Clinical applications of nanomedicine in cancer therapy

Enhanced Tumor Site Accumulation and Therapeutic Efficacy of Extracellular Matrix-Drug Conjugates Targeting Tumor Cells

The extracellular matrix (ECM) engages in regulatory interactions with cell surface receptors through its constituent proteins and polysaccharides. Therefore, nano-sized extracellular matrix conjugated with doxorubicin (DOX) is utilized to produce extracellular matrix-drug conjugates (ECM-DOX) tailored for targeted delivery to cancer cells. The ECM-DOX nanoparticles exhibit rod-like morphology, boasting a commendable drug loading capacity of 4.58%, coupled with acid-sensitive drug release characteristics. Notably, ECM-DOX nanoparticles enhance the uptake by tumor cells and possess the ability to penetrate endothelial cells and infiltrate tumor multicellular spheroids. Mechanistic insights reveal that the internalization of ECM-DOX nanoparticle is facilitated through clathrin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis, intricately involving hyaluronic acid receptors and integrins. Pharmacokinetic assessments unveil a prolonged blood half-life of ECM-DOX nanoparticles at 3.65 h, a substantial improvement over the 1.09 h observed for free DOX. A sustained accumulation effect of ECM-DOX nanoparticles at tumor sites, with drug levels in tumor tissues surpassing those of free DOX by several-fold. The profound therapeutic impact of ECM-DOX nanoparticles is evident in their notable inhibition of tumor growth, extension of median survival time in animals, and significant reduction in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. The ECM platform emerges as a promising carrier for avant-garde nanomedicines in the realm of cancer treatment.

Magnetically modified-mitoxantrone mesoporous organosilica drugs: an emergent multimodal nanochemotherapy for breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy, the mainstay treatment for metastatic cancer, presents serious side effects due to off-target exposure. In addition to the negative impact on patients' quality of life, side effects limit the dose that can be administered and thus the efficacy of the drug. Encapsulation of chemotherapeutic drugs in nanocarriers is a promising strategy to mitigate these issues. However, avoiding premature drug release from the nanocarriers and selectively targeting the tumour remains a challenge.

RESULTS

In this study, we present a pioneering method for drug integration into nanoparticles known as mesoporous organosilica drugs (MODs), a distinctive variant of periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (PMOs) in which the drug is an inherent component of the silica nanoparticle structure. This groundbreaking approach involves the chemical modification of drugs to produce bis-organosilane prodrugs, which act as silica precursors for MOD synthesis. Mitoxantrone (MTO), a drug used to treat metastatic breast cancer, was selected for the development of MTO@MOD nanomedicines, which demonstrated a significant reduction in breast cancer cell viability. Several MODs with different amounts of MTO were synthesised and found to be efficient nanoplatforms for the sustained delivery of MTO after biodegradation. In addition, Fe3O4 NPs were incorporated into the MODs to generate magnetic MODs to actively target the tumour and further enhance drug efficacy. Importantly, magnetic MTO@MODs underwent a Fenton reaction, which increased cancer cell death twofold compared to non-magnetic MODs.

CONCLUSIONS

A new PMO-based material, MOD nanomedicines, was synthesised using the chemotherapeutic drug MTO as a silica precursor. MTO@MOD nanomedicines demonstrated their efficacy in significantly reducing the viability of breast cancer cells. In addition, we incorporated Fe3O4 into MODs to generate magnetic MODs for active tumour targeting and enhanced drug efficacy by ROS generation. These findings pave the way for the designing of silica-based multitherapeutic nanomedicines for cancer treatment with improved drug delivery, reduced side effects and enhanced efficacy.

Nanomedomics

Nanomaterials have attractive physicochemical properties. A variety of nanomaterials such as inorganic, lipid, polymers, and protein nanoparticles have been widely developed for nanomedicine via chemical conjugation or physical encapsulation of bioactive molecules. Superior to traditional drugs, nanomedicines offer high biocompatibility, good water solubility, long blood circulation times, and tumor-targeting properties. Capitalizing on this, several nanoformulations have already been clinically approved and many others are currently being studied in clinical trials. Despite their undoubtful success, the molecular mechanism of action of the vast majority of nanomedicines remains poorly understood. To tackle this limitation, herein, this review critically discusses the strategy of applying multiomics analysis to study the mechanism of action of nanomedicines, named nanomedomics, including advantages, applications, and future directions. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanism could provide valuable insight and therefore foster the development and clinical translation of nanomedicines.

Responsive Supramolecular Polymers for Diagnosis and Treatment

Stimuli-responsive supramolecular polymers are ordered nanosized materials that are held together by non-covalent interactions (hydrogen-bonding, metal-ligand coordination, π-stacking and, host-guest interactions) and can reversibly undergo self-assembly. Their non-covalent nature endows supramolecular polymers with the ability to respond to external stimuli (temperature, light, ultrasound, electric/magnetic field) or environmental changes (temperature, pH, redox potential, enzyme activity), making them attractive candidates for a variety of biomedical applications. To date, supramolecular research has largely evolved in the development of smart water-soluble self-assemblies with the aim of mimicking the biological function of natural supramolecular systems. Indeed, there is a wide variety of synthetic biomaterials formulated with responsiveness to control and trigger, or not to trigger, aqueous self-assembly. The design of responsive supramolecular polymers ranges from the use of hydrophobic cores (i.e., benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide) to the introduction of macrocyclic hosts (i.e., cyclodextrins). In this review, we summarize the most relevant advances achieved in the design of stimuli-responsive supramolecular systems used to control transport and release of both diagnosis agents and therapeutic drugs in order to prevent, diagnose, and treat human diseases.

Evaluation of Advanced Nanomaterials for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Cancer is a persistent global disease and a threat to the human species, with numerous cases reported every year. Over recent decades, a steady but slowly increasing mortality rate has been observed. While many attempts have been made using conventional methods alone as a theragnostic strategy, they have yielded very little success. Most of the shortcomings of such conventional methods can be attributed to the high demands of industrial growth and ever-increasing environmental pollution. This requires some high-tech biomedical interventions and other solutions. Thus, researchers have been compelled to explore alternative methods. This has brought much attention to nanotechnology applications, specifically magnetic nanomaterials, as the sole or conjugated theragnostic methods. The exponential growth of nanomaterials with overlapping applications in various fields is due to their potential properties, which depend on the type of synthesis route used. Either top-down or bottom-up strategies synthesize various types of NPs. The top-down only branches out to one method, i.e., physical, and the bottom-up has two methods, chemical and biological syntheses. This review highlights some synthesis techniques, the types of nanoparticle properties each technique produces, and their potential use in the biomedical field, more specifically for cancer. Despite the evident drawbacks, the success achieved in furthering nanoparticle applications to more complex cancer stages and locations is unmatched.

Nanomedicine as a multimodal therapeutic paradigm against cancer: on the way forward in advancing precision therapy

Recent years have witnessed dramatic improvements in nanotechnology-based cancer therapeutics, and it continues to evolve from the use of conventional therapies (chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy) to increasingly multi-complex approaches incorporating thermal energy-based tumor ablation (e.g. magnetic hyperthermia and photothermal therapy), dynamic therapy (e.g. photodynamic therapy), gene therapy, sonodynamic therapy (e.g. ultrasound), immunotherapy, and more recently real-time treatment efficacy monitoring (e.g. theranostic MRI-sensitive nanoparticles). Unlike monotherapy, these multimodal therapies (bimodal, i.e., a combination of two therapies, and trimodal, i.e., a combination of more than two therapies) incorporating nanoplatforms have tremendous potential to improve the tumor tissue penetration and retention of therapeutic agents through selective active/passive targeting effects. These combinatorial therapies can correspondingly alleviate drug response against hypoxic/acidic and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments and promote/induce tumor cell death through various multi-mechanisms such as apoptosis, autophagy, and reactive oxygen-based cytotoxicity, e.g., ferroptosis, etc. These multi-faced approaches such as targeting the tumor vasculature, neoangiogenic vessels, drug-resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs), preventing intra/extravasation to reduce metastatic growth, and modulation of antitumor immune responses work complementary to each other, enhancing treatment efficacy. In this review, we discuss recent advances in different nanotechnology-mediated synergistic/additive combination therapies, emphasizing their underlying mechanisms for improving cancer prognosis and survival outcomes. Additionally, significant challenges such as CSCs, hypoxia, immunosuppression, and distant/local metastasis associated with therapy resistance and tumor recurrences are reviewed. Furthermore, to improve the clinical precision of these multimodal nanoplatforms in cancer treatment, their successful bench-to-clinic translation with controlled and localized drug-release kinetics, maximizing the therapeutic window while addressing safety and regulatory concerns are discussed. As we advance further, exploiting these strategies in clinically more relevant models such as patient-derived xenografts and 3D organoids will pave the way for the application of precision therapy.

Nanomedicine-based adjuvant therapy: a promising solution for lung cancer

Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide for decades. Despite the increasing understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms, the prognosis still remains poor for many patients. Novel adjuvant therapies have emerged as a promising treatment method to augment conventional methods and boost the therapeutic effects of primary therapies. Adjuvant therapy based on nanomedicine has gained considerable interest for supporting and enhancing traditional therapies, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy, due to the tunable physicochemical features and ease of synthetic design of nanomaterials. In addition, nanomedicine can provide protective effects against other therapies by reducing adverse side effects through precise disease targeting. Therefore, nanomedicine-based adjuvant therapies have been extensively employed in a wide range of preclinical and clinical cancer treatments to overcome the drawbacks of conventional therapies. In this review, we mainly discuss the recent advances in adjuvant nanomedicine for lung cancer treatment and highlight their functions in improving the therapeutic outcome of other therapies, which may inspire new ideas for advanced lung cancer therapies and stimulate research efforts around this topic.

Smart Nanomaterials in Cancer Theranostics: Challenges and Opportunities

Cancer is ranked as the second leading cause of death globally. Traditional cancer therapies including chemotherapy are flawed, with off-target and on-target toxicities on the normal cells, requiring newer strategies to improve cell selective targeting. The application of nanomaterial has been extensively studied and explored as chemical biology tools in cancer theranostics. It shows greater applications toward stability, biocompatibility, and increased cell permeability, resulting in precise targeting, and mitigating the shortcomings of traditional cancer therapies. The nanoplatform offers an exciting opportunity to gain targeting strategies and multifunctionality. The advent of nanotechnology, in particular the development of smart nanomaterials, has transformed cancer diagnosis and treatment. The large surface area of nanoparticles is enough to encapsulate many molecules and the ability to functionalize with various biosubstrates such as DNA, RNA, aptamers, and antibodies, which helps in theranostic action. Comparatively, biologically derived nanomaterials perceive advantages over the nanomaterials produced by conventional methods in terms of economy, ease of production, and reduced toxicity. The present review summarizes various techniques in cancer theranostics and emphasizes the applications of smart nanomaterials (such as organic nanoparticles (NPs), inorganic NPs, and carbon-based NPs). We also critically discussed the advantages and challenges impeding their translation in cancer treatment and diagnostic applications. This review concludes that the use of smart nanomaterials could significantly improve cancer theranostics and will facilitate new dimensions for tumor detection and therapy.

Cellulose nanocrystal as an enhancing core for antitumor polymeric micelles to overcome biological barriers

Polymeric micelles are extensively studied nanocarriers to improve the solubility, blood circulation, biodistribution, and adverse effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the antitumor efficacy of polymeric micelles is often restricted due to multiple biological barriers, including blood fluid shear stress (FSS) and limited tumor penetration in vivo. Herein, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) as a green material with rigidity and rod-shaped structure is developed to be an enhancing core for polymeric micelles to overcome these biological barriers. Doxorubicin (DOX) loaded methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (D, L-lactic acid) (mPEG-PLA, PP) ligated CNC nanoparticles (PPC/DOX NPs) are fabricated via one-pot synthesis. In comparison to the self-assembled DOX loaded mPEG-PLA micelles (PP/DOX NPs), PPC/DOX NPs exhibit remarkable improvements in FSS resistance, cellular internalization, blood circulation, tumor penetration, and antitumor efficacy owing to the unique rigidity and rod-shaped structure of CNC core. Moreover, PPC/DOX NPs present various advantages beyond DOX·HCl and CNC/DOX NPs. The superiority of PPC/DOX NPs in antitumor efficacy reveals the effectiveness of adopting CNC as the enhancing core for polymeric micelles, suggesting that CNC is a promising biomaterial in advancing nanomedicine.

The Application of Nanotechnology for Quantification of Circulating Tumour DNA in Liquid Biopsies: A Systematic Review

Technologies for quantifying circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in liquid biopsies could enable real-time measurements of cancer progression, profoundly impacting patient care. Sequencing methods can be too complex and time-consuming for regular point-of-care monitoring, but nanotechnology offers an alternative, harnessing the unique properties of objects tens to hundreds of nanometres in size. This systematic review was performed to identify all examples of nanotechnology-based ctDNA detection and assess their potential for clinical use. Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Patents, Espacenet and Embase/MEDLINE were searched up to 23rd March 2021. The review identified nanotechnology-based methods for ctDNA detection for which quantitative measures (e.g., limit of detection, LOD) were reported and biologically relevant samples were used. The pre-defined inclusion criteria were met by 66 records. LODs ranged from 10 zM to 50nM. 25 records presented an LOD of 10fM or below. Nanotechnology-based approaches could provide the basis for the next wave of advances in ctDNA diagnostics, enabling analysis at the point-of-care, but none are currently used clinically. Further work is needed in development and validation; trade-offs are expected between different performance measures e.g., number of sequences detected and time to result.

Nanotechnology-based approaches overcome lung cancer drug resistance through diagnosis and treatment

Lung cancer continues to be a malignant tumor with high mortality. Two obstacles interfere with curative therapy of lung cancer: (i) poor diagnosis at the early stages, as symptoms are not specific or asymptomatic; and (ii) invariably emerging drug resistance after treatment. Some factors contributing to drug resistance include preexisting genetic/genomic drug-resistant alteration(s); activation of adaptive drug resistance pathways; remodeling of the tumor microenvironment; and pharmacological mechanisms or activation of drug efflux pumps. Despite the mechanisms explored to better understand drug resistance, a gap remains between molecular understanding and clinical application. Therefore, facilitating the translation of basic science into the clinical setting is a great challenge. Nanomedicine has emerged as a promising tool for cancer treatment. Because of their excellent physicochemical properties and enhanced permeability and retention effects, nanoparticles have great potential to revolutionize conventional lung cancer diagnosis and combat drug resistance. Nanoplatforms can be designed as carriers to improve treatment efficacy and deliver multiple drugs in one system, facilitating combination treatment to overcome drug resistance. In this review, we describe the difficulties in lung cancer treatment and review recent research progress on nanoplatforms aimed at early diagnosis and lung cancer treatment. Finally, future perspectives and challenges of nanomedicine are also discussed.

Promising Nanomedicines of Shikonin for Cancer Therapy

Malignant tumor, the leading cause of death worldwide, poses a serious threat to human health. For decades, natural product has been proven to be an essential source for novel anticancer drug discovery. Shikonin (SHK), a natural molecule separated from the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, shows great potential in anticancer therapy. However, its further clinical application is significantly restricted by poor bioavailability, adverse effects, and non-selective toxicity. With the development of nanotechnology, nano drug delivery systems have emerged as promising strategies to improve bioavailability and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs. To overcome the shortcoming of SHK, various nano drug delivery systems such as liposomes, polymeric micelles, nanoparticles, nanogels, and nanoemulsions, were developed to achieve efficient delivery for enhanced antitumor effects. Herein, this review summarizes the anticancer pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetics of SHK. Additionally, the latest progress of SHK nanomedicines in cancer therapy is outlined, focusing on long circulation, tumor targeting ability, tumor microenvironment responsive drug release, and nanosystem-mediated combination therapy. Finally, the challenges and prospects of SHK nanomedicines in the future clinical application are spotlighted.

Bioinspired Nanocomplexes Comprising Phenolic Acid Derivative and Human Serum Albumin for Cancer Therapy

Inspired by the natural phenomenon of phenolic-protein interactions, we translate this "naturally evolved interaction" to a "phenolic acid derivative based albumin bound" technology, through the synthesis of phenolic acid derivatives comprising a therapeutic cargo linked to a phenolic motif. Phenolic acid derivatives can bind to albumin and form nanocomplexes after microfluidic mixing. This strategy has been successfully applied to different types of anticancer drugs, including taxanes, anthraquinones, etoposides, and terpenoids. Paclitaxel was selected as a model drug for an in-depth study. Three novel paclitaxel-phenolic acid conjugates have been synthesized. Molecular dynamics simulations provide insights into the self-assembled mechanisms of phenolic-protein nanocomplexes. The nanocomplexes show improved pharmacokinetics, elevated tolerability, decreased neurotoxicity, and enhanced anticancer efficacies in multiple murine xenograft models of breast cancer, in comparison with two clinically approved formulations, Taxol (polyoxyethylated castor oil-formulated paclitaxel) and Abraxane (nab-paclitaxel). Such a robust system provides a broadly applicable platform for the development of albumin-based nanomedicines and has great potential for clinical translation.

Artificial and Naturally Derived Phospholipidic Bilayers as Smart Coatings of Solid-State Nanoparticles: Current Works and Perspectives in Cancer Therapy

Recent advances in nanomedicine toward cancer treatment have considered exploiting liposomes and extracellular vesicles as effective cargos to deliver therapeutic agents to tumor cells. Meanwhile, solid-state nanoparticles are continuing to attract interest for their great medical potential thanks to their countless properties and possible applications. However, possible drawbacks arising from the use of nanoparticles in nanomedicine, such as the nonspecific uptake of these materials in healthy organs, their aggregation in biological environments and their possible immunogenicity, must be taken into account. Considering these limitations and the intrinsic capability of phospholipidic bilayers to act as a biocompatible shield, their exploitation for effectively encasing solid-state nanoparticles seems a promising strategy to broaden the frontiers of cancer nanomedicine, also providing the possibility to engineer the lipid bilayers to further enhance the therapeutic potential of such nanotools. This work aims to give a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in the use of artificial liposomes and naturally derived extracellular vesicles for the coating of solid-state nanoparticles for cancer treatment, starting from in vitro works until the up-to-date advances and current limitations of these nanopharmaceutics in clinical applications, passing through in vivo and 3D cultures studies.

Engineered hyaluronic acid-decorated niosomal nanoparticles for controlled and targeted delivery of epirubicin to treat breast cancer

Targeted drug delivery systems using nanocarriers offer a versatile platform for breast cancer treatment; however, a robust, CD44-targeted niosomal formulation has not been developed and deeply studied (both in vitro and in vivo) yet. Here, an optimized system of epirubicin (Epi)-loaded niosomal nanoparticles (Nio) coated with hyaluronic acid (HA) has been engineered for targeting breast cancer cells. The nanoformulation was first optimized (based on size, polydispersity index, and entrapment efficiency); then, we characterized the morphology, stability, and release behavior of the nanoparticles. Epirubicin release from the HA-coated system (Epi-Nio-HA) showed a 21% (acidic buffer) and 20% (neutral buffer) reduction in comparison with the non-coated group (Epi-Nio). The cytotoxicity and apoptosis results of 4T1 and SkBr3 cells showed an approximately 2-fold increase in the Epi-Nio-HA system over Epi-Nio and free epirubicin, which confirms the superiority of the engineered nanocarriers. Moreover, real-time PCR data demonstrated the down-regulation of the MMP-2, MMP-9, cyclin D, and cyclin E genes expression while caspase-3 and caspase-9 gene expression were up-regulated. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry studies uncovered the cellular uptake mechanism of the Epi-Nio-HA system, which was CD44-mediated. Furthermore, in vivo studies indicated Epi-Nio-HA decreased mice breast tumor volume by 28% (compared to epirubicin) without side effects on the liver and kidney. Conclusively, our results indicated that the HA-functionalized niosomes provide a promising nanoplatform for efficient and targeted delivery of epirubicin to potentially treat breast cancer.

Nanotheranostic Strategies for Cancer Immunotherapy

Despite advancements in cancer immunotherapy, heterogeneity in tumor response impose barriers to successful treatments and accurate prognosis. Effective therapy and early outcome detection are critical as toxicity profiles following immunotherapies can severely affect patients' quality of life. Existing imaging techniques, including positron emission tomography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or multiplexed imaging, are often used in clinics yet suffer from limitations in the early assessment of immune response. Conventional strategies to validate immune response mainly rely on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and the modified iRECIST for immuno-oncology drug trials. However, accurate monitoring of immunotherapy efficacy is challenging since the response does not always follow conventional RECIST criteria due to delayed and variable kinetics in immunotherapy responses. Engineered nanomaterials for immunotherapy applications have significantly contributed to overcoming these challenges by improving drug delivery and dynamic imaging techniques. This review summarizes challenges in recent immune-modulation approaches and traditional imaging tools, followed by emerging developments in three-in-one nanoimmunotheranostic systems co-opting nanotechnology, immunotherapy, and imaging. In addition, a comprehensive overview of imaging modalities in recent cancer immunotherapy research and a brief outlook on how nanotheranostic platforms can potentially advance to clinical translations for the field of immuno-oncology is presented.

Multifunctional nanomedicine strategies to manage brain diseases

Brain diseases represent a substantial social and economic burden, currently affecting one in six individuals worldwide. Brain research has been focus of great attention in order to unravel the pathogenesis and complexity of brain diseases at the cellular, molecular, and microenvironmental levels. Due to the intrinsic nature of the brain, the presence of the highly restrictive blood-brain barrier (BBB), and the pathophysiology of most diseases, therapies can hardly be considered successful purely by the administration of one drug to a patient. Apart from improving pharmacokinetic parameters, tailoring biodistribution, and reducing the number of side effects, nanomedicines are able to actively co-target the therapeutics to the brain parenchyma and brain lesions, as well as to achieve the delivery of multiple cargos with therapeutic, diagnostic, and theranostic properties. Among other multivalent effects that can be personalized according to the disease needs, this represents a promising class of novel nanosystems, termed multifunctional nanomedicines. Herein, we review the principal mechanisms of therapeutic resistance of the most prevalent brain diseases, how to overcome this therapeutic resistance through the use of multifunctional nanomedicines that tackle multiple fronts of the disease microenvironment, and the promising therapeutic responses achieved by some of the most cutting-edge multifunctional nanomedicines reported in literature.

Intelligent Drug Delivery by Peptide-Based Dual-Function Micelles

To endow the polymeric prodrug with smart properties through a safe and simple method, matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) responsive peptide GPLGVRGDG was introduced into the block copolymer to prepare TPGS₃₃₅₀-GPLGVRGDG-DOX&DOX micelles, where TPGS₃₃₅₀ is D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 3350 succinate. During the doxorubicin delivery, the cleavage of the peptide chain triggers de-PEGylation, and the remaining VRGDG sequence was retained on the surface of the micelles, which can act as a ligand to facilitate cell uptake. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of TPGS₃₃₅₀-GPLGVRGDG-DOX&DOX micelles against 4T1 cells was significantly improved, compared with TPGS₃₃₅₀-GPLGVRG-DOX&DOX micelles and TPGS₃₃₅₀-DOX&DOX micelles. During in vivo studies, TPGS₃₃₅₀-GPLGVRGDG-DOX&DOX micelles exhibited good anticancer efficacy with long circulation in the body and more efficient accumulation at the tumor site. Therefore, TPGS₃₃₅₀-GPLGVRGDG-DOX&DOX micelles have improved antitumor activity and reduced toxic side effects. This work opens new potential for exploring the strategy of drug delivery in clinical applications.

Diagnostic and therapeutic roles of iron oxide nanoparticles in biomedicine

Nanotechnology changed our understanding of physics and chemics and influenced the biomedical field. Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) are one of the first emerging biomedical applications of nanotechnology. The IONs are composed of iron oxide core exhibiting magnetism and coated with biocompatible molecules. The small size, strong magnetism, and biocompatibility of IONs facilitate the application of IONs in the medical imaging field. We listed several clinical available IONs including Resovist (Bayer Schering Pharma, Berlin, Germany) and Feridex intravenous (I.V.)/Endorem as magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents for liver tumor detection. We also illustrated GastroMARK as a gastrointestinal contrast agent for MR imaging. Recently, IONs named Feraheme for treating iron-deficiency anemia have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Moreover, tumor ablation by IONs named NanoTherm has also been discussed. In addition to the clinical application, several potential biomedical applications of IONs including cancer-targeting capability by conjugating IONs with cancer-specific ligands, cell trafficking tools, or tumor ablation agents have also been discussed. With the growing awareness of nanotechnology, further application of IONs is still on the horizon that would shed light on biomedicine.

Metal complex-based liposomes: Applications and prospects in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics

Metal complexes are of increasing interest as pharmaceutical agents in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, while some of them suffer from issues such as limited water solubility and severe systemic toxicity. These drawbacks severely hampered their efficacy and clinical applications. Liposomes hold promise as delivery vehicles for constructing metal complex-based liposomes to maximize the therapeutic efficacy and minimize the side effects of metal complexes. This review provides an overview on the latest advances of metal complex-based liposomal delivery systems. First, the development of metal complex-mediated liposomal encapsulation is briefly introduced. Next, applications of metal complex-based liposomes in a variety of fields are overviewed, where drug delivery, cancer imaging (single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)), and cancer therapy (chemotherapy, phototherapy, and radiotherapy) were involved. Moreover, the potential toxicity, action of toxic mechanisms, immunological effects of metal complexes as well as the advantages of metal complex-liposomes in this content are also discussed. In the end, the future expectations and challenges of metal complex-based liposomes in clinical cancer therapy are tentatively proposed.

Hybrid Nanoparticles as Theranostics Platforms for Glioblastoma Treatment: Phototherapeutic and X-ray Phase Contrast Tomography Investigations

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the deadliest and most aggressive cancers, remarkably resilient to current therapeutic treatments. Here, we report preliminary in vivo studies of GBM treatments based on photo-nanotherapeutics to activate synergistic killing mechanisms. Core-shell nanoparticles have been weaponized by combining photophysical properties of a new generation PDT agent (Ir(III) complex) with the thermoplasmonic effects of resonant gold nanospheres. In order to investigate the damages induced in GBM treated with these photoactivable nanosystems, we employed X-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT). This high-resolution three-dimensional imaging technique highlighted a vast devascularization process by micro-vessels disruption, which is indicative of tumor elimination without relapse.

Fabrication of CaCO3-Coated Vesicles by Biomineralization and Their Application as Carriers of Drug Delivery Systems

We fabricated CaCO3-coated vesicles as drug carriers that release their cargo under a weakly acidic condition. We designed and synthesized a peptide lipid containing the Val-His-Val-Glu-Val-Ser sequence as the hydrophilic part, and with two palmitoyl groups at the N-terminal as the anchor groups of the lipid bilayer membrane. Vesicles embedded with the peptide lipids were prepared. The CaCO3 coating of the vesicle surface was performed by the mineralization induced by the embedded peptide lipid. The peptide lipid produced the mineral source, CO32-, for CaCO3 mineralization through the hydrolysis of urea. We investigated the structure of the obtained CaCO3-coated vesicles using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The vesicles retained the spherical shapes, even in vacuo. Furthermore, the vesicles had inner spaces that acted as the drug cargo, as observed by the TEM tomographic analysis. The thickness of the CaCO3 shell was estimated as ca. 20 nm. CaCO3-coated vesicles containing hydrophobic or hydrophilic drugs were prepared, and the drug release properties were examined under various pH conditions. The mineralized CaCO3 shell of the vesicle surface was dissolved under a weakly acidic condition, pH 6.0, such as in the neighborhood of cancer tissues. The degradation of the CaCO3 shell induced an effective release of the drugs. Such behavior suggests potential of the CaCO3-coated vesicles as carriers for cancer therapies.

Multiple targeted doxorubicin-lonidamine liposomes modified with p-hydroxybenzoic acid and triphenylphosphonium to synergistically treat glioma

A type of pH-sensitive multi-targeted brain tumor site-specific liposomes (Lip-CTPP) co-modified with p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HA) and triphenylphosphonium (TPP) were designed and prepared to co-load doxorubicin (DOX) and lonidamine (LND). Lip-CTPP are promising potential carriers to exert the anti-glioma effect of DOX and LND collaboratively given the following features: 1) Lip-CTPP have a good pharmacokinetic behavior; 2) Lip-CTPP can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and recognize tumor cells through the affinity of p-HA and dopamine/sigma receptors; 3) Lip-CTPP are highly positive charged once the acid-sensitive amide bonds are cleaved in endo/lysosomes to expose TPP and protonate amine groups; 4) the positive charged Lip-CTPP escape from endo/lysosomes and accumulate in mitochondria through electrostatic adsorption; 5) DOX and LND are released and synergistically increase anti-tumor efficacy. Our in vitro and in vivo results confirmed that Lip-CTPP could greatly elevate the inhibition rate of tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion, promote apoptosis and necrosis, and interfere with mitochondrial function. In addition, Lip-CTPP could significantly prolong the survival time of glioma bearing mice, narrow the tumor region and inhibit the infiltration and metastasis capability of glioma cells. Collectively, Lip-CTPP are promising nano formulations to enhance the synergistic effect of DOX and LND in glioma treatment.

Systematic Review of Cancer Targeting by Nanoparticles Revealed a Global Association between Accumulation in Tumors and Spleen

Active targeting of nanoparticles toward tumors is one of the most rapidly developing topics in nanomedicine. Typically, this strategy involves the addition of cancer-targeting biomolecules to nanoparticles, and studies on this topic have mainly focused on the localization of such formulations in tumors. Here, the analysis of the factors determining efficient nanoparticle targeting and therapy, various parameters such as types of targeting molecules, nanoparticle type, size, zeta potential, dose, and the circulation time are given. In addition, the important aspects such as how active targeting of nanoparticles alters biodistribution and how non-specific organ uptake influences tumor accumulation of the targeted nanoformulations are discussed. The analysis reveals that an increase in tumor accumulation of targeted nanoparticles is accompanied by a decrease in their uptake by the spleen. There is no association between targeting-induced changes of nanoparticle concentrations in tumors and other organs. The correlation between uptake in tumors and depletion in the spleen is significant for mice with intact immune systems in contrast to nude mice. Noticeably, modulation of splenic and tumor accumulation depends on the targeting molecules and nanoparticle type. The median survival increases with the targeting-induced nanoparticle accumulation in tumors; moreover, combinatorial targeting of nanoparticle drugs demonstrates higher treatment efficiencies. Results of the comprehensive analysis show optimal strategies to enhance the efficiency of actively targeted nanoparticle-based medicines.

Self-amplification of oxidative stress with tumour microenvironment-activatable iron-doped nanoplatform for targeting hepatocellular carcinoma synergistic cascade therapy and diagnosis

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma is insensitive to many chemotherapeutic agents. Ferroptosis is a form of programmed cell death with a Fenton reaction mechanism. It converts endogenous hydrogen peroxide into highly toxic hydroxyl radicals, which inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

METHODS

The morphology, elemental composition, and tumour microenvironment responses of various organic/inorganic nanoplatforms were characterised by different analytical methods. Their in vivo and in vitro tumour-targeting efficacy and imaging capability were analysed by magnetic resonance imaging. Confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, and western blotting were used to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms of complementary ferroptosis/apoptosis mediated by the nanoplatforms.

RESULTS

The nanoplatform consisted of a silica shell doped with iron and disulphide bonds and an etched core loaded with doxorubicin that generates hydrogen peroxide in situ and enhances ferroptosis. It relied upon transferrin for targeted drug delivery and could be activated by the tumour microenvironment. Glutathione-responsive biodegradability could operate synergistically with the therapeutic interaction between doxorubicin and iron and induce tumour cell death through complementary ferroptosis and apoptosis. The nanoplatform also has a superparamagnetic framework that could serve to guide and monitor treatment under T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

CONCLUSION

This rationally designed nanoplatform is expected to integrate cancer diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring and provide a novel clinical antitumour therapeutic strategy.

Supramolecular lipid nanoparticles as delivery carriers for non-invasive cancer theranostics

Nanotheranostics is an emerging frontier of personalized medicine research particularly for cancer, which is the second leading cause of death. Supramolecular aspects in theranostics are quite allured to achieve more regulation and controlled features. Supramolecular nanotheranostics architecture is focused on engineering of modular supramolecular assemblies benefitting from their mutable and stimuli-responsive properties which confer an ultimate potential for the fabrication of unified innovative nanomedicines with controlled features. Amalgamation of supramolecular approaches to nano-based features further equip the potential of designing novel approaches to overcome limitations seen by the conventional theranostic strategies, for curing even the lethal diseases and endowing personalized therapeutics with optimistic prognosis, endorsing their clinical translation. Among many potential nanocarriers for theranostics, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have shown various promising advances in theranostics and their formulation can be tailored for several applications. Despite the great advancement in cancer nanotheranostics, there are still many challenges that need to be highlighted to fill the literature gap. For this purpose, herein, we have presented a systematic overview on the subject and proposed LNPs as the potential material to manage cancer via non-invasive approaches by highlighting the use of supramolecular approaches to make them robust for cancer theranostics. We have concluded the review by entailing the future perspectives of lipid nanotheranostics towards clinical translation.

Polymeric Nanoparticles for Mitochondria Targeting Mediated Robust Cancer Therapy

Despite all sorts of innovations in medical researches over the past decades, cancer remains a major threat to human health. Mitochondria are essential organelles in eukaryotic cells, and their dysfunctions contribute to numerous diseases including cancers. Mitochondria-targeted cancer therapy, which specifically delivers drugs into the mitochondria, is a promising strategy for enhancing anticancer treatment efficiency. However, owing to their special double-layered membrane system and highly negative potentials, mitochondria remain a challenging target for therapeutic agents to reach and access. Polymeric nanoparticles exceed in cancer therapy ascribed to their unique features including ideal biocompatibility, readily design and synthesis, as well as flexible ligand decoration. Significant efforts have been put forward to develop mitochondria-targeted polymeric nanoparticles. In this review, we focused on the smart design of polymeric nanosystems for mitochondria targeting and summarized the current applications in improving cancer therapy.

Nanocarriers as a Tool for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Nanotechnology is a promising tool for the treatment of cancer. In the past decades, major steps have been made to bring nanotechnology into the clinic in the form of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. The great hope of drug delivery systems is to reduce the side effects of chemotherapeutics while simultaneously increasing the efficiency of the therapy. An increased treatment efficiency would greatly benefit the quality of life as well as the life expectancy of cancer patients. However, besides its many advantages, nanomedicines have to face several challenges and hurdles before they can be used for the effective treatment of tumors. Here, we give an overview of the hallmarks of cancer, especially colorectal cancer, and discuss biological barriers as well as how drug delivery systems can be utilized for the effective treatment of tumors and metastases.

Co-delivery systems: hope for clinical application?

Cancer is a multidimensional and challenging disease to handle. Current statistics reveal that we are far from satisfying cancer treatment. Taking advantage of different therapeutic agents that affect multiple pathways has been established as highly productive. Nevertheless, owing to several hindrances to conventional combination therapy, such as lack of tumor targeting, non-uniform pharmacokinetic of the combined drugs, and off-target side effects, it is well documented that this treatment approach is unlikely to address all the difficulties observed in monotherapy. Co-delivery systems could enhance the therapeutic efficacy of the combination therapy by targeting cancer cells and improving the pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties of the therapeutic agents. Nevertheless, it seems that present knowledge in responding to the challenges in cancer treatment is still inadequate and far from optimal treatment, which highlights the urgent need for systematic studies direct to identify various aspects of co-delivery systems. Accordingly, to gather informative data, save time, and achieve superior results, the following steps are necessary: (1) implementing computational methods to predict drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in vitro and in vivo, (2) meticulous cancer studies at the cellular and molecular levels to obtain specific criteria for selecting preclinical and clinical models, (3) extensive physiological and pharmacokinetic study of nanocarriers behavior in preclinical models, and (4) finding the optimal formulation and analyzing its behavior in cellular and animal models facilitates bridging in vivo models to clinical trials. This review aims to deliver an overview of co-delivery systems, rationales, and suggestions for further studies in this field.

Bioinspired Microenvironment Responsive Nanoprodrug as an Efficient Hydrophobic Drug Self-Delivery System for Cancer Therapy

Artemisinin compounds have shown satisfactory safety records in anti-malarial clinical practice over decades and have revealed value as inexpensive anti-tumor adjuvant chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the rational design and precise preparation of nanomedicines based on the artemisinin drugs are still limited due to their non-aromatic and fragile chemical structure. Herein, a bioinspired coordination-driven self-assembly strategy was developed to manufacture the artemisinin-based nanoprodrug with a significantly increased drug loading efficacy (∼70 wt %) and decreased preparation complexity compared to conventional nanodrugs. The nanoprodrug has suitable size distribution and robust colloidal stability for cancer targeting in vivo. The nanoprodrug was able to quickly disassemble in the tumor microenvironment with weak acidity and a high glutathione concentration, which guarantees a better tumor inhibitory effect than direct administration and fewer side effects on normal tissues in vivo. This work highlights a new strategy to harness a robust, simplified, organic solvent-free, and highly repeatable route for nanoprodrug manufacturing, which may offer opportunities to develop cost-effective, safe, and clinically available nanomedicines.

Therapeutic peptides for chemotherapy: Trends and challenges for advanced delivery systems

The past decades witnessed an increasing interest in peptides as clinical therapeutics. Rightfully considered as a potential alternative for small molecule therapy, these remarkable pharmaceuticals can be structurally fine-tuned to impact properties such as high target affinity, selectivity, low immunogenicity along with satisfactory tissue penetration. Although physicochemical and pharmacokinetic challenges have mitigated, to some extent, the clinical applications of therapeutic peptides, their potential impact on modern healthcare remains encouraging. According to recent reports, there are more than 400 peptides under clinical trials and 60 were already approved for clinical use. As the demand for efficient and safer therapy became high, especially for cancers, peptides have shown some exciting developments not only due to their potent antiproliferative action but also when used as adjuvant therapies, either to decrease side effects with tumor-targeted therapy or to enhance the activity of anticancer drugs via transbarrier delivery. The first part of the present review gives an insight into challenges related to peptide product development. Both molecular and formulation approaches intended to optimize peptide's pharmaceutical properties are covered, and some of their current issues are highlighted. The second part offers a comprehensive overview of the emerging applications of therapeutic peptides in chemotherapy from bioconjugates to nanovectorized therapeutics.

Delivery nanoplatforms based on dynamic covalent chemistry

As a paramount factor to restrict the potential action of drugs and biologics, nanoplatforms based on dynamic covalent chemistry have been demonstrated as promising candidates to fulfill the full requirements during the whole delivery process by the virtue of their remarkable features such as adaptiveness, stimuli-responsiveness, specificity, reversibility and feasibility. This contribution summarizes the latest progress in dynamic covalent bond-based nanoplatforms with improved delivery efficiency and therapeutic performance. In addition, major challenges and perspectives in this field are also discussed. We expect that this feature article will provide a valuable and systematic reference for the further development of dynamic covalent bond-based nanoplatforms.

Nucleoside transporter-guided cytarabine-conjugated liposomes for intracellular methotrexate delivery and cooperative choriocarcinoma therapy

Gestational trophoblastic tumors seriously endanger child productive needs and the health of women in childbearing age. Nanodrug-based therapy mediated by transporters provides a novel strategy for the treatment of trophoblastic tumors. Focusing on the overexpression of human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) on the membrane of choriocarcinoma cells (JEG-3), cytarabine (Cy, a substrate of ENT1)-grafted liposomes (Cy-Lipo) were introduced for the targeted delivery of methotrexate (Cy-Lipo@MTX) for choriocarcinoma therapy in this study. ENT1 has a high affinity for Cy-Lipo and can mediate the endocytosis of the designed nanovehicles into JEG-3 cells. The ENT1 protein maintains its transportation function through circulation and regeneration during endocytosis. Therefore, Cy-Lipo-based formulations showed high tumor accumulation and retention in biodistribution studies. More importantly, the designed DSPE-PEG2k-Cy conjugation exhibited a synergistic therapeutic effect on choriocarcinoma. Finally, Cy-Lipo@MTX exerted an extremely powerful anti-choriocarcinoma effect with fewer side effects. This study suggests that the overexpressed ENT1 on choriocarcinoma cells holds great potential as a high-efficiency target for the rational design of active targeting nanotherapeutics.

Cell surface nucleolin as active bait for nanomedicine in cancer therapy: a promising option

Conventional chemotherapy used against cancer is mostly limited due to their non-targeted nature, affecting normal tissue and causing undesirable toxic effects to the affected tissue. With the aim of improving these treatments both therapeutically and in terms of their safety, numerous studies are currently being carried out using nanoparticles (NPs) as a vector combining tumor targeting and carrying therapeutic tools. In this context, it appears that nucleolin, a molecule over-expressed on the surface of tumor cells, is an interesting therapeutic target. Several ligands, antagonists of nucleolin of various origins, such as AS1411, the F3 peptide and the multivalent pseudopeptide N6L have been developed and studied as therapeutic tools against cancer. Over the last ten years or so, numerous studies have been published demonstrating that these antagonists can be used as tumor targeting agents with NPs from various origins. Focusing on nucleolin ligands, the aim of this article is to review the literature recently published or under experimentation in our research team to evaluate the efficacy and future development of these tools as anti-tumor agents.

Encapsulation and pH-responsive release of bortezomib by dopamine grafted hyaluronate nanogels

Hydrophobic drugs loaded nanogels were always associated with low encapsulation efficiency and immature burst release. In this work, dopamine grafted hyaluronate nanogels were designed for bortezomib (BTZ), a hydrophobic anticancer drug and a proteasome inhibitor. It was found that there was a more efficient loading and pH-controlled release of BTZ due to the presence of dopamine groups on the skeleton of the nanogels. The drug loading content (DLC) were up to 8.58% as the nanogels modified with 29% dopamine, compared to the DLC of less than 1% for nanogels without dopamine modification. It was the pH-sensitive nature of the borated bonds between BTZ and catechol groups that endowed the pH-responsive release behavior of BTZ in vitro. In vitro study proved good biocompatibility and efficient cell uptake of the nanogels. In vivo anti-tumor experiments demonstrated that bortezomib loading into the nanogel significantly enhanced the therapeutic effect of the drug. After 14-day treatment, the average tumor volume of BTZ loaded nanogel group was reduced by 200% more than that of free BTZ group. Combined with CD44 receptor targeting ability of hyaluronate and the merits of nanogel, the catechol modified hyaluronate nanogel exhibited as an efficient chemotherapeutic formulation of BTZ for cancer treatment.

Engineering of bioactive metal sulfide nanomaterials for cancer therapy

Metal sulfide nanomaterials (MeSNs) are a novel class of metal-containing nanomaterials composed of metal ions and sulfur compounds. During the past decade, scientists found that the MeSNs engineered by specific approaches not only had high biocompatibility but also exhibited unique physicochemical properties for cancer therapy, such as Fenton catalysis, light conversion, radiation enhancement, and immune activation. To clarify the development and promote the clinical transformation of MeSNs, the first section of this paper describes the appropriate fabrication approaches of MeSNs for medical science and analyzes the features and limitations of each approach. Secondly, we sort out the mechanisms of functional MeSNs in cancer therapy, including drug delivery, phototherapy, radiotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, gas therapy, and immunotherapy. It is worth noting that the intact MeSNs and the degradation products of MeSNs can exert different types of anti-tumor activities. Thus, MeSNs usually exhibit synergistic antitumor properties. Finally, future expectations and challenges of MeSNs in the research of translational medicine are spotlighted.

Vitamin E succinate with multiple functions: A versatile agent in nanomedicine-based cancer therapy and its delivery strategies

Vitamin E succinate (VES), a succinic acid ester of vitamin E, is one of the most effective anticancer compounds of the vitamin E family. VES can inhibit tumor growth by multiple pathways mainly involve tumor proliferation inhibition, apoptosis induction, and metastasis prevention. More importantly, the mitochondrial targeting and damaging property of VES endows it with great potential in exhibiting synergetic effect with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs and overcoming multidrug resistance (MDR). Given the lipophilicity of VES that hinders its bioavailability and therapeutic activity, nanotechnology with multiple advantages has been widely explored to deliver VES and opened up new avenues for its in vivo application. This review aims to introduce the anticancer mechanisms of VES and summarize its delivery strategies using nano-drug delivery systems. Specifically, VES-based combination therapy for synergetic anticancer effect, MDR-reversal, and oral chemotherapy improvement are highlighted. Finally, the challenges and perspectives are discussed.

Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Coatings Dictate Cell Outcomes Despite the Influence of Protein Coronas

A critical issue in nanomedicine is to understand the complex dynamics that dictate the interactions of nanoparticles (NPs) with their biological milieu. The most exposed part of a nanoparticle is its surface coating, which comes into contact with the biological medium and adsorbs proteins, forming what is known as a protein corona (PC). It is assumed that this PC mainly dictates the nanoparticle-cell interactions. As such, we set out to analyze how different coatings on iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) affect the composition of the PC that forms on top of them, and how these newly formed coronas influence the uptake of MNPs by macrophages and tumor cells, their subcellular location upon internalization, and their intracellular degradation. We found that different superficial charges of the coatings did not affect the PC composition, with an enrichment in proteins with affinity for divalent ions regardless of the type of coating. The iron oxide core of the MNP might become exposed to the biological medium, influencing the proteins that constitute the PCs. The presence of enzymes with hydrolase activity in the PC could explain the degradation of the coatings when they come into contact with the biological media. In terms of MNP internalization by cells, coatings mainly determine the endocytic pathways used, especially in terms of receptor-mediated endocytosis. However, the increase in hydrodynamic size provoked by the formation of the associated corona drives uptake mechanisms like macropinocytosis. Once inside the cells, the PC protected the NPs in their intracellular transit to lysosomes, where they were fully degraded. This understanding of how coatings and PCs influence different cellular processes will help design improved NPs for biomedical applications, taking into account the influence of the coating and corona on the biology of the NPs.

Catalytic Nanomaterials toward Atomic Levels for Biomedical Applications: From Metal Clusters to Single-Atom Catalysts

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) featuring the complete atomic utilization of metal, high-efficient catalytic activity, superior selectivity, and excellent stability have been emerged as a frontier in the catalytic field. Recently, increasing interests have been drawn to apply SACs in biomedical fields for enzyme-mimic catalysis and disease therapy. To fulfill the demand of precision and personalized medicine, precisely engineering the structure and active site toward atomic levels is a trend for nanomedicines, promoting the evolution of metal-based biomedical nanomaterials, particularly biocatalytic nanomaterials, from nanoparticles to clusters and now to SACs. This review outlines the syntheses, characterizations, and catalytic mechanisms of metal clusters and SACs, with a focus on their biomedical applications including biosensing, antibacterial therapy, and cancer therapy, as well as an emphasis on their in vivo biological safeties. Challenges and future perspectives are ultimately prospected for SACs in diverse biomedical applications.

Poly(aspartic acid)-based pH-responsive targeting co-delivery nanoparticles

Encapsulation of therapeutic molecules into nanocarrier is an extensively explored strategy to treat cancer more effectively. In this study, pH-responsive targeting dual-agent delivery nanoparticles were prepared, into which hydrophilic doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and hydrophobic curcumin (CUR) were entrapped. Tyrosine (Tyr) was grafted onto poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) to produce PASP-Tyr, the following reaction between hyaluronic acid (HA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) modified PASP-Tyr formed the nanocarrier HA-EDA-PASP-Tyr (HEPT), and the loading capacity was up to 50.9 ± 4.3% for CUR and 26.0 ± 1.9% for DOX. The spherical HEPT with the mean particle size of 142.9 ± 11.4 nm expanded and deformed into petaloid pattern with an increased size of about 2 µm when triggered by the acidic microenvironment. In vitro anticancer activity evaluation revealed that the co-loaded (DOX+CUR)@HEPT nanoparticles presented higher cytotoxicity against HCT-116 cells compared with that of the free combination of (DOX+CUR). Confocal laser scanning microscopy observation indicated that HEPT carrier promoted cellular uptake of drugs by means of active targeting capacity of HA ligand. With high loading capacity and tailored carrier structure, the nanoparticles formulations may offer a new strategy for cancer treatment.

Nanoparticle-Induced Complement Activation: Implications for Cancer Nanomedicine

Nanoparticle-based anticancer medications were first approved for cancer treatment almost 2 decades ago. Patients benefit from these approaches because of the targeted-drug delivery and reduced toxicity, however, like other therapies, adverse reactions often limit their use. These reactions are linked to the interactions of nanoparticles with the immune system, including the activation of complement. This activation can cause well-characterized acute inflammatory reactions mediated by complement effectors. However, the long-term implications of chronic complement activation on the efficacy of drugs carried by nanoparticles remain obscured. The recent discovery of protumor roles of complement raises the possibility that nanoparticle-induced complement activation may actually reduce antitumor efficacy of drugs carried by nanoparticles. We discuss here the initial evidence supporting this notion. Better understanding of the complex interactions between nanoparticles, complement, and the tumor microenvironment appears to be critical for development of nanoparticle-based anticancer therapies that are safer and more efficacious.

Carbon Nanohorns as Effective Nanotherapeutics in Cancer Therapy

Different carbon nanostructures have been explored as functional materials for the development of effective nanomaterials in cancer treatment applications. This review mainly aims to discuss the features, either strength or weakness, of carbon nanohorn (CNH), carbon conical horn-shaped nanostructures of sp2 carbon atoms. The interest for these materials arises from their ability to couple the clinically relevant properties of carbon nanomaterials as drug carriers with the negligible toxicity described in vivo. Here, we offer a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in the use of CNH in cancer treatments, underlining the benefits of each functionalization route and approach, as well as the biological performances of either loaded and unloaded materials, while discussing the importance of delivery devices.

Progress of Cancer Nanotechnology as Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Theranostics Nanomedicine: Preclinical Promise and Translational Challenges

Early detection, right therapeutic intervention, and simultaneous effectiveness mapping are considered the critical factors in successful cancer therapy. Nevertheless, these factors experience the limitations of conventional cancer diagnostics and therapeutics delivery approaches. Along with providing the targeted therapeutics delivery, advances in nanomedicines have allowed the combination of therapy and diagnostics in a single system (called cancer theranostics). This paper discusses the progress in the pre-clinical and clinical development of therapeutics, diagnostics, and theranostics cancer nanomedicines. It has been well evident that compared to the overabundance of works that claimed success in pre-clinical studies, merely 15 and around 75 cancer nanomedicines are approved, and currently under clinical trials, respectively. Thus, we also brief the critical bottlenecks in the successful clinical translation of cancer nanomedicines.