Development and characterization of inhalable transferrin functionalized amodiaquine nanoparticles - Efficacy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) treatment

Impact of the diseased lung microenvironment on the in vivo fate of inhaled particles

Inhalation drug delivery is superior for local lung disease therapy. However, there are several unique absorption barriers for inhaled drugs to overcome, including limited drug deposition at the target site, mucociliary clearance, pulmonary macrophage phagocytosis, and systemic exposure. Moreover, the respiratory disease state can affect or even destroy the physiology of the lung, thus influencing the in vivo fate of inhaled particles compared with that in healthy lungs. Nevertheless, limited information is available on this effect. Thus, in this review, we present pathological changes of the lung microenvironment under varied respiratory diseases and their influence on the in vivo fate of inhaled particles; such insights could provide a basis for rational inhalation particle design based on specific disease states.

Mucoadhesive chitosan-poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles for intranasal delivery of quetiapine - Development & characterization in physiologically relevant 3D tissue models

Quetiapine hemifumarate (QF) delivery to the CNS via conventional formulations is challenging due to poor solubility and lower oral bioavailability (9 %). Similarly, many other second-generation antipsychotics, such as olanzapine, clozapine, and paliperidone, have also shown low oral bioavailability of <50 %. Hence, the present work was intended to formulate QF-loaded biodegradable PLGA-NPs with appropriate surface charge modification through poloxamer-chitosan and investigate its targeting potential on RPMI-2650 cell lines to overcome the limitations of conventional therapies. QF-loaded poloxamer-chitosan-PLGA in-situ gel (QF-PLGA-ISG) was designed using emulsification and solvent evaporation techniques. Developed QF-PLGA-ISG were subjected to evaluation for particle size, PDI, zeta potential, ex-vivo mucoadhesion, entrapment efficiency (%EE), and drug loading, which revealed 162.2 nm, 0.124, +20.5 mV, 52.4 g, 77.5 %, and 9.7 %, respectively. Additionally, QF-PLGA formulation showed >90 % release within 12 h compared to 80 % of QF-suspension, demonstrating that the surfactant with chitosan-poloxamer polymers could sustainably release medicine across the membrane. Ex-vivo hemolysis study proved that developed PLGA nanoparticles did not cause any hemolysis compared to negative control. Further, in-vitro cellular uptake and transepithelial permeation were assessed using the RPMI-2650 nasal epithelial cell line. QF-PLGA-ISG not only improved intracellular uptake but also demonstrated a 1.5-2-fold increase in QF transport across RPMI-2650 epithelial monolayer. Further studies in the EpiNasal™ 3D nasal tissue model confirmed the safety and efficacy of the developed QF-PLGA-ISG formulation with up to a 4-fold increase in transport compared to plain QF after 4 h. Additionally, histological reports demonstrated the safety of optimized formulation. Finally, favorable outcomes of IN QF-PLGA-ISG formulation could provide a novel platform for safe and effective delivery of QF in schizophrenic patients.

Nanomedicines for targeted pulmonary delivery: receptor-mediated strategy and alternatives

Pulmonary drug delivery of nanomedicines is promising for the treatment of lung diseases; however, their lack of specificity required for targeted delivery limit their applications. Recently, a variety of pulmonary delivery targeting nanomedicines (PDTNs) has been developed for enhancing drug accumulation in lung lesions and reducing systemic side effects. Furthermore, with the increasing profound understanding of the specific microenvironment of different local lung diseases, multiple targeting strategies have been employed to promote drug delivery efficiency, which can be divided into the receptor-mediated strategy and alternatives. In this review, the current publication trend on PDTNs is analyzed and discussed, revealing that the research in this area has been attracting much attention. According to the different unique microenvironments of lung lesions, the reported PDTNs based on the receptor-mediated strategy for lung cancer, lung infection, lung inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis are listed and summarized. In addition, several other well-established strategies for the design of these PDTNs, such as charge regulation, mucus delivery enhancement, stimulus-responsive drug delivery and magnetic force-driven targeting, are introduced and discussed. Besides, bottlenecks in the development of PDTNs are discussed. Finally, we highlight the challenges and opportunities in the development of PDTNs. We hope that this review will provide an overview of the available PDTNs for guiding the treatment of lung diseases.

Pulmonary delivery of nano-particles for lung cancer diagnosis and therapy: Recent advances and future prospects

Although our understanding of lung cancer has significantly improved in the past decade, it is still a disease with a high incidence and mortality rate. The key reason is that the efficacy of the therapeutic drugs is limited, mainly due to insufficient doses of drugs delivered to the lungs. To achieve precise lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, nano-particles (NPs) pulmonary delivery techniques have attracted much attention and facilitate the exploration of the potential of those in inhalable NPs targeting tumor lesions. Since the therapeutic research focusing on pulmonary delivery NPs has rapidly developed and evolved substantially, this review will mainly discuss the current developments of pulmonary delivery NPs for precision lung cancer diagnosis and therapy. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Respiratory Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging.

A Nanoemulgel for Nose-to-Brain delivery of Quetiapine - QbD-Enabled formulation development & in-vitro characterization

Second-generation antipsychotics, quetiapine hemifumarate (QF), exhibited highly active against negative and positive signs of psychosis. However, contemporary reports have shown that long-term therapy with QF causes lethal thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. Hence, to circumvent the drawbacks of available therapies, the current work aimed to design a QF-loaded biodegradable nanoemulsion (QF-NE) with suitable surface charge modification by poloxamer-chitosan and evaluate its targeting efficiency against RPMI-2650 cell lines. QF-loaded poloxamer-chitosan in-situ gel (QF-Nanoemulgel) was formulated through the O/W emulsification aqueous titration technique and optimized using the QbD approach. Optimized QF-Nanoemulgel subjected to evaluate for globule size, PDI, zeta potential, %T, viscosity, %EE, and ex-vivo mucoadhesive strength were found to be 15.0 ± 0.3 nm, 0.05 ± 0.001, -18.3 ± 0.2 mV, 99.8 ± 0.8 %, 13.5 ± 2.1 cP, 69.0 ± 1.5 %, and 43.7 ± 1.5 g, respectively. QF-Nanoemulgel revealed sustained release and obeyed zero-order kinetics compared to QF-NE and QF-suspension. Additionally, nanoformulations treated blood samples did not cause hemolytic activity compared to drug and negative control after 10 h treatment. Further, in-vitro cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and permeation of 12.5 and 25 μM QF-Nanoemulgel were assessed on RPMI-2650 cells and discovered nontoxic with 0.55 ± 0.02 µg and 1.1 ± 0.04 µg cellular permeation, respectively, which ensured the safety and potency of QF-Nanogel. Current research revealed the successful development of intranasal QF-Nanoemulgel as a novel dosage form for the safe and effective delivery of QF in schizophrenia patients.

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

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

Development and Characterization of Folic Acid-Conjugated Amodiaquine-Loaded Nanoparticles-Efficacy in Cancer Treatment

The objective of this study was to construct amodiaquine-loaded, folic acid-conjugated polymeric nanoparticles (FA-AQ NPs) to treat cancer that could be scaled to commercial production. In this study, folic acid (FA) was conjugated with a PLGA polymer followed by the formulation of drug-loaded NPs. The results of the conjugation efficiency confirmed the conjugation of FA with PLGA. The developed folic acid-conjugated nanoparticles demonstrated uniform particle size distributions and had visible spherical shapes under transmission electron microscopy. The cellular uptake results suggested that FA modification could enhance the cellular internalization of nanoparticulate systems in non-small cell lung cancer, cervical, and breast cancer cell types. Furthermore, cytotoxicity studies showed the superior efficacy of FA-AQ NPs in different cancer cells such as MDAMB-231 and HeLA. FA-AQ NPs had better anti-tumor abilities demonstrated via 3D spheroid cell culture studies. Therefore, FA-AQ NPs could be a promising drug delivery system for cancer therapy.

Advances in nanomaterial-based targeted drug delivery systems

Nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems (NBDDS) are widely used to improve the safety and therapeutic efficacy of encapsulated drugs due to their unique physicochemical and biological properties. By combining therapeutic drugs with nanoparticles using rational targeting pathways, nano-targeted delivery systems were created to overcome the main drawbacks of conventional drug treatment, including insufficient stability and solubility, lack of transmembrane transport, short circulation time, and undesirable toxic effects. Herein, we reviewed the recent developments in different targeting design strategies and therapeutic approaches employing various nanomaterial-based systems. We also discussed the challenges and perspectives of smart systems in precisely targeting different intravascular and extravascular diseases.

Exploring Amodiaquine's Repurposing Potential in Breast Cancer Treatment-Assessment of In-Vitro Efficacy & Mechanism of Action

Due to the heterogeneity of breast cancer, current available treatment options are moderately effective at best. Hence, it is highly recommended to comprehend different subtypes, understand pathogenic mechanisms involved, and develop treatment modalities. The repurposing of an old FDA approved anti-malarial drug, amodiaquine (AQ) presents an outstanding opportunity to explore its efficacy in treating majority of breast cancer subtypes. Cytotoxicity, scratch assay, vasculogenic mimicry study, and clonogenic assay were employed to determine AQ's ability to inhibit cell viability, cell migration, vascular formation, and colony growth. 3D Spheroid cell culture studies were performed to identify tumor growth inhibition potential of AQ in MCF-7 and MDAMB-231 cell lines. Apoptosis assays, cell cycle analysis, RT-qPCR assays, and Western blot studies were performed to determine AQ's ability to induce apoptosis, cell cycle changes, gene expression changes, and induction of autophagy marker proteins. The results from in-vitro studies confirmed the potential of AQ as an anti-cancer drug. In different breast cancer cell lines tested, AQ significantly induces cytotoxicity, inhibit colony formation, inhibit cell migration, reduces 3D spheroid volume, induces apoptosis, blocks cell cycle progression, inhibit expression of cancer related genes, and induces LC3BII protein to inhibit autophagy. Our results demonstrate that amodiaquine is a promising drug to repurpose for breast cancer treatment, which needs numerous efforts from further studies.