirable biosafety to nanoparticles (NPs). As a proof-of-concept, this manuscript provides a crucial review of coated lipid and polymer NPs displaying excellent surface functionality and architectural advantages. We also provide a description of structural classifications and production methodologies, as well as the biomedical possibilities and translational obstacles in the development of surface modified nanocarrier technology.

Nanodelivery Systems Delivering Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 Alpha Short Interfering RNA and Antisense Oligonucleotide for Cancer Treatment

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), which plays a crucial role in oxygen homeostasis, contributes to immunosuppression, tumor angiogenesis, multidrug resistance, photodynamic therapy resistance, and metastasis. HIF as a therapeutic target has attracted scientists’ strong academic research interests. Short interfering RNA (siRNA) and antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) are the more promising and broadly utilized methods for oligonucleotide-based therapy. Their physicochemical characteristics such as hydrophilicity, negative charge, and high molecular weight make them impossible to cross the cell membrane. Moreover, siRNA and ASO are subjected to a rapid deterioration in circulation and cannot translocate into nuclear. Delivery of siRNA and ASO to specific gene targets should be realized without off-target gene silencing and affecting the healthy cells. Nanoparticles as vectors for delivery of siRNA and ASO possess great advantages and flourish in academic research. In this review, we summarized and analyzed regulation mechanisms of HIF under hypoxia, the significant role of HIF in promoting tumor progression, and recent academic research on nanoparticle-based delivery of HIF siRNA and ASO for cancer immunotherapy, antiangiogenesis, reversal of multidrug resistance and radioresistance, potentiating photodynamic therapy, inhibiting tumor metastasis and proliferation, and enhancing apoptosis are reviewed in this thesis. Furthermore, we hope to provide some rewarding suggestions and enlightenments for targeting HIF gene therapy.

Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) containing solid lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles for controlled delivery of a hydrophilic drug gemcitabine hydrochloride

Folic acid tagged and hydrophilic polymer containing solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were formulated for the controlled and targeted delivery of gemcitabine, a hydrophilic drug. Drug loaded SLNs were prepared by double emulsion method and optimized by 32 level factorial design. Then, a hydrophilic polymer, namely, poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) was incorporated in the optimized SLN batch in the first aqueous phase (W1) to obtain solid lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles (SLPHNs) that were further decorated with folic acid (F-SLPHNs). TEM analysis of SLNs and SLPHNs revealed the spherical shape with no aggregation while SLPHNs showed higher % EE. SLPHNs exhibited limited burst release of gemcitabine compared to SLNs as well as lower overall % release. All the formulations showed good cytocompatibility against MDA-MB-231 cell lines and folic acid-tagged hybrid particles (F-SLPHNs) showed remarkably higher cellular uptake.

Nanoparticle-based therapeutic strategies targeting major clinical challenges in pancreatic cancer treatment

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers due to its aggressiveness and the challenges for early diagnosis and treatment. Recently, nanotechnology has demonstrated relevant strategies to overcome some of the major clinical issues in the treatment of PDAC. This review is focused on the pathological hallmarks of PDAC and the impact of nanotechnology to find solutions. It describes the use of nanoparticle-based systems designed for the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents and combinatorial alternatives that address the chemoresistance associated with PDAC, the development of combination therapies targeting the molecular heterogeneity in PDAC, the investigation of novel therapies dealing with the improvement of immunotherapy and handling the desmoplastic stroma in PDAC by remodeling the tumor microenvironment. A special section is dedicated to the design of nanoparticles for unique non-traditional modalities that could be promising in the future for the improvement in the dismal prognosis of PDAC.

Specific Silencing of Microglial Gene Expression in the Rat Brain by Nanoparticle-Based Small Interfering RNA Delivery

Microglia are the major innate immune cells in the brain and are essential for maintaining homeostasis in a neuronal microenvironment. Currently, a genetic tool to modify microglial gene expression in specific brain regions is not available. In this report, we introduce a tailor-designed method that uses lipid and polymer hybridized nanoparticles (LPNPs) for the local delivery of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), allowing the silencing of specific microglial genes in the hypothalamus. Our physical characterization proved that this LPNP-siRNA was uniform and stable. We demonstrated that, due to their natural phagocytic behavior, microglial cells are the dominant cell type taking up these LPNPs in the hypothalamus of rats. We then tested the silencing efficiency of LPNPs carrying a cluster of differentiation molecule 11b (CD11b) or Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) siRNA using different in vivo and in vitro approaches. In cultured microglial cells treated with LPNP-CD11b siRNA or LPNP-TLR4 siRNA, we found a silencing efficiency at protein expression levels of 65 or 77%, respectively. In line with this finding, immunohistochemistry and western blotting results from in vivo experiments showed that LPNP-CD11b siRNA significantly inhibited microglial CD11b protein expression in the hypothalamus. Furthermore, following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of cultured microglial cells, gene expression of the TLR4 downstream signaling component myeloid differentiation factor 88 and its associated cytokines was significantly inhibited in LPNP-TLR4 siRNA-treated microglial cells compared with cells treated with LPNP-scrambled siRNA. Finally, after LPNP-TLR4 siRNA injection into the rat hypothalamus, we observed a significant reduction in microglial activation in response to LPS compared with the control rats injected with LPNP-scrambled siRNA. Our results indicate that LPNP-siRNA is a promising tool to manipulate microglial activity locally in the brain and may serve as a prophylactic approach to prevent microglial dysfunction-associated diseases.

Macrophages-aPKCɩ-CCL5 Feedback Loop Modulates the Progression and Chemoresistance in Cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Recent data indicated that macrophages may mutually interact with cancer cells to promote tumor progression and chemoresistance, but the interaction in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is obscure.

METHODS

10x Genomics single-cell sequencing technology was used to identified the role of macrophages in CCA. Then, we measured the expression and prognostic role of macrophage markers and aPKC_ɩ in 70 human CCA tissues. Moreover, we constructed monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) generated from peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs) and polarized them into M1/M2 macrophages. A co-culture assay of the human CCA cell lines (TFK-1, EGI-1) and differentiated PBMCs-macrophages was established, and functional studies in vitro and in vivo was performed to explore the interaction between cancer cells and M2 macrophages. Furthermore, we established the cationic liposome-mediated co-delivery of gemcitabine and aPKC_ɩ-siRNA and detect the antitumor effects in CCA.

RESULTS

M2 macrophage showed tumor-promoting properties in CCA. High levels of aPKC_ɩ expression and M2 macrophage infiltration were associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in CCA patients. Moreover, CCA patients with low M2 macrophages infiltration or low aPKC_ɩ expression benefited from postoperative gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. Further studies showed that M2 macrophages-derived TGFβ1 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and gemcitabine resistance in CCA cells through aPKC_ɩ-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway. Reciprocally, CCL5 was secreted more by CCA cells undergoing aPKC_ɩ-induced EMT and consequently modulated macrophage recruitment and polarization. Furthermore, the cationic liposome-mediated co-delivery of GEM and aPKC_ɩ-siRNA significantly inhibited macrophages infiltration and CCA progression.

CONCLUSION

our study demonstrates the role of Macrophages-aPKC_ɩ-CCL5 Feedback Loop in CCA, and proposes a novel therapeutic strategy of aPKC_ɩ-siRNA and GEM co-delivered by liposomes for CCA.

Engineering nanomedicines to inhibit hypoxia-inducible Factor-1 for cancer therapy

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), an essential promoter of tumor progression, has attracted increasing attention as a therapeutic target. In addition to hypoxic cellular conditions, HIF-1 activation can be triggered by cancer treatment, which causes drug tolerance and therapeutic failure. To date, a series of effective strategies have been explored to suppress HIF-1 function, including silencing the HIF-1α gene, inhibiting HIF-1α protein translation, degrading HIF-1α protein, and inhibiting HIF-1 transcription. Furthermore, nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have been widely developed to improve the stability and pharmacokinetics of HIF-1 inhibitors or achieve HIF-1-targeted combination therapies as a nanoplatform. In this review, we summarize the current literature on nanomedicines targeting HIF-1 to combat cancer and discuss their potential for future development.

Gene Therapy Using Nanocarriers for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Applications and Challenges in Cancer Therapeutics

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, and its incidence is increasing. PDAC often shows resistance to several therapeutic modalities and a higher recurrence rate after surgical treatment in the early localized stage. Combination chemotherapy in advanced pancreatic cancer has minimal impact on overall survival. RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising tool for regulating target genes to achieve sequence-specific gene silencing. Here, we summarize RNAi-based therapeutics using nanomedicine-based delivery systems that are currently being tested in clinical trials and are being developed for the treatment of PDAC. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) genome editing has been widely used for the development of cancer models as a genetic screening tool for the identification and validation of therapeutic targets, as well as for potential cancer therapeutics. This review discusses current advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its application to PDAC research. Continued progress in understanding the PDAC tumor microenvironment and nanomedicine-based gene therapy will improve the clinical outcomes of patients with PDAC.

Pre-Clinical and Clinical Applications of Small Interfering RNAs (siRNA) and Co-Delivery Systems for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the leading causes of death and is the fourth most malignant tumor in men. The epigenetic and genetic alterations appear to be responsible for development of PC. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a powerful genetic tool that can bind to its target and reduce expression level of a specific gene. The various critical genes involved in PC progression can be effectively targeted using diverse siRNAs. Moreover, siRNAs can enhance efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in inhibiting PC progression. However, siRNAs suffer from different off target effects and their degradation by enzymes in serum can diminish their potential in gene silencing. Loading siRNAs on nanoparticles can effectively protect them against degradation and can inhibit off target actions by facilitating targeted delivery. This can lead to enhanced efficacy of siRNAs in PC therapy. Moreover, different kinds of nanoparticles such as polymeric nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles and metal nanostructures have been applied for optimal delivery of siRNAs that are discussed in this article. This review also reveals that how naked siRNAs and their delivery systems can be exploited in treatment of PC and as siRNAs are currently being applied in clinical trials, significant progress can be made by translating the current findings into the clinical settings.

Nanoparticle-based delivery systems modulate the tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer for enhanced therapy

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignant tumors with a low survival rate, partly because the tumor microenvironment (TME), which consists of extracellular matrix (ECM), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), immune cells, and vascular systems, prevents effective drug delivery and chemoradiotherapy. Thus, modulating the microenvironment of pancreatic cancer is considered a promising therapeutic approach. Since nanoparticles are one of the most effective cancer treatment strategies, several nano-delivery platforms have been developed to regulate the TME and enhance treatment. Here, we summarize the latest advances in nano-delivery systems that alter the TME in pancreatic cancer by depleting ECM, inhibiting CAFs, reversing immunosuppression, promoting angiogenesis, or improving the hypoxic environment. We also discuss promising new targets for such systems. This review is expected to improve our understanding of how to modulate the pancreatic cancer microenvironment and guide the development of new therapies.

XT-type DNA hydrogels loaded with VEGF and NGF promote peripheral nerve regeneration via a biphasic release profile

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) remains an unresolved challenge in the medicine area. With the development of biomaterial science and tissue engineering, a variety of nerve conduits were widely applied for repairing long defect PNI. DNA materials are developing rapidly due to their multiple advantages. In the present study, we aim to combine a DNA hydrogel, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) to construct a new type of delivery system, which could achieve a biphasic release profile of VEGF and NGF by taking advantage of the different degradation rates between X- and T-type DNA. In vitro results showed that the DNA gel + VEGF/NGF system could promote proliferation, migration and myelination of Rat Schwann cells (RSC) while maintaining cell viability. In vivo results indicated a better effect of DNA gel + VEGF/NGF on promoting repair of long defect PNI than the hollow chitin conduits (CT), DNA gel or VEGF/NGF group. The new technology invention holds promising clinical application prospects for repairing PNI and may be used broadly after step-by-step improvement.

Advanced Delivery Systems Based on Lysine or Lysine Polymers

Polylysine and materials that integrate lysine form promising drug delivery platforms. As a cationic macromolecule, a polylysine polymer electrostatically interacts with cells and is efficiently internalized, thereby enabling intracellular delivery. Although polylysine is intrinsically pH-responsive, the conjugation with different functional groups imparts smart, stimuli-responsive traits by adding pH-, temperature-, hypoxia-, redox-, and enzyme-responsive features for enhanced delivery of therapeutic agents. Because of such characteristics, polylysine has been used to deliver various cargos such as small-molecule drugs, genes, proteins, and imaging agents. Furthermore, modifying contrast agents with polylysine has been shown to improve performance, including increasing cellular uptake and stability. In this review, the use of lysine residues, peptides, and polymers in various drug delivery systems has been discussed comprehensively to provide insight into the design and robust manufacturing of lysine-based delivery platforms.

Penetration Cascade of Size Switchable Nanosystem in Desmoplastic Stroma for Improved Pancreatic Cancer Therapy

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells are surrounded by a dense extracellular matrix (ECM), which greatly restricts the access of therapeutic agents, resulting in poor clinical response to chemotherapy. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling plays a crucial role in construction of the desmoplastic stroma and provides potential targets for PDAC therapy. To surmount the pathological obstacle, we developed a size switchable nanosystem based on PEG-PLGA nanospheres encapsulated within liposomes for the combined delivery of vactosertib (VAC), a TGF-β1 receptor kinase inhibitor, and the cytotoxic drug paclitaxel (TAX). By surface modification of the liposomes with a peptide, APT_EDB, the nanosystem can be anchored to abundant tumor-associated fibronectin in PDAC stroma and decreases its size by releasing encapsulated TAX-loaded nanospheres, as well as VAC after collapse of the liposomes. The inhibition of ECM hyperplasia by VAC allows TAX more ready access to the cancer cells in addition to its small size, thereby shrinking pancreatic tumor xenografts more effectively than a combination of the free drugs. This size switchable nanosystem enables sequential delivery of drugs at a fixed dose combination with simplified administration and provides an encouraging cascade approach of drug penetration for enhanced chemotherapy in cancers with a dense desmoplastic stroma.

Fluoxetine hydrochloride loaded lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles showed possible efficiency against SARS-CoV-2 infection

Up to date, there were no approved drugs against coronavirus (COVID-19) disease that dangerously affects global health and the economy. Repurposing the existing drugs would be a promising approach for COVID-19 management. The antidepressant drugs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) class, have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anticoagulant effects, which makes them auspicious drugs for COVID 19 treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to predict the possible therapeutic activity of SSRIs against COVID-19. Firstly, molecular docking studies were performed to hypothesize the possible interaction of SSRIs to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) main protease. Secondly, the candidate drug was loaded in lipid polymer hybrid (LPH) nanoparticles to enhance its activity. The studied SSRIs were Fluoxetine hydrochloride (FH), Atomoxteine, Paroxetine, Nisoxteine, Repoxteine RR, and Repoxteine SS. Interestingly, FH could effectively bind with SARS-COV-2 main protease via hydrogen bond formation with low binding energy (-6.7 kcal/mol). Moreover, the optimization of FH-LPH formulation achieved 65.1 ± 2.7% encapsulation efficiency, 10.3 ± 0.4% loading efficiency, 98.5 ± 3.5 nm particle size, and -10.5 ± 0.45 mV zeta potential. Additionally, it improved cellular internalization in a time-dependent manner with good biocompatibility on Human lung fibroblast (CCD-19Lu) cells. Therefore, the study suggested the potential activity of FH-LPH nanoparticles against the COVID-19 pandemic.