Hepatic toxicity assessment of cationic liposome exposure in healthy and chronic alcohol fed mice

Polymer nano-systems for the encapsulation and delivery of active biomacromolecular therapeutic agents

Biomacromolecular therapeutic agents, particularly proteins, antigens, enzymes, and nucleic acids are emerging as powerful candidates for the treatment of various diseases and the development of the recent vaccine based on mRNA highlights the enormous potential of this class of drugs for future medical applications. However, biomacromolecular therapeutic agents present an enormous delivery challenge compared to traditional small molecules due to both a high molecular weight and a sensitive structure. Hence, the translation of their inherent pharmaceutical capacity into functional therapies is often hindered by the limited performance of conventional delivery vehicles. Polymer drug delivery systems are a modular solution able to address those issues. In this review, we discuss recent developments in the design of polymer delivery systems specifically tailored to the delivery challenges of biomacromolecular therapeutic agents. In the future, only in combination with a multifaceted and highly tunable delivery system, biomacromolecular therapeutic agents will realize their promising potential for the treatment of diseases and for the future of human health.

Ultrasound-Responsive Nanocarriers in Cancer Treatment: A Review

The safe and effective delivery of anticancer agents to diseased tissues is one of the significant challenges in cancer therapy. Conventional anticancer agents are generally cytotoxins with poor pharmacokinetics and bioavailability. Nanocarriers are nanosized particles designed for the selectivity of anticancer drugs and gene transport to tumors. They are small enough to extravasate into solid tumors, where they slowly release their therapeutic load by passive leakage or biodegradation. Using smart nanocarriers, the rate of release of the entrapped therapeutic(s) can be increased, and greater exposure of the tumor cells to the therapeutics can be achieved when the nanocarriers are exposed to certain internally (enzymes, pH, and temperature) or externally (light, magnetic field, and ultrasound) applied stimuli that trigger the release of their load in a safe and controlled manner, spatially and temporally. This review gives a comprehensive overview of recent research findings on the different types of stimuli-responsive nanocarriers and their application in cancer treatment with a particular focus on ultrasound.

Nanoparticles Based Intranasal Delivery of Drug to Treat Alzheimer's Disease: A Recent Update

Alzheimer Association Report (2019) stated that the 6th primary cause of death in the USA is Alzheimer's Disease (AD), which leads to behaviour and cognitive impairment. Nearly 5.8 million peoples of all ages in the USA have suffered from this disease, including 5.6 million elderly populations. The statistics of the progression of this disease is similar to the global scenario. Still, the treatment of AD is limited to a few conventional oral drugs, which often fail to deliver an adequate amount of the drug in the brain. The reduction in the therapeutic efficacy of an anti-AD drug is due to poor solubility, existence to the blood-brain barrier and low permeability. In this context, nasal drug delivery emerges as a promising route for the delivery of large and small molecular drugs for the treatment of AD. This promising pathway delivers the drug directly into the brain via an olfactory route, which leads to the low systemic side effect, enhanced bioavailability, and higher therapeutic efficacy. However, few setbacks, such as mucociliary clearance and poor drug mucosal permeation, limit its translation from the laboratory to the clinic. The above stated limitation could be overcome by the adaption of nanoparticle as a drug delivery carrier, which may lead to prolong delivery of drugs with better permeability and high efficacy. This review highlights the latest work on the development of promising Nanoparticles (NPs) via the intranasal route for the treatment of AD. Additionally, the current update in this article will draw the attention of the researcher working on these fields and facing challenges in practical applicability.

Influence of nanoparticles on liver tissue and hepatic functions: A review

Due to the increasing interest in nanotechnology in very large application fields, including biotechnology, electronics and food industries, humans are increasingly exposed to nanoparticles (NPs). Consequently, the question about the safety of these nanomaterials and their impact on human health is a legitimate concern. The liver is the primary organ of detoxification and is one of the tissues that is most exposed to NPs. When they reach the bloodstream, NPs are mainly internalized by liver cells. This review focuses on recent in vitro and in vivo studies addressing the effects of organic and inorganic NPs on the liver. Specifically, the impact of the NPs on hepatic enzyme activities, the inflammatory response and genotoxicity processes will be described. Depending on the physicochemical parameters of the NPs and the conditions of exposure, NPs could lead to global liver injury.

Smart nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems for cancer therapy and toxicity studies: A review

Nonspecific distribution and uncontrollable release of drugs in conventional drug delivery systems (CDDSs) have led to the development of smart nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems, which are also known as Smart Drug Delivery Systems (SDDSs). SDDSs can deliver drugs to the target sites with reduced dosage frequency and in a spatially controlled manner to mitigate the side effects experienced in CDDSs. Chemotherapy is widely used to treat cancer, which is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Site-specific drug delivery led to a keen interest in the SDDSs as an alternative to chemotherapy. Smart nanocarriers, nanoparticles used to carry drugs, are at the focus of SDDSs. A smart drug delivery system consists of smart nanocarriers, targeting mechanisms, and stimulus techniques. This review highlights the recent development of SDDSs for a number of smart nanocarriers, including liposomes, micelles, dendrimers, meso-porous silica nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, super paramagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and quantum dots. The nanocarriers are described in terms of their structures, classification, synthesis and degree of smartness. Even though SDDSs feature a number of advantages over chemotherapy, there are major concerns about the toxicity of smart nanocarriers; therefore, a substantial study on the toxicity and biocompatibility of the nanocarriers has been reported. Finally, the challenges and future research scope in the field of SDDSs are also presented. It is expected that this review will be widely useful for those who have been seeking new research directions in this field and for those who are about to start their studies in smart nanocarrier-based drug delivery.

Highly efficient siRNA transfection in macrophages using apoptotic body-mimic Ca-PS lipopolyplex

Background

The discovery and development of RNA interference has made a tremendous contribution to the biochemical and biomedical field. However, liposomal transfection protocols to deliver siRNAs to certain types of cells, eg, immune cells, are not viable due to exceedingly low transfection efficiency. While viral delivery and electroporation are two widely adopted approaches to transfect immune cells, they are associated with certain drawbacks such as complexity of preparation, biosafety issues, and high cytotoxicity. We believe amendments can be made to liposomal formulas and protocols to achieve a highly efficient knockdown of genes by liposome-loaded siRNAs.

Aim

The aim of this study was to use the apoptotic-mimic Ca-PS lipopolyplex to achieve highly efficient siRNA knockdown of genes in the hard-to-transfect macrophages with reduced cytotoxicity and more efficient cellular uptake.

Results

We devised an anionic liposomal formula containing phosphatidylserine to mimic the apoptotic body, the Ca-PS lipopolyplex. Ca-PS lipopolyplex was proven to be capable of delivering and effecting efficient gene knockdown in multiple cell lines at lowered cytotoxicity. Among the two types of macrophages, namely Ana-1 and bone-marrow derived macrophages, Ca-PS lipopolyplex showed an improvement in knockdown efficiency, as high as 157%, over Lipo2000. Further investigations revealed that Ca-PS promotes increased cellular uptake, lysosomal escape and localization of siRNAs to the perinuclear regions in macrophages. Lastly, transfection by Ca-PS lipopolyplex did not induce spontaneous polarization of macrophages.

Conclusion

The apoptotic body-mimic Ca-PS lipopolyplex is a stable, non-cytotoxic liposomal delivery system for siRNAs featuring vastly improved potency for macrophages and lowered cytotoxicity. It is speculated that Ca-PS lipopolyplex can be applied to other immune cells such as T cells and DC cells, but further research efforts are required to explore its promising potentials.