Thermo-sensitive chitosan copolymer-gold hybrid nanoparticles as a nanocarrier for delivery of erlotinib

Recent progress in stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles for targeted delivery of functional nanoparticles

Stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles have emerged as a revolutionary approach for enhancing the in vivo stability, biocompatibility, and targeted delivery of functional nanoparticles (FNPs) in biomedicine. This article comprehensively reviews the preparation methods of these polymer micelles, detailing the innovative strategies employed to introduce stimulus responsiveness and surface modifications essential for precise targeting. We delve into the breakthroughs in utilizing these micelles to selectively deliver various FNPs including magnetic nanoparticles, upconversion nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, and quantum dots, highlighting their transformative impact in the biomedical realm. Concluding, we present an insight into the current research landscape, addressing the challenges at hand, and envisioning the future trajectory in this burgeoning domain. Join us as we navigate the exciting confluence of polymer science and nanotechnology in reshaping biomedical solutions.

pH-responsive chitosan copolymer synthesized via click chemistry for design of polymeric nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery

The polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) loaded with prednisolone were developed to exhibit pH-responsive properties owing to the attachment of a hydrazone linkage between the copolymer chitosan and mPEG. In the diseased cellular environment, the hydrazone bond tends to break due to reduced pH, leading to the release of the drug from the PNPs at the required site of action. The fabricated PNPs exhibit spherical morphology, optimum size (∼200 nm), negative surface charge, and monodispersed particle size distribution. The encapsulation efficiency of the PNPs was determined to be 71.1 ± 0.79 % and two experiments (polymer weight loss and drug release) confirmed the pH-responsive properties of the PNPs. The cellular study cytotoxicity assay showed biocompatibility of PNPs and drug molecule-mediated toxicity to A549 cells. The ligand atrial natriuretic peptide-attached PNPs internalized into A549 cells via natriuretic peptide receptor-A to achieve target specificity. The PNPs cytotoxicity and pH-response medicated inflammation reduction functionality was studied in inflammation-induced RAW264.7 cell lines. The study observed the PNPs effectively reduced the inflammatory mediators NO and ROS levels in RAW264.7. The results showed that pH-responsive properties of PNPs and this novel fabricated delivery system effectively treat inflammatory and cancer diseases.

Exploring nanocarriers as innovative materials for advanced drug delivery strategies in onco-immunotherapies

In recent years, Onco-immunotherapies (OIMTs) have been shown to be a potential therapy option for cancer. Several immunotherapies have received regulatory approval, while many others are now undergoing clinical testing or are in the early stages of development. Despite this progress, a large number of challenges to the broad use of immunotherapies to treat cancer persists. To make immunotherapy more useful as a treatment while reducing its potentially harmful side effects, we need to know more about how to improve response rates to different types of immunotherapies. Nanocarriers (NCs) have the potential to harness immunotherapies efficiently, enhance the efficiency of these treatments, and reduce the severe adverse reactions that are associated with them. This article discusses the necessity to incorporate nanomedicines in OIMTs and the challenges we confront with current anti-OIMT approaches. In addition, it examines the most important considerations for building nanomedicines for OIMT, which may improve upon current immunotherapy methods. Finally, it highlights the applications and future scenarios of using nanotechnology.

In situ forming alginate/gelatin hybrid hydrogels containing doxorubicin loaded chitosan/AuNPs nanogels for the local therapy of breast cancer

In this study, pH-sensitive in situ gelling hydrogels based on oxidized alginate and gelatin-containing doxorubicin (DOX) loaded chitosan/gold nanoparticles (CS/AuNPs) nanogels were fabricated via Schiff-base bond formation. The obtained CS/AuNPs nanogels indicated a size distribution of about 209 nm with a zeta potential of +19.2 mV and an encapsulation efficiency of around 72.6 % for DOX. The study of the rheological properties of hydrogels showed that the value of G' is higher than G″ for all hydrogels, which confirms the elastic behavior of hydrogels in the applied frequency range. The rheological and texture analysis demonstrated the higher mechanical properties of hydrogels containing β-GP and CS/AuNPs nanogels. The release profile of DOX after 48 h indicates the 99 % and 73 % release amount at pH = 5.8 and pH = 7.4, respectively. MTT cytotoxicity study showed that the prepared hydrogels are cytocompatible on MCF-7 cells. By the Live/Dead assay, it was demonstrated that the cultured cells on DOX-free hydrogels were almost alive in the presence of CS/AuNPs nanogels. However, the hydrogel-containing drug and free DOX in the same concentration caused high death of MCF-7 cells as expected, which showed the potential of the developed hydrogels for application in the local treatment of breast cancer.

Targeted delivery of silibinin via magnetic niosomal nanoparticles: potential application in treatment of colon cancer cells

Introduction: In recent years, various nanoparticles (NPs) have been discovered and synthesized for the targeted therapy of cancer cells. Targeted delivery increases the local concentration of therapeutics and minimizes side effects. Therefore, NPs-mediated targeted drug delivery systems have become a promising approach for the treatment of various cancers. As a result, in the current study, we aimed to design silibinin-loaded magnetic niosomes nanoparticles (MNNPs) and investigate their cytotoxicity property in colorectal cancer cell treatment. Methods: MNPs ferrofluids were prepared and encapsulated into niosomes (NIOs) by the thin film hydration method. Afterward, the morphology, size, and chemical structure of the synthesized MNNPs were evaluated using the TEM, DLS, and FT-IR techniques, respectively. Results and Discussion: The distribution number of MNNPs was obtained at about 50 nm and 70 nm with a surface charge of -19.0 mV by TEM and DLS analysis, respectively. Silibinin loading efficiency in NIOs was about 90%, and the drug release pattern showed a controlled release with a maximum amount of about 49% and 70%, within 4 h in pH = 7.4 and pH = 5.8, respectively. To investigate the cytotoxicity effect, HT-29 cells were treated with the various concentration of the drugs for 24 and 48 h and evaluated by the MTT as well as flow cytometry assays. Obtained results demonstrated promoted cell cytotoxicity of silibinin-loaded MNNPs (5-fold decrease in cell viability) compared to pure silibinin (3-fold decrease in cell viability) while had no significant cytotoxic effect on HEK-293 (normal cell line) cells, and the cellular uptake level of MNNPs by the HT-29 cell line was enhanced compared to the control group. In conclusion, silibinin-loaded MNNPs complex can be considered as an efficient treatment approach for colorectal cancer cells.

Greater efficiency of polyherbal drug encapsulated biosynthesized chitosan nano-biopolymer on diabetes and its complications

Diabetes is a highly complex disease that has an adverse impact on the lives of individuals, and the current medicines used to manage diabetes have obvious side effects. Medicinal plants, on the other hand, may serve as an alternate source of anti-diabetic drugs. A polyherbal combination has a higher and more extensive therapeutic potential than a single herb. Yet, due to deterioration during the absorption process, the usage of this drug still yields inadequate results. Encapsulation of polyherbal drug with chitosan nanoparticles is one of the key ways to solve this problem due to its biocombatibilty, slow and targeted drug delivery characteristics. In the present study, the chitosan was derived from prawn shell and the chitosan nanoparticles had been prepared by ionic-gelation method. The anti-diabetic polyherbal drug (Andrographis paniculata, Andrographis alata, Adhatoda zeylanica, Gymnema sylvestre, Syzygium cumini, and Justicia glabra) was encapsulated with a bio-derived chitosan biopolymer. The drug loading efficiency was about 85 %. The chemical and physical properties of the chitosan and drug-loaded chitosan nanoparticles had been analyzed by FT-IR absorption, XRD, SEM, TEM and EDAX analysis. The antidiabetic efficiency, hepatoprotective activity and antihyperlipedimic activity of the chitosan nanoparticles, polyherbal drug and polyherbal drug encapsulated with chitosan nanoparticles were assessed in a group of rats. The polyherbal drug reduced the serum glucose level from 306.4 mg/dL to 134.47 mg/dL, while the polyherbal drug encapsulated with chitosan nanoparticles reduced to 127.017 mg/dL. This was very close to the serum glucose level of non-diabetic rat (124.65 mg/dL). Further, it considerably increased the insulin level close to that of non-diabetic rat. Thus, the polyherbal drug encapsulated with chitosan nanoparticles showed superior efficiency in antidiabetic and also diabetic complications.

Recent Advances in Boosting EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors-Based Cancer Therapy

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a key role in signal transduction pathways associated with cell proliferation, growth, and survival. Its overexpression and aberrant activation in malignancy correlate with poor prognosis and short survival. Targeting inhibition of EGFR by small-molecular tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is emerging as an important treatment model besides of chemotherapy, greatly reshaping the landscape of cancer therapy. However, they are still challenged by the off-targeted toxicity, relatively limited cancer types, and drug resistance after long-term therapy. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of oral, pulmonary, and injectable drug delivery systems for enhanced and targeting TKI delivery to tumors and reduced side effects. Importantly, EGFR-TKI-based combination therapies not only greatly broaden the applicable cancer types of EGFR-TKI but also significantly improve the anticancer effect. The mechanisms of TKI resistance are summarized, and current strategies to overcome TKI resistance as well as the application of TKI in reversing chemotherapy resistance are discussed. Finally, we provide a perspective on the future research of EGFR-TKI-based cancer therapy.

pH-sensitive O-carboxymethyl chitosan/sodium alginate nanohydrogel for enhanced oral delivery of insulin

Oral drug delivery is considered the most preferred mode of treatment because of its high patient compliance and minimal invasiveness. However, the oral delivery of protein drug has been a difficult problem which restricts its application due to the unstable and inefficient penetration of protein in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, a novel OCMC/SA nanohydrogel was prepared by using of O-carboxymethyl chitosan (OCMC) and sodium alginate (SA) to solve the problem. The OCMC/SA had a typical nanostructure, which was helpful to increase the specific surface area and enhanced the bioavailability of the drugs. OCMC/SA had a high drug loading capacity and realized passive drug targeting function by responding to the different pH value of the microenvironment. It could have a certain protective effect on drugs in strong acid circumstances, while its structure got loosed and effectively released drugs in intestinal circumstances. OCMC/SA could release the drug for >12 h, and the released insulin could maintain high activity. OCMC/SA nanohydrogel showed promising results in type 1 diabetic rats, and its pharmacological bioavailability was 6.57 %. In conclusion, this study constructed a novel OCMC/SA nanohydrogel, which had a lot of exciting characteristics and provided a new strategy for oral drug delivery.

Tunneling Nanotubes: A New Target for Nanomedicine?

Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), discovered in 2004, are thin, long protrusions between cells utilized for intercellular transfer and communication. These newly discovered structures have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in homeostasis, but also in the spreading of diseases, infections, and metastases. Gaining much interest in the medical research field, TNTs have been shown to transport nanomedicines (NMeds) between cells. NMeds have been studied thanks to their advantageous features in terms of reduced toxicity of drugs, enhanced solubility, protection of the payload, prolonged release, and more interestingly, cell-targeted delivery. Nevertheless, their transfer between cells via TNTs makes their true fate unknown. If better understood, TNTs could help control NMed delivery. In fact, TNTs can represent the possibility both to improve the biodistribution of NMeds throughout a diseased tissue by increasing their formation, or to minimize their formation to block the transfer of dangerous material. To date, few studies have investigated the interaction between NMeds and TNTs. In this work, we will explain what TNTs are and how they form and then review what has been published regarding their potential use in nanomedicine research. We will highlight possible future approaches to better exploit TNT intercellular communication in the field of nanomedicine.

Enzyme-responsive strategy as a prospective cue to construct intelligent biomaterials for disease diagnosis and therapy

Stimuli-responsive materials have been widely studied and applied in biomedical field. Under the stimulation of enzymes, the enzyme-responsive materials (ERMs) can be triggered to change their structures, properties and functions....

The Effect of Zbxz23ir-21 NANO(nanomaterials) Delivery Vector on Apoptosis and PTEN(phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten)/PI3K(Intracellular phosphatidylinositol kinase)/AKT(related to the A and C kinase) in Children with CHOLESTEATOMA in Middle Ear

Cholesteatoma of the middle ear is a kind of cystic disease with clear boundary formed by the abnormal growth of keratosquamous epithelium in temporal bone. Cholesteatoma otitis caused by it is a common disease in otorhinolaryngology. The EPR effect promotes the selective distribution of macromolecular substances in tumor tissues, which can increase drug efficacy. The purpose of this paper is to prepare and deliver the mir34a small molecule regulator, rubine, by nanotechnology, and to deliver it to the cells successfully. It can passively target tumor tissue through EPR effect, and play its regulatory role on miR-34a, thus inhibiting the growth of cholesteatoma cells. The effects of nano delivery on apoptosis and PIEN/P13K/AKt of children with middle ear choledochoma were tested in this paper. The experimental results were conducted on cholesteatoma cells as cell lines and balb/c nude mice as experimental objects. The expression of PTEN/PI3K/AKT in experimental group and control group was detected by immunohistochemistry. Apoptosis was discussed by cell activity detection. The physical and chemical properties, encapsulation efficiency, drug release ability in vitro and antitumor activity of nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo were studied. The results of cell level experiments in vitro showed that free RUBINE caused about 15% apoptosis, which was not different from RC NPs. The results showed that the nanoparticles could improve the expression of miR-34 in the cells, and then regulate the expression of Bcl-2, Cdk6 and CyclinD1, and play the inhibitory effect of miR-34a on the proliferation and migration of tumor cells.

Chitosan Functionalization: Covalent and Non-Covalent Interactions and Their Characterization

Chitosan (CS) is a natural biopolymer that has gained great interest in many research fields due to its promising biocompatibility, biodegradability, and favorable mechanical properties. The versatility of this low-cost polymer allows for a variety of chemical modifications via covalent conjugation and non-covalent interactions, which are designed to further improve the properties of interest. This review aims at presenting the broad range of functionalization strategies reported over the last five years to reflect the state-of-the art of CS derivatization. We start by describing covalent modifications performed on the CS backbone, followed by non-covalent CS modifications involving small molecules, proteins, and metal adjuvants. An overview of CS-based systems involving both covalent and electrostatic modification patterns is then presented. Finally, a special focus will be given on the characterization techniques commonly used to qualify the composition and physical properties of CS derivatives.

Size-dependent thermo-mechanical vibration of lipid supramolecular nano-tubules via nonlocal strain gradient Timoshenko beam theory

Nowadays, nanostructured lipid carriers are used as carrier systems to control the release of drug molecules and promote their physicochemical stability. A better understanding of the dynamic behavior of lipid nano-tubules can facilitate a better drug delivery and other relevant applications. The dynamic behaviors of these lipid nano-tubules are susceptible to temperature variations. Hence, a deeper insight into these effects, as mentioned above, is necessary to ensure higher analysis efficiency. However, the models used in previous researches did not take into account these effects. The lipid nano-tubules often possess a small length-to-width ratio and as a result, the use of the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory for modeling them will significantly reduce the accuracy of calculations, in which Timoshenko beam model is used to increase the accuracy of the model. The main objective of the current study is to investigate the bending vibrations of lipid nano-tubules by considering the temperature effects based on nonlocal strain gradient theory. To this end, based on Hamilton's principle, the governing equations of a dynamical system were extracted by taking into account the temperature effects. The equations were solved using the Navier solution method. Moreover, the dimensionless natural frequency and critical temperature of the lipid nano-tubules were calculated. Our findings demonstrate that the critical temperature is a function of the nonlocal parameter and length-scale parameter variations. It is also observed that at a certain interval of the length scale parameter, increasing the value of the nonlocal parameter results in intensification of the hardening behavior of lipid nano-tubules. Based on our findings, the proposed model indicates good accuracy and prediction.

Receptor-based targeting of engineered nanocarrier against solid tumors: Recent progress and challenges ahead

Background In past few decades, the research on engineered nanocarriers (NCs) has gained significant attention in cancer therapy due to selective delivery of drug molecules on the diseased cells thereby preventing unwanted uptake into healthy cells to cause toxicity. Scope of review The applicability of enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect for the delivery of nanomedicines in cancer therapy has gained limited success due to poor accessibility of the drugs to the target cells where non-specific payload delivery to the off target region lack substantial reward over the conventional therapeutic systems. Major conclusions In spite of the fact, nanomedicines fabricated from the biocompatible nanocarriers have reduced targeting potential for meaningful clinical benefits. However, over expression of receptors on the tumor cells provides opportunity to design functional nanomedicine to bind substantially and deliver therapeutics to the cells or tissues of interest by alleviating the bio-toxicity and unwanted effects. This critique will give insight into the over expressed receptor in various tumor and targeting potential of functional nanomedicine as new therapeutic avenues for effective treatment. General significance This review shortly shed light on EPR-based drug targeting using nanomedicinal strategies, their limitation, and advances in therapeutic targeting to the tumor cells.

Principles and applications of nanomaterial-based hyperthermia in cancer therapy

Over the past few decades, hyperthermia therapy (HTT) has become one of the most promising strategies to treat cancer. HTT has been applied with nanotechnology to overcome drawbacks such as non-selectivity and invasiveness and to maximize therapeutic efficacy. The high temperature of HTT induces protein denaturation that leads to apoptosis or necrosis. It can also enhance the effects of other cancer therapies because heat-damaged tissues reduce radioresistance and help accumulate anticancer drugs. Gold nanoparticles and superparamagnetic iron oxide with different energy sources are commonly used as hyperthermia agents. New types of nanoparticles such as those whose surface is coated with several polymers and those modified with targeting moieties have been studied as novel HTT agents. In this review, we introduce principles and applications of nanotechnology-based HTT using gold nanoparticles and superparamagnetic iron oxide.

Advances in nanotechnology-based delivery systems for EGFR tyrosine kinases inhibitors in cancer therapy

Oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family have been introduced into the clinic to treat human malignancies for decades. Despite superior properties of EGFR-TKIs as small molecule targeted drugs, their applications are still restricted due to their low solubility, capricious oral bioavailability, large requirement of daily dose, high binding tendency to plasma albumin and initial/acquired drug resistance. Nanotechnology is a promising tool to improve efficacy of these drugs. Through non-oral routes. Various nanotechnology-based delivery approaches have been developed for providing efficient delivery of EGFR-TKIs with a better pharmacokinetic profile and tissue-targeting ability. This review aims to indicate the advantage of nanocarriers for EGFR-TKIs delivery.

Therapeutic impacts of enzyme-responsive smart nanobiosystems

An important arena of the sophisticated nanosystems (NSs) is the combination of the responsive features of NSs with the biocatalytic properties of enzymes. The development of such smart drug delivery systems (DDSs) has seminal effectiveness in targeting, imaging, and monitoring of cancer. These NSs can exhibit site-specific delivery of the toxic cargo in response to the endogenous/exogenous stimuli. Enzyme responsive/targeted DDSs display enhanced accumulation of cargo molecules in the tumor microenvironment (TME) with a spatiotemporal controlled-release behavior. Based on the unique features of enzyme responsive/targeted DDSs, they offer incredible promise in overcoming some limitations of the currently used conventional DDSs. Taken all, targeting TME with the enzyme-responsive targeted DDSs may lead to versatile clinical outcomes in various malignancies.

Thermo-responsive polymers: Applications of smart materials in drug delivery and tissue engineering

Synthetic polymers are attracting great attention in the last decades for their use in the biomedical field as nanovectors for controlled drug delivery, hydrogels and scaffolds enabling cell growth. Among them, polymers able to respond to environmental stimuli have been recently under growing consideration to impart a "smart" behavior to the final product, which is highly desirable to provide it with a specific dynamic and an advanced function. In particular, thermo-responsive polymers, materials able to undergo a discontinuous phase transition or morphological change in response to a temperature variation, are among the most studied. The development of the so-called controlled radical polymerization techniques has paved the way to a high degree of engineering for the polymer architecture and properties, which in turn brought to a plethora of sophisticated behaviors for these polymers by simply switching the external temperature. These can be exploited in many different fields, from separation to advanced optics and biosensors. The aim of this review is to critically discuss the latest advances in the development of thermo-responsive materials for biomedical applications, including a highly controlled drug delivery, mediation of cell growth and bioseparation. The focus is on the structural and design aspects that are required to exploit such materials for cutting-edge applications in the biomedical field.

Enhanced penetration and cytotoxicity of metformin and collagenase conjugated gold nanoparticles in breast cancer spheroids

AIMS

The extracellular matrix (ECM) within the tumor nest plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation and invasion. It has been proven that the increased density of ECM, especially collagen network, correlates with the poor distribution of gold-nanoparticles (GNPs) to the tumor mass. Here, for the first time, we examined the combined effect of collagenase (COL) with metformin (MET)-conjugated GNPs on mammosphere generated from JIMT-1 breast cell line in vitro.

MAIN METHODS

Mammospheres (on days 7 and 14) and monolayer culture were treated with MET, MET-GNPs, and a mixture of COL-GNPs and MET-GNPs for 5 days. To assess the impacts of the engineered nanoparticles (NPs) on the survival/apoptosis of cancer cells and cancer stem cells (CSCs), the amount/activity of collagen and the expression of pyruvate kinase M2, different methods were applied, including MTT, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, ELISA and real-time PCR analyses. Our results confirmed the enhanced cytotoxic effects of MET-GNPs combined with COL-GNPs on mammospheres compared to the cells treated with MET alone or MET-GNPs.

KEY FINDINGS

Upon treatment with the mixture of MET-GNPs and COL-GNPs, the population of the apoptotic cells was significantly increased. A marked reduction was found in the number of CD24^-/CD44⁺ CSCs and the amount of collagen in the group received a mixture of MET-GNPs and COL-GNPs.

SIGNIFICANCE

Based on our findings, the use of COL can improve the cellular interaction/penetration of MET-GNPs in mammospheres and its antitumor impacts on the CSCs.

Dual thermo-and pH-sensitive injectable hydrogels of chitosan/(poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-itaconic acid)) for doxorubicin delivery in breast cancer

In this work, dual thermo- and pH-responsive hydrogels were developed and loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) with potential therapy of breast cancer. Hydrogels were engineered by blending synthesized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-itaconic acid) (PNIAAm-co-IA) with chitosan (CS) through ionic crosslinking using glycerophosphate (GP). The synthesized copolymer and hydrogels were characterized by means of various techniques such as FT-IR, ¹H NMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). Lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the copolymer was determined around 39 °C using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Swelling studies of hydrogels and their morphology implied the porous structure, high water content with rapid swelling/deswelling rate in response to abrupt changes of pH and temperature. The release investigation of DOX at different concentration, temperature and pH values confirmed the accelerated release of DOX in lower concentration and acidic condition at 37 °C as compared to neutral pH and the temperature of 40 °C. The MTT cytotoxicity study revealed that the hydrogels are cytocompatible and exert no/negligible cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells. The proliferation of MCF-7 cells on the prepared hydrogel and DOX-loaded hydrogel was evaluated by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining which further demonstrated the potential of developed hydrogels for local therapy of breast cancer.

Thermo-Sensitive Nanomaterials: Recent Advance in Synthesis and Biomedical Applications

Progress in nanotechnology has enabled us to open many new fronts in biomedical research by exploiting the peculiar properties of materials at the nanoscale. The thermal sensitivity of certain materials is a highly valuable property because it can be exploited in many promising applications, such as thermo-sensitive drug or gene delivery systems, thermotherapy, thermal biosensors, imaging, and diagnosis. This review focuses on recent advances in thermo-sensitive nanomaterials of interest in biomedical applications. We provide an overview of the different kinds of thermoresponsive nanomaterials, discussing their potential and the physical mechanisms behind their thermal response. We thoroughly review their applications in biomedicine and finally discuss the current challenges and future perspectives of thermal therapies.

Cyclodextrin modified erlotinib loaded PLGA nanoparticles for improved therapeutic efficacy against non-small cell lung cancer

This study was aimed at developing a nanoparticle strategy to overcome acquired resistance against erlotinib in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To load erlotinib on biodegradable PLGA nanoparticles, erlotinib-cyclodextrin (Erlo-CD) complex was prepared using β-cyclodextrin sulfobutyl ether, which was in turn loaded in the core of PLGA nanoparticles using multiple emulsion solvent evaporation. Nanoparticles were characterized for size distribution, entrapment and loading efficiency, in-vitro release, and therapeutic efficacy against different lung cancer cells. Effect of formulation on cell cycle, apoptosis, and other markers was evaluated using flow cytometry and western blotting studies. The efficacy of optimized nanoformulation was evaluated using a clinically relevant in-vitro 3D-spheroid model. Results showed that Erlo-CD loaded nanoparticles (210 ± 8 nm in size) demonstrated 3-fold higher entrapment (61.5 ± 3.2% vs 21.9 ± 3.7% of plain erlotinib loaded nanoparticles) with ~5% loading efficiency and sustained release characteristics. Developed nanoparticles demonstrated significantly improved therapeutic efficacy against NSCLC cells in terms of low IC50 values and suppressed colony forming ability of cancer cells, increased apoptosis, and autophagy inhibition. Interestingly, 3D spheroid study demonstrated better anticancer activity of Erlo-CD nanoparticles compared to plain erlotinib. Present study has shown a premise to improve therapeutic efficacy against erlotinib-resistant lung cancer using modified nanoErlo formulations.

Targeted Intracellular Delivery of Antibodies: The State of the Art

A dominant area of antibody research is the extension of the use of this mighty experimental and therapeutic tool for the specific detection of molecules for diagnostics, visualization, and activity blocking. Despite the ability to raise antibodies against different proteins, numerous applications of antibodies in basic research fields, clinical practice, and biotechnology are restricted to permeabilized cells or extracellular antigens, such as membrane or secreted proteins. With the exception of small groups of autoantibodies, natural antibodies to intracellular targets cannot be used within living cells. This excludes the scope of a major class of intracellular targets, including some infamous cancer-associated molecules. Some of these targets are still not druggable via small molecules because of large flat contact areas and the absence of deep hydrophobic pockets in which small molecules can insert and perturb their activity. Thus, the development of technologies for the targeted intracellular delivery of antibodies, their fragments, or antibody-like molecules is extremely important. Various strategies for intracellular targeting of antibodies via protein-transduction domains or their mimics, liposomes, polymer vesicles, and viral envelopes, are reviewed in this article. The pitfalls, challenges, and perspectives of these technologies are discussed.

Ultra-sensitive detection by metal nanoparticles-mediated enhanced SPR biosensors

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR), as an optical technique, has widely been used for the detection of biomarkers. Various investigations have been conducted to address the impacts of SPR on the kinetics of biological interactions between the ligand and its cognate bio-element. Up until now, different biofunctionalized metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been used for the ultrasensitive detection of biomarkers in the enhanced SPR. The enhancement of plasmonic properties and refractive index by means of metal NPs in SPR-based biosensors have significantly improved the diagnosis and monitoring of molecular markers in different disesaes including malignancies. In all the enhanced SPR systems utilized for the direct/sandwich assay, each NP is covalently modified with the analyte molecules like antibody (Ab) or a nucleic acid such as DNA/RNA aptamer (Ap) capable of interaction with the related biomarker(s). The increasing of density near the gold surface and plasmonic coupling of gold film and NPs can provide a large shift in the refractive index enhancing the plasmonic resonance because the SPR response unit is sensitive to alteration of the refractive index and the mass shifting onto the chip surface. In this study, we review the potential applications of two major NPs for enhancing the SPR signals for the detection of molecular biomarkers, including gold and magnetic NPs.

Mucin-1 aptamer-armed superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for targeted delivery of doxorubicin to breast cancer cells

Introduction: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) can be functionalized with various agents (e.g., targeting and therapeutic agents) and used for targeted imaging/therapy of cancer. In the present study, we engineered doxorubicin (DOX)-conjugated anti-mucin -1 (MUC-1) aptamer (Ap)-armed PEGylated SPIONs for targeted delivery of DOX molecules to the breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Methods: The SPIONs were synthesized using the thermal decomposition method and modified by polyethylene glycol (PEG) to maximize their biocompatibility and minimize any undesired cytotoxicity effects. Subsequently, DOX molecules were loaded onto the SPIONs, which were further armed with amine-modified MUC-1 aptamer by EDC/NHS chemistry. Results: The morphologic and size analyses of nanoparticles (NPs) by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed spherical and monodisperse MNPs with a size range of 5-64 nm. The FT-IR spectrophotometry and 1 HNMR analysis confirmed the surface modification of NPs. The cytotoxicity assay of the aptamer-armed MNPs exhibited a higher death rate in the MUC-1 over-expressing MCF-7 cells as compared to the MUC-1 under-expressing MDA-MB-231 cells. The flow cytometry analysis of the engineered Ap-armed SPIONs revealed a higher uptake as compared to the SPIONs alone. Conclusion: Based on our findings, the anti-MUC-1 Ap-armed PEGylated SPIONs loaded with DOX molecules could serve as an effective multifunctional theranostics for simultaneous detection and eradication of MUC-1-positive breast cancer cells.

Stimuli-responsive chitosan-based nanocarriers for cancer therapy

Introduction: Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers offer unique advantages over the traditional drug delivery systems (DDSs) in terms of targeted drug delivery and on-demand release of cargo drug molecules. Of these, chitosan (CS)-based DDSs offer several advantages such as high compatibility with biological settings. Methods: In this study, we surveyed the literature in terms of the stimuli-responsive nanocarriers and discussed the most recent advancements in terms of CS-based nanosystems and their applications in cancer therapy and diagnosis. Results: These advanced DDSs are able to release the entrapped drugs in response to a specific endogenous stimulus (e.g., pH, glutathione concentration or certain enzymes) or exogenous stimulus (e.g., temperature, light, ultrasound, and magnetic field) at the desired time and target site. Dual-responsive nanocarriers by the combination of different stimuli have also been developed as efficient and improved DDSs. Among the stimuli-responsive nanocarriers, CS-based DDSs offer several advantages, including biocompatibility and biodegradability, antibacterial activity, ease of modification and functionalization, and non-immunogenicity. They are as one of the most ideal smart multifunction DDSs. Conclusion: The CS-based stimuli-responsive multifunctional nanosystems (NSs) offer unique potential for the targeted delivery of anticancer agents and provide great potential for on-demand and controlled-release of anticancer agents in response to diverse external/internal stimuli.