LC-MS metabolomics comparisons of cancer cell and macrophage responses to methotrexate and polymer-encapsulated methotrexate

The toxicity of nanoparticles and their interaction with cells: an in vitro metabolomic perspective

Nowadays, nanomaterials (NMs) are widely present in daily life due to their significant benefits, as demonstrated by their application in many fields such as biomedicine, engineering, food, cosmetics, sensing, and energy. However, the increasing production of NMs multiplies the chances of their release into the surrounding environment, making human exposure to NMs inevitable. Currently, nanotoxicology is a crucial field, which focuses on studying the toxicity of NMs. The toxicity or effects of nanoparticles (NPs) on the environment and humans can be preliminary assessed in vitro using cell models. However, the conventional cytotoxicity assays, such as the MTT assay, have some drawbacks including the possibility of interference with the studied NPs. Therefore, it is necessary to employ more advanced techniques that provide high throughput analysis and avoid interferences. In this case, metabolomics is one of the most powerful bioanalytical strategies to assess the toxicity of different materials. By measuring the metabolic change upon the introduction of a stimulus, this technique can reveal the molecular information of the toxicity induced by NPs. This provides the opportunity to design novel and efficient nanodrugs and minimizes the risks of NPs used in industry and other fields. Initially, this review summarizes the ways that NPs and cells interact and the NP parameters that play a role in this interaction, and then the assessment of these interactions using conventional assays and the challenges encountered are discussed. Subsequently, in the main part, we introduce the recent studies employing metabolomics for the assessment of these interactions in vitro.

Taste Masking of Promethazine Hydrochloride Using l-Arginine Polyamide-Based Nanocapsules

Promethazine hydrochloride (PMZ), a potent H1-histamine blocker widely used to prevent motion sickness, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, has a bitter taste. In the present study, taste masked PMZ nanocapsules (NCs) were prepared using an interfacial polycondensation technique. A one-step approach was used to expedite the synthesis of NCs made from a biocompatible and biodegradable polyamide based on l-arginine. The produced NCs had an average particle size of 193.63 ± 39.1 nm and a zeta potential of −31.7 ± 1.25 mV, indicating their stability. The NCs were characterized using differential scanning calorimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction, as well as transmission electron microscopy that demonstrated the formation of the NCs and the incorporation of PMZ within the polymer. The in vitro release study of the PMZ-loaded NCs displayed a 0.91 ± 0.02% release of PMZ after 10 min using artificial saliva as the dissolution media, indicating excellent taste masked particles. The in vivo study using mice revealed that the amount of fluid consumed by the PMZ-NCs group was significantly higher than that consumed by the free PMZ group (p < 0.05). This study confirmed that NCs using polyamides based on l-arginine and interfacial polycondensation can serve as a good platform for the effective taste masking of bitter actives.

Tumor Targeting with Methotrexate-Conjugated Zwitterionic Near-Infrared Fluorophore for Precise Photothermal Therapy

Targeted tumor imaging can effectively enable image-guided surgery and precise cancer therapy. Finding the right combination of anticancer drugs and near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores is the key to targeted photothermal cancer treatment. In this study, a tumor-targetable NIR fluorophore conjugate with rapid body clearance was developed for accurate tumor imaging and effective photothermal therapy (PTT). The methotrexate (MTX) and zwitterionic NIR fluorophore conjugate (MTX-ZW) were prepared by conjugating a folate antagonist MTX with an aminated ZW800-1 analog to increase the tumor targetability for NIR laser-based PTT of cancer. The MTX, known as a poor tumor-selective drug, showed high tumor accumulation and rapid background clearance after conjugation with the highly water-soluble zwitterionic NIR fluorophore up to 4 h post-injection. The photothermal energy was generated from the MTX-ZW conjugate to induce necrotic cell death in the targeted tumor site under 808 nm laser irradiation. Compared with the previously reported MTX conjugates, the MTX-ZW conjugate can be a great candidate for targeted tumor imaging and fluorescence-guided photothermal cancer therapy. Therefore, these results provide a strategy for the design of drug-fluorophore conjugates and elaborate therapeutic platforms for cancer phototherapy.

Metabolic Signatures of Surface-Modified Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) Nanoparticles in Differentiated THP-1 Cells Derived with Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-based Metabolomics

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in preclinical drug delivery investigations, and some formulations are now in the clinic. However, the detailed effects of many NPs at the subcellular level have not been fully investigated. In this study, we used differentiated THP-1 macrophage cells, as a model, to investigate the metabolic changes associated with the use of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs with different surface coating or conjugation chemistries. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling was performed on the extracts (n = 6) of the differentiated THP-1 cells treated with plain, Pluronic (F-127, F-68, and P-85)-coated and PEG-PLGA NPs and control (no treatment). Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) in conjunction with univariate and pathway analyses were performed to identify significantly changed metabolites and pathways related to exposure of the cells to NPs. OPLS-DA of each class in the study compared to the control showed clear separation and clustering with cross-validation values of R ² and Q ² > 0.5. A total of 105 metabolites and lipids were found to be significantly altered in the differentiated THP-1 cell profiles due to the NP exposure, whereas more than 20 metabolic pathways were found to be affected. These pathways included glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid, linoleic acid, arginine and proline, and alpha-linolenic acid metabolisms. PLGA NPs were found to perturb some amino acid metabolic pathways and altered membrane lipids to a different degree. The metabolic effect of the PLGA NPs on the cells were comparable to those caused by silver oxide NPs and other inorganic nanomaterials. However, PEG-PLGA NPs demonstrated a reduced impact on the cellular metabolism compared to Pluronic copolymer-coated PLGA and plain PLGA NPs.

Molecular and Metabolomic Investigation of Celecoxib Antiproliferative Activity in Mono-and Combination Therapy Against Breast Cancer Cell Models

BACKGROUND

Chronic inflammation plays a crucial role in the initiation, promotion, and invasion of tumors, and thus the antiproliferative effects of numerous anti-inflammatory drugs have been frequently reported in the literature. Upregulation of the pro-inflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been linked to various human cancers, including breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES

This research aims to investigate the antiproliferative activity of different Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including COX-2 selective and non-selective agents, against various breast cancer cell lines and to elucidate possible molecular pathways involved in their activity.

METHODS

The antiproliferative and combined effects of NSAIDs with raloxifene were evaluated by MTT assay. Cell migration was assessed using a wound-healing assay. The mechanism of cell death was determined using the Annexin V-FITC/ propidium iodide staining flow cytometry method. A mass spectrometry-based targeted metabolomics approach was used to profile the metabolomic changes induced in the T47d cells upon drug treatment.

RESULTS

Our results have demonstrated that celecoxib, a potent and selective COX-2 inhibitor, resulted in significant antiproliferative activity against all examined breast cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 95.44, 49.50. and 97.70 μM against MDA-MB-231, T47d, and MCF-7, respectively. Additionally, celecoxib exhibited a synergistic effect against T47d cells combined with raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator. Interestingly, celecoxib treatment increased cell apoptosis and resulted in substantial inhibition of cancer cell migration. In addition, the metabolomic analysis suggests that celecoxib may have affected metabolites (n = 43) that are involved in several pathways, including the tricarboxylic acid cycle, amino acids metabolism pathways, and energy production pathways in cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

Celecoxib may possess potential therapeutic utility for breast cancer treatment as monotherapy or in combination therapy. The reported metabolic changes taking place upon celecoxib treatment may shed light on possible molecular targets mediating the antiproliferative activity of celecoxib in an independent manner of its COX-2 inhibition.

Phospholipid-Gold Nanorods Induce Energy Crisis in MCF-7 Cells: Cytotoxicity Evaluation Using LC-MS-Based Metabolomics Approach

Phospholipid-modified gold nanorods (phospholipid-GNRs) have demonstrated drastic cytotoxicity towards MCF-7 breast cancer cells compared to polyethylene glycol-coated GNRs (PEG-GNRs). In this study, the mechanism of cytotoxicity of phospholipid-GNRs towards MCF-7 cells was investigated using mass spectrometry-based global metabolic profiling and compared to PEGylated counterparts. The results showed that when compared to PEG-GNRs, phospholipid-GNRs induced significant and more pronounced impact on the metabolic profile of MCF-7 cells. Phospholipid-GNRs significantly decreased the levels of metabolic intermediates and end-products associated with cellular energy metabolisms resulting in dysfunction in TCA cycle, a reduction in glycolytic activity, and imbalance of the redox state. Additionally, phospholipid-GNRs disrupted several metabolism pathways essential for the normal growth and proliferation of cancer cells including impairment in purine, pyrimidine, and glutathione metabolisms accompanied by lower amino acid pools. On the other hand, the effects of PEG-GNRs were limited to alteration of glycolysis and pyrimidine metabolism. The current work shed light on the importance of metabolomics as a valuable analytical approach to explore the molecular effects of GNRs with different surface chemistry on cancer cell and highlights metabolic targets that might serve as promising treatment strategy in cancer.