Development of a novel nanoformulation against the colorectal cancer

Advances in engineered nanosystems: immunomodulatory interactions for therapeutic applications

Advances in nanotechnology have led to significant progress in the design and fabrication of nanoparticles (NPs) with improved therapeutic properties. NPs have been explored for modulating the immune system, serving as carriers for drug delivery or vaccine adjuvants, or acting as therapeutics themselves against a wide range of deadly diseases. The combination of NPs with immune system-targeting moieties has facilitated the development of improved targeted immune therapies. Targeted delivery of therapeutic agents using NPs specifically to the disease-affected cells, distinguishing them from other host cells, offers the major advantage of concentrating the therapeutic effect and reducing systemic side effects. Furthermore, the properties of NPs, including size, shape, surface charge, and surface modifications, influence their interactions with the targeted biological components. This review aims to provide insights into these diverse emerging and innovative approaches that are being developed and utilized for modulating the immune system using NPs. We reviewed various types of NPs composed of different materials and their specific application for modulating the immune system. Furthermore, we focused on the mechanistic effects of these therapeutic NPs on primary immune components, including T cells, B cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, and complement systems. Additionally, a recent overview of clinically approved immunomodulatory nanomedicines and potential future perspectives, offering new paradigms of this field, is also highlighted.

Prevalence and implications of pKs-positive Escherichia coli in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant global health concern, necessitating continuous investigation into its etiology and potential risk factors. Recent research has shed light on the potential role of pKs-positive Escherichia coli (pKs + E. coli) and colibactin in the development and progression of CRC. Therefore, this review aimed to provide an updated analysis of the prevalence and implications of pKs + E. coli in colorectal cancer. We conducted a literature review search in major scientific databases to identify relevant studies exploring the association between pKs + E. coli and CRC. The search strategy included studies published up to the present date, and articles were carefully selected based on predefined inclusion criteria. Thus, the present study encompasses scientific evidence from clinical and epidemiological studies supporting the presence of pKs + E. coli in CRC patients, demonstrating a consistent and significant association in multiple studies. Furthermore, we highlighted the potential mechanisms by which colibactin may promote tumorigenesis and cancer progression within the colorectal mucosa, including the production of genotoxic virulence factors. Additionally, we explored current diagnostic methods for detecting pKs + E. coli in clinical settings, emphasizing the importance of accurate identification. Moreover, we discussed future strategies that could utilize the presence of this strain as a biomarker for CRC diagnosis and treatment. In conclusion, this review consolidated existing evidence on the prevalence and implications of pKs + E. coli in colorectal cancer. The findings underscore the importance of further research to elucidate the precise mechanisms linking this strain to CRC pathogenesis and to explore its potential as a therapeutic target or diagnostic marker. Ultimately, a better understanding of the role of pKs + E. coli in CRC may pave the way for innovative strategies in CRC management and patient care.

Organic and Biogenic Nanocarriers as Bio-Friendly Systems for Bioactive Compounds' Delivery: State-of-the Art and Challenges

"Green" strategies to build up novel organic nanocarriers with bioperformance are modern trends in nanotechnology. In this way, the valorization of bio-wastes and the use of living systems to develop multifunctional organic and biogenic nanocarriers (OBNs) have revolutionized the nanotechnological and biomedical fields. This paper is a comprehensive review related to OBNs for bioactives' delivery, providing an overview of the reports on the past two decades. In the first part, several classes of bioactive compounds and their therapeutic role are briefly presented. A broad section is dedicated to the main categories of organic and biogenic nanocarriers. The major challenges regarding the eco-design and the fate of OBNs are suggested to overcome some toxicity-related drawbacks. Future directions and opportunities, and finding "green" solutions for solving the problems related to nanocarriers, are outlined in the final of this paper. We believe that through this review, we will capture the attention of the readers and will open new perspectives for new solutions/ideas for the discovery of more efficient and "green" ways in developing novel bioperformant nanocarriers for transporting bioactive agents.

Technical and engineering considerations for designing therapeutics and delivery systems

The newly-emerged pathological conditions and increased rates of drug resistance necessitate application of the state-of-the-art technologies for accelerated discovery of the therapeutic candidates and obtaining comprehensive knowledge about their targets, action mechanisms, and interactions within the body including those between the receptors and drugs. Using the physics- and chemistry-based modern techniques for theranostic purposes, preparing smart carriers, local delivery of genes or drugs, and enhancing pharmaceutical bioavailability could be of great value against the hard-to-treat diseases and growing drug resistance. Besides the artificial intelligence- and quantum-based techniques, crystal engineering capable of designing new molecules with appropriate characteristics, improving the stability and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs, and efficient carrier development could play a crucial role in manufacturing efficient pharmaceuticals and reducing the adverse events. In this context, identifying the structures and behaviors of crystals and predicting their characteristics are of great value. Electron diffraction by accelerated analysis of the chemicals and sensitivity to charge alterations, electromechanical tools for controlled delivery of therapeutics, mechatronics via fabrication of multi-functional smart products including the organ-on-chip devices for healthcare applications, and optomechatronics by overcoming the limitations of conventional biomedical techniques could address the unmet biomedical requirements and facilitate development of more effective theranostics with improved outcomes.

Nanobionics: From plant empowering to the infectious disease treatment

Infectious diseases (ID) are serious threats against the global health and socio-economic conditions. Vaccination usually plays a key role in disease prevention, however, insufficient efficiency or immunogenicity may be quite challenging. Using the advanced vectors for delivery of vaccines with suitable efficiency, safety, and immune-modulatory activity, and tunable characteristics could be helpful, but there are no systematic reviews confirming the capabilities of the vaccine delivery systems for covering various types of pathogens. Furthermore, high rates of the infections, transmission, and fatal ratio and diversity of the pathogens and infection mechanisms may negatively influence vaccine effectiveness. The absence of highly-effective antibiotics against the resistant strains of bacteria and longevity of antibiotic testing have provoked increasing needs towards the application of more accurate and specific theranostic strategies including the nanotechnology-based ones. Nanobionics which is based on the charge storage and transport in the molecular structures, could be of key value in the molecular diagnostic tests and highly-specific electro-analytical methods or devices. Such devices based on the early disease diagnostics might be of critical significance against various types of diseases. This article highlights the significance of nanobionics against ID.

Mithramycin delivery systems to develop effective therapies in sarcomas

BACKGROUND

Sarcomas comprise a group of aggressive malignancies with very little treatment options beyond standard chemotherapy. Reposition of approved drugs represents an attractive approach to identify effective therapeutic compounds. One example is mithramycin (MTM), a natural antibiotic which has demonstrated a strong antitumour activity in several tumour types, including sarcomas. However, its widespread use in the clinic was limited by its poor toxicity profile.

RESULTS

In order to improve the therapeutic index of MTM, we have loaded MTM into newly developed nanocarrier formulations. First, polylactide (PLA) polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) were generated by nanoprecipitation. Also, liposomes (LIP) were prepared by ethanol injection and evaporation solvent method. Finally, MTM-loaded hydrogels (HG) were obtained by passive loading using a urea derivative non-peptidic hydrogelator. MTM-loaded NPs and LIP display optimal hydrodynamic radii between 80 and 105 nm with a very low polydispersity index (PdI) and encapsulation efficiencies (EE) of 92 and 30%, respectively. All formulations show a high stability and different release rates ranging from a fast release in HG (100% after 30 min) to more sustained release from NPs (100% after 24 h) and LIP (40% after 48 h). In vitro assays confirmed that all assayed MTM formulations retain the cytotoxic, anti-invasive and anti-stemness potential of free MTM in models of myxoid liposarcoma, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and chondrosarcoma. In addition, whole genome transcriptomic analysis evidenced the ability of MTM, both free and encapsulated, to act as a multi-repressor of several tumour-promoting pathways at once. Importantly, the treatment of mice bearing sarcoma xenografts showed that encapsulated MTM exhibited enhanced therapeutic effects and was better tolerated than free MTM.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, these novel formulations may represent an efficient and safer MTM-delivering alternative for sarcoma treatment.