Paclitaxel and curcumin co-loaded mixed micelles: Improving in vitro efficacy and reducing toxicity against Abraxane®

Nanodrugs systems for therapy and diagnosis of esophageal cancer

With the increasing incidence of esophageal cancer, its diagnosis and treatment have become one of the key issues in medical research today. However, the current diagnostic and treatment methods face many unresolved issues, such as low accuracy of early diagnosis, painful treatment process for patients, and high recurrence rate after recovery. Therefore, new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer need to be further explored, and the rapid development of nanomaterials has brought new ideas for solving this problem. Nanomaterials used as drugs or drug delivery systems possess several advantages, such as high drug capacity, adjustably specific targeting capability, and stable structure, which endow nanomaterials great application potential in cancer therapy. However, even though the nanomaterials have been widely used in cancer therapy, there are still few reviews on their application in esophageal cancer, and systematical overview and analysis are deficient. Herein, we overviewed the application of nanodrug systems in therapy and diagnosis of esophageal cancer and summarized some representative case of their application in diagnosis, chemotherapy, targeted drug, radiotherapy, immunity, surgery and new therapeutic method of esophageal cancer. In addition, the nanomaterials used for therapy of esophageal cancer complications, esophageal stenosis or obstruction and oesophagitis, are also listed here. Finally, the challenge and the future of nanomaterials used in cancer therapy were discussed.

Double-Loaded Doxorubicin/Resveratrol Polymeric Micelles Providing Low Toxicity on Cardiac Cells and Enhanced Cytotoxicity on Lymphoma Cells

The anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin is a well-known antitumour agent, however its cardiotoxicity is a significant obstacle to therapy. The aim of the present study was to improve the safety of doxorubicin through its simultaneous encapsulation with a cardioprotective agent (resveratrol) in Pluronic micelles. The formation and double-loading of the micelles was performed via the film hydration method. Infrared spectroscopy proved the successful incorporation of both drugs. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that resveratrol was loaded in the core, whereas doxorubicin was included in the shell. The double-loaded micelles were characterised by a small diameter (26 nm) and narrow size distribution, which is beneficial for enhanced permeability and retention effects. The in vitro dissolution tests showed that the release of doxorubicin depended on the pH of the medium and was faster than that of resveratrol. In vitro studies on cardioblasts showed the opportunity to reduce the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin through the presence of resveratrol in double-loaded micelles. Higher cardioprotection was observed when the cells were treated with the double-loaded micelles compared with referent solutions with equal concentrations of both drugs. In parallel, treatments of L5178 lymphoma cells with the double-loaded micelles revealed that the cytotoxic effect of doxorubicin was enhanced. Thus, the study demonstrated that the simultaneous delivery of doxorubicin and resveratrol via the micellar system enabled the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin in lymphoma cells and lowered its cardiotoxicity in cardiac cells.

Nanogels co-loading paclitaxel and curcumin prepared in situ through photopolymerization at 532 nm for synergistically suppressing breast tumors

Combined chemotherapy plays an increasingly important and practical role in the clinical treatment of malignant tumor. In this study, paclitaxel (PTX) and curcumin (Cur) are simultaneously encapsulated into nanogels (termed as NG-PC) in situ by microemulsion photopolymerization at 532 nm for synergistically suppressing breast tumors. NG-PC with a size of 180 nm and a low polydispersity index (PDI < 0.2) presents a controlled and cumulative release of PTX and Cur within 90 h. Moreover, NG-PC displays a remarkable killing effect against 4T1 and MCF-7 cells. In vivo antitumor evaluation on 4T1 tumor-bearing mice demonstrates that NG-PC has significantly higher ability to inhibit tumor growth, inducing necrosis, apoptosis and suppression of proliferation than that of a single drug. Our research provides a facile method to prepare a nano-drug delivery platform with excellent drug co-loading ability and synergistic antitumor effect.

Inhalable Mannosylated Rifampicin–Curcumin Co-Loaded Nanomicelles with Enhanced In Vitro Antimicrobial Efficacy for an Optimized Pulmonary Tuberculosis Therapy

Among respiratory infections, tuberculosis was the second deadliest infectious disease in 2020 behind COVID-19. Inhalable nanocarriers offer the possibility of actively targeting anti-tuberculosis drugs to the lungs, especially to alveolar macrophages (cellular reservoirs of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis). Our strategy was based on the development of a mannose-decorated micellar nanoformulation based in Soluplus^® to co-encapsulate rifampicin and curcumin. The former is one of the most effective anti-tuberculosis first-line drugs, while curcumin has demonstrated potential anti-mycobacterial properties. Mannose-coated rifampicin (10 mg/mL)–curcumin (5 mg/mL)-loaded polymeric micelles (10% w/v) demonstrated excellent colloidal properties with micellar size ~108 ± 1 nm after freeze-drying, and they remain stable under dilution in simulated interstitial lung fluid. Drug-loaded polymeric micelles were suitable for drug delivery to the deep lung with lung accumulation, according to the in vitro nebulization studies and the in vivo biodistribution assays of radiolabeled (99mTc) polymeric micelles, respectively. Hence, the nanoformulation did not exhibit hemolytic potential. Interestingly, the addition of mannose significantly improved (5.2-fold) the microbicidal efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv of the drug-co-loaded systems in comparison with their counterpart mannose-free polymeric micelles. Thus, this novel inhaled nanoformulation has demonstrated its potential for active drug delivery in pulmonary tuberculosis therapy.

Molecular Targets of Curcumin and Its Therapeutic Potential for Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common gynecological cancer in women globally. Conventional chemotherapy is the first therapeutic approach in the treatment of ovarian cancer, but its success is limited by severe side effects, transient response, and the high prevalence of relapse. Curcumin is a natural product found in the rhizome extract of Curcuma longa and has been extensively used over the last decades for its unique biological and medicinal properties, which include: having antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammation, and anti-tumor activities. Curcumin exerts its anticancer properties against ovarian cancer via multiple mechanisms: interfering with cellular interactions necessary for metastasis and recurrence of OC cells, increasing pro-apoptotic proteins as well as inducing or suppressing generation of different molecules such as cytokines, transcription factors, enzymes, protein kinases, and growth factors. Moreover, curcumin down-regulates various signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt, Wnt/β-catenin, JAK/STAT3, and MEK/ERK1/2 axes, which at least in part have a role in inhibiting further tumor proliferation, growth, and angiogenesis. In this review, we overview the potential of incorporating curcumin into the treatment of ovarian cancer. In particular, we summarize the preclinical evidence supporting its use in combination with current chemotherapeutic regimens as well as new analogues and formulations under investigation.

Cancer nanotechnology: current status and perspectives

Modern medicine has been waging a war on cancer for nearly a century with no tangible end in sight. Cancer treatments have significantly progressed, but the need to increase specificity and decrease systemic toxicities remains. Early diagnosis holds a key to improving prognostic outlook and patient quality of life, and diagnostic tools are on the cusp of a technological revolution. Nanotechnology has steadily expanded into the reaches of cancer chemotherapy, radiotherapy, diagnostics, and imaging, demonstrating the capacity to augment each and advance patient care. Nanomaterials provide an abundance of versatility, functionality, and applications to engineer specifically targeted cancer medicine, accurate early-detection devices, robust imaging modalities, and enhanced radiotherapy adjuvants. This review provides insights into the current clinical and pre-clinical nanotechnological applications for cancer drug therapy, diagnostics, imaging, and radiation therapy.

Self-assembled micelles of the (lipo) glycopeptides, teicoplanin, as taxane nanocarriers

The use of nanoparticles is one of the strategies currently studied to minimize the toxicity and lack of tissue specificity of many cancer drugs used in chemotherapy. In this research the physicochemical and biological behavior of a novel self-assembled nanostructure of the antibiotic Teicoplanin (Teico) was characterized as a nanocarrier system for solubilizing highly hydrophobic drugs like Paclitaxel (Ptx) in aqueous media. The Teico micelles were loaded with Ptx in DMSO or PEG-400. The interaction between the loaded micelles and Albumin human serum albumin (HSA) was then studied by size exclusion chromatography. Transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and high-resolution liquid chromatography were also used to characterize the physicochemical and structural properties of the micelles to form the Teico/Ptx and Teico/Ptx/HSA micelles. Cellular uptake of Ptx was evaluated by fluorescent microscopy. Thein vitrocytotoxicity of the complexes was studied on Hep-2 tumor cells, by a Crystal Violet assay. Teico cosolvent-free micelles can solubilize up to 20 mg.ml^-1of Ptx dissolved in PEG, increasing four times the solubility of Ptx in water compared to Abraxane, and 20 000 times the intrinsic solubility of Ptx in water. In addition, Teico/Ptx micelles binds spontaneously HSA through hydrophobic interaction. Teico and Teico/HSA micelles as a Ptx transporter does not affect its release or biological activity. Therefore, Teico/Ptx or Teico/Ptx/HSA complexes appear as new alternatives for transporting larger amounts of hydrophobic drugs that offer advantages, turning it an interesting option for further study.

The Topical Nanodelivery of Vismodegib Enhances Its Skin Penetration and Performance In Vitro While Reducing Its Toxicity In Vivo

Vismodegib is a first-in-class inhibitor for advanced basal cell carcinoma treatment. Its daily oral doses present a high distribution volume and several side effects. We evaluated its skin penetration loaded in diverse nanosystems as potential strategies to reduce side effects and drug quantities. Ultradeformable liposomes, ethosomes, colloidal liquid crystals, and dendrimers were able to transport Vismodegib to deep skin layers, while polymeric micelles failed at this. As lipidic systems were the most effective, we assessed the in vitro and in vivo toxicity of Vismodegib-loaded ultradeformable liposomes, apoptosis, and cellular uptake. Vismodegib emerges as a versatile drug that can be loaded in several delivery systems for topical application. These findings may be also useful for the consideration of topical delivery of other drugs with a low water solubility.