TPGS functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery to overcome multidrug resistance

Polycaprolactone - Vitamin E TPGS micelles for delivery of paclitaxel: In vitro and in vivo evaluation

This study aimed to present findings on a paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded polymeric micellar formulation based on polycaprolactone-vitamin E TPGS (PCL-TPGS) and evaluate its in vitro anticancer activity as well as its in vivo pharmacokinetic profile in healthy mice in comparison to a marketed formulation. Micelles were prepared by a co-solvent evaporation method. The micelle's average diameter and polydispersity were determined using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. Drug encapsulation efficiency was assessed using an HPLC assay. The in vitro cytotoxicity was performed on human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) using MTT assay. The in vivo pharmacokinetic profile was characterized following a single intravenous dose of 4 mg/kg to healthy mice. The mean diameters of the prepared micelles were ≤ 100 nm. Moreover, these micelles increased the aqueous solubility of PTX from ∼0.3 μg/mL to reach nearly 1 mg/mL. While the PTX-loaded micelles showed an in vitro cytotoxicity comparable to the marketed formulation (Ebetaxel), drug-free PCL-TPGS micelles did not show any cytotoxic effects on both types of breast cancer cells (∼100% viability). Pharmacokinetics of PTX as part of PCL-TPGS showed a significant increase in its volume of distribution compared to PTX conventional formulation, Ebetaxel, which is in line with what was reported for clinical nano formulations of PTX, i.e., Abraxane, Genexol-PM, or Apealea. The findings of our studies indicate a significant potential for PCL-TPGS micelles to act as an effective system for solubilization and delivery of PTX.

(Nano)platforms in breast cancer therapy: Drug/gene delivery, advanced nanocarriers and immunotherapy

Breast cancer is the most malignant tumor in women, and there is no absolute cure for it. Although treatment modalities including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are utilized for breast cancer, it is still a life-threatening disease for humans. Nanomedicine has provided a new opportunity in breast cancer treatment, which is the focus of the current study. The nanocarriers deliver chemotherapeutic agents and natural products, both of which increase cytotoxicity against breast tumor cells and prevent the development of drug resistance. The efficacy of gene therapy is boosted by nanoparticles and the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9, Noncoding RNAs, and RNAi, promoting their potential for gene expression regulation. The drug and gene codelivery by nanoparticles can exert a synergistic impact on breast tumors and enhance cellular uptake via endocytosis. Nanostructures are able to induce photothermal and photodynamic therapy for breast tumor ablation via cell death induction. The nanoparticles can provide tumor microenvironment remodeling and repolarization of macrophages for antitumor immunity. The stimuli-responsive nanocarriers, including pH-, redox-, and light-sensitive, can mediate targeted suppression of breast tumors. Besides, nanoparticles can provide a diagnosis of breast cancer and detect biomarkers. Various kinds of nanoparticles have been employed for breast cancer therapy, including carbon-, lipid-, polymeric- and metal-based nanostructures, which are different in terms of biocompatibility and delivery efficiency.

Current perspectives and trends in nanoparticle drug delivery systems in breast cancer: bibliometric analysis and review

The treatment of breast cancer (BC) is a serious challenge due to its heterogeneous nature, multidrug resistance (MDR), and limited therapeutic options. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems (NDDSs) represent a promising tool for overcoming toxicity and chemotherapy drug resistance in BC treatment. No bibliometric studies have yet been published on the research landscape of NDDS-based treatment of BC. In this review, we extracted data from 1,752 articles on NDDS-based treatment of BC published between 2012 and 2022 from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and some online platforms were used for bibliometric analysis and visualization. Publication trends were initially observed: in terms of geographical distribution, China and the United States had the most papers on this subject. The highest contributing institution was Sichuan University. In terms of authorship and co-cited authorship, the most prolific author was Yu Zhang. Furthermore, Qiang Zhang and co-workers have made tremendous achievements in the field of NDDS-based BC treatment. The article titled "Nanomedicine in cancer therapy: challenges, opportunities, and clinical applications" had the most citations. The Journal of Controlled Release was one of the most active publishers in the field. "Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries" was the most cited reference. We also analysed "hot" and cutting-edge research for NDDSs in BC treatment. There were nine topic clusters: "tumour microenvironment," "nanoparticles (drug delivery)," "breast cancer/triple-negative breast cancer," "combination therapy," "drug release (pathway)," "multidrug resistance," "recent advance," "targeted drug delivery", and "cancer nanomedicine." We also reviewed the core themes of research. In summary, this article reviewed the application of NDDSs in the treatment of BC.

Emerging nanotechnology-based therapeutics to combat multidrug-resistant cancer

Cancer often develops multidrug resistance (MDR) when cancer cells become resistant to numerous structurally and functionally different chemotherapeutic agents. MDR is considered one of the principal reasons for the failure of many forms of clinical chemotherapy. Several factors are involved in the development of MDR including increased expression of efflux transporters, the tumor microenvironment, changes in molecular targets and the activity of cancer stem cells. Recently, researchers have designed and developed a number of small molecule inhibitors and derivatives of natural compounds to overcome various mechanisms of clinical MDR. Unfortunately, most of the chemosensitizing approaches have failed in clinical trials due to non-specific interactions and adverse side effects at pharmacologically effective concentrations. Nanomedicine approaches provide an efficient drug delivery platform to overcome the limitations of conventional chemotherapy and improve therapeutic effectiveness. Multifunctional nanomaterials have been found to facilitate drug delivery by improving bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs to overcome MDR. In this review article, we discuss the major factors contributing to MDR and the limitations of existing chemotherapy- and nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems to overcome clinical MDR mechanisms. We critically review recent nanotechnology-based approaches to combat tumor heterogeneity, drug efflux mechanisms, DNA repair and apoptotic machineries to overcome clinical MDR. Recent successful therapies of this nature include liposomal nanoformulations, cRGDY-PEG-Cy5.5-Carbon dots and Cds/ZnS core–shell quantum dots that have been employed for the effective treatment of various cancer sub-types including small cell lung, head and neck and breast cancers.

Overcoming multidrug resistance through targeting ABC transporters: lessons for drug discovery

INTRODUCTION

The argument around cancer therapy is an old one. Using chemotherapeutic drugs, as one of the most effective strategies in treatment of malignancies, is restricted by various issues that progress during therapy and avoid achieving clinical endpoints. Multidrug resistance (MDR), frequently mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, is one of the most recognized obstacles in the success of pharmacological anticancer approaches. These transporters efflux diverse drugs to extracellular environment, causing MDR and responsiveness of tumor cells to chemotherapy diminishes.

AREAS COVERED

Several strategies have been used to overcome MDR phenomenon. Succession in this field requires complete knowledge about features and mechanism of ABC transporters. In this review, conventional synthetic and natural inhibitors are discussed first and then novel approaches including RNA, monoclonal antibodies, nanobiotechnology, and structural modification techniques are represented.

EXPERT OPINION

With increasing frequency of MDR in cancer cells, it is essential to develop new drugs to inhibit MDR. Using knowledge acquired about ABC transporter's structure, rational design of inhibitors is possible. Also, some herbal products have shown to be potential lead compounds in drug discovery for reversal of MDR.

Application of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy and Delivery of Repurposed Anthelmintics for Cancer Therapy

This review focuses on the biomedical application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), mainly focusing on the therapeutic application of MSNs for cancer treatment and specifically on overcoming the challenges of currently available anthelmintics (e.g., low water solubility) as repurposed drugs for cancer treatment. MSNs, due to their promising features, such as tunable pore size and volume, ability to control the drug release, and ability to convert the crystalline state of drugs to an amorphous state, are appropriate carriers for drug delivery with the improved solubility of hydrophobic drugs. The biomedical applications of MSNs can be further improved by the development of MSN-based multimodal anticancer therapeutics (e.g., photosensitizer-, photothermal-, and chemotherapeutics-modified MSNs) and chemical modifications, such as poly ethyleneglycol (PEG)ylation. In this review, various applications of MSNs (photodynamic and sonodynamic therapies, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy) and, in particular, as the carrier of anthelmintics for cancer therapy have been discussed. Additionally, the issues related to the safety of these nanoparticles have been deeply discussed. According to the findings of this literature review, the applications of MSN nanosystems for cancer therapy are a promising approach to improving the efficacy of the diagnostic and chemotherapeutic agents. Moreover, the MSN systems seem to be an efficient strategy to further help to decrease treatment costs by reducing the drug dose.

Recent advances in anti-multidrug resistance for nano-drug delivery system

Chemotherapy for tumors occasionally results in drug resistance, which is the major reason for the treatment failure. Higher drug doses could improve the therapeutic effect, but higher toxicity limits the further treatment. For overcoming drug resistance, functional nano-drug delivery system (NDDS) has been explored to sensitize the anticancer drugs and decrease its side effects, which are applied in combating multidrug resistance (MDR) via a variety of mechanisms including bypassing drug efflux, controlling drug release, and disturbing metabolism. This review starts with a brief report on the major MDR causes. Furthermore, we searched the papers from NDDS and introduced the recent advances in sensitizing the chemotherapeutic drugs against MDR tumors. Finally, we concluded that the NDDS was based on several mechanisms, and we looked forward to the future in this field.

Targeted Cancer Therapy via pH-Functionalized Nanoparticles: A Scoping Review of Methods and Outcomes

(1) Background: In recent years, several studies have described various and heterogenous methods to sensitize nanoparticles (NPs) to pH changes; therefore, in this current scoping review, we aimed to map current protocols for pH functionalization of NPs and analyze the outcomes of drug-loaded pH-functionalized NPs (pH-NPs) when delivered in vivo in tumoral tissue. (2) Methods: A systematic search of the PubMed database was performed for all published studies relating to in vivo models of anti-tumor drug delivery via pH-responsive NPs. Data on the type of NPs, the pH sensitization method, the in vivo model, the tumor cell line, the type and name of drug for targeted therapy, the type of in vivo imaging, and the method of delivery and outcomes were extracted in a separate database. (3) Results: One hundred and twenty eligible manuscripts were included. Interestingly, 45.8% of studies (n = 55) used polymers to construct nanoparticles, while others used other types, i.e., mesoporous silica (n = 15), metal (n = 8), lipids (n = 12), etc. The mean acidic pH value used in the current literature is 5.7. When exposed to in vitro acidic environment, without exception, pH-NPs released drugs inversely proportional to the pH value. pH-NPs showed an increase in tumor regression compared to controls, suggesting better targeted drug release. (4) Conclusions: pH-NPs were shown to improve drug delivery and enhance antitumoral effects in various experimental malignant cell lines.

Photothermal MnO2 nanoparticles boost chemo-photothermal therapy-induced immunogenic cell death in tumor immunotherapy

The induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) is an attractive strategy for generating in situ autologous tumor cell-based vaccines and thus has great potential in cancer prevention and personalized immunotherapy. However, the effectiveness of ICD in tumor immunotherapy has been greatly limited, mainly by low induction efficiency and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, we report a new strategy for chemo-photothermal therapy-induced ICD by employing photothermal MnO₂ nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) in tumor immunotherapy to overcome the low efficiency of traditional ICD inducers and the immunosuppressive TME. Specifically, we prepared photothermal bovine serum albumin (BSA)-templated MnO₂ NPs (BSA/MnO₂ NPs) with good aqueous dispersibility and high biocompatibility through the direct reduction of KMnO₄ with BSA, and we then efficiently loaded DOX, an ICD inducer, onto the MnO₂ NPs through coordination (DOX-BSA/MnO₂ NPs). The DOX-BSA/MnO₂ NPs achieved high photothermal conversion efficiency, highly efficient tumor targeting, TME-responsive DOX release and modulation of the hypoxic TME. Notably, a marked in vivo synergistic therapeutic effect was achieved in a triple-negative breast carcinoma-bearing mouse model by combining chemo-photothermal therapy-induced ICD with amelioration of the immunosuppressive TME. Our research highlights the great promise of modulating the TME with photothermal MnO₂ nanosystems to enhance ICD-induced antitumor immunotherapy.

Hybrid Membrane Nanovaccines Combined with Immune Checkpoint Blockade to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy

Purpose

Cancer vaccines are a promising therapeutic approach in cancer immunotherapy and can inhibit tumor growth and prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis by activating a sustained antitumor immunoprotective effect. However, the therapeutic effect of cancer vaccines is severely weakened by the low immunogenicity of cancer antigens and the immunosuppressive microenvironment in tumor tissues.

Methods

Here, we report a novel hybrid membrane nanovaccine, composed of mesoporous silica nanoparticle as a delivery carrier, hybrid cell membranes obtained from dendritic cells and cancer cells, and R837 as an immune adjuvant (R837@HM-NPs). We investigated the anti-tumor, tumor recurrence and metastasis prevention abilities of R837@HM-NPs and their mechanisms of action through a series of in vivo and ex vivo experiments.

Results

R837@HM-NPs not only provide effective antigenic stimulation but are also a durable supply of the immune adjuvant R837. In addition, R837@HM-NPs promote antigen endocytosis into dendritic cells via various receptor-mediated pathways. Compared with HM-NPs or R837@HM-NPs, R837@HM-NPs in combination with an immune checkpoint blockade showed stronger antitumor immune responses in inhibiting tumor growth, thus eliminating established tumors, and rejecting re-challenged tumors by regulating the immunosuppressive microenvironment and immunological memory effect.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that the hybrid membrane nanovaccine in combination with immune checkpoint blockade is a powerful strategy to enhance antitumor immunotherapy without concerns of systemic toxicity.

Biomimetic Nucleation of Metal-Organic Frameworks on Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles for Designing Core-Shell-Structured pH-Responsive Anticancer Drug Carriers

Silk fibroin (SF) is a biomacromolecule that can be assembled into nanostructures and induce biomimetic nucleation of inorganic materials. Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), a metal-organic framework (MOF), can be dissolved selectively under acidic pH. Here, we integrated SF and ZIF-8 to develop novel drug carriers that selectively release drug in the acidic intracellular environment of cancer cells. Specifically, SF was assembled into nanoparticles (SF-NPs), which were then loaded with an antitumor drug, doxorubicin (DOX), to form DSF-NPs. Due to the SF-mediated organization of ZIF-8 precursors such as zinc ions, the DSF-NPs further templated the nucleation of ZIF-8 onto their surface to generate core-shell-structured NPs (termed DSF@Z-NPs) with ZIF-8 as a shell and DSF-NP as a core. We found that the DSF@Z-NPs, highly stable under neutral conditions, could be uptaken by breast cancer cells, release DOX selectively owing to dissolution of ZIF-8 shells in the acidic intracellular environment in a controlled manner, and induce cell apoptosis. We also confirmed that the DSF@Z-NPs could inhibit tumor growth more efficiently to reach a higher survival rate than their controls by inducing cell apoptosis in vivo. Our study suggests that SF and MOF could be combined to design a new type of cancer therapeutics.

Star polyester-based folate acid-targeting nanoparticles for doxorubicin and curcumin co-delivery to combat multidrug-resistant breast cancer

Chemotherapeutic treatments are indispensable in the treatment of breast cancer. However, the emergence of multidrug-resistance, strong cell toxicity, and poor targeting selection has inhibited their clinical application. In this study, two synergistic drugs, doxorubicin (DOX) and curcumin (CUR), were co-administered to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR). Based on the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment, we developed folic acid-modified nanoparticles ((DOX + CUR)-FA-NPs) based on a star-shaped polyester (FA-TRI-CL) to enhance the tumor targeting selectivity and drug loading (DL) capacity. The (DOX + CUR)-FA-NPs displayed a characteristic spheroid morphology with an ideal diameter (186.52 nm), polydispersity index (0.024), zeta potential (-18.87 mV), and good entrapment efficiency (97.64%/78.13%, DOX/CUR) and DL (20.27%/11.29%, DOX/CUR) values. In vitro pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic experiments demonstrated that the (DOX + CUR)-FA-NPs were gradually released, and they displayed the highest cell apoptosis and cellular uptake in MCF-7/ADR cells. Additionally, in vivo results illustrated that (DOX + CUR)-FA-NPs not only displayed significant tumor targeting and anticancer efficacy, but also induced less pathological damage to the normal tissue. In summary, co-administered DOX and CUR appeared to reverse MDR, and this targeted combinational nanoscale delivery system could thus be a promising carrier for tumor therapies in the future.

Hybrid lipid core chitosan-TPGS shell nanocomposites as a promising integrated nanoplatform for enhanced oral delivery of sulpiride in depressive disorder therapy

Sulpiride (SUL), a benzamide derivative, acts as a multitarget drug with extensive biological properties. However, being a P-glycoprotein efflux substrate with a limited oral bioavailability imposes a challenge to its clinical efficacy. The current research explores the impact of tailored hybrid lipid-polysaccharide nanocomposites in augmenting the biological performance of SUL. Chitosan-graft-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) copolymers were synthesized and integrated as a polysaccharide shell into a SUL-loaded lipid nanocore. The optimized nanohybrids revealed a nanocore-shell structure with 110.1 nm particle size, 23.7 mV zeta potential, 85.42% encapsulation efficiency, a pH-dependent-release profile, and an acceptable mucoadhesive tendency. Employing TPGS into the chitosan backbone alleviated the cellular internalization of nanohybrids into the Caco-2 intestinal cells and hence increased the intestinal permeation and the oral bioavailability of SUL by 3.3, and 8.7-folds, respectively. Reserpine-induced depression rat model confirmed the superior antidepressant activity of nanohybrids, compared with free SUL and a marketed product. The nanohybrids exhibited 1.87- and 1.47-folds enhancement in both serotonin and dopamine levels, respectively. Additionally, nanohybrids were shown to attenuate brain oxidative stress state and SUL irritant effect on different body tissues. Overall, the newly tailored nanohybrids pave the way for an advance in the field of oral drug delivery.

Biomimetic black phosphorus quantum dots-based photothermal therapy combined with anti-PD-L1 treatment inhibits recurrence and metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer

Background

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive malignant disease with a high rate of recurrence and metastasis, few effective treatment options and poor prognosis. Here, we designed and constructed a combined photothermal immunotherapy strategy based on cancer cell membrane-coated biomimetic black phosphorus quantum dots (BBPQDs) for tumor-targeted photothermal therapy and anti-PD-L1 mediated immunotherapy.

Results

BBPQDs have good photothermal conversion efficiency and can efficiently target tumor cells through homologous targeting and tumor homing. Under near infrared irradiation, we found that BBPQDs kill tumors directly through photothermal effects and induce dendritic cells maturation. In vivo studies have confirmed that the combined photothermal immunotherapy strategy displays a stronger antitumor activity than anti-PD-L1 monotherapy. In addition, BBPQDs-mediated photothermal therapy in combination with anti-PD-L1 treatment inhibit tumor recurrence and metastasis by reprograming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment into an immune-active microenvironment, and promoting the local and systemic antitumor immune response. We further found that the combined photothermal immunotherapy strategy can produce an immune memory effect against tumor rechallenge.

Conclusions

This study provides a novel therapeutic strategy for inhibiting the recurrence and metastasis of TNBC, with broad application prospects.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-021-00932-2.

TPGS assists the percutaneous administration of curcumin and glycyrrhetinic acid coloaded functionalized ethosomes for the synergistic treatment of psoriasis

Combined therapy with anti-inflammatory drugs is preferred for the topical treatment of psoriasis, but the codelivery of drugs is restricted due to the lack of a suitable delivery system. Ethosomes with excellenttransdermal propertiesare perfect as carriers for hyperplastic skin. Therefore, glycyrrhetinic acid-D-α-tocopherol acid polyethylene glycol succinate (GA-TPGS) was synthesized, which prevented the inflammation and lipid peroxidation damage, thus effectively stabilizing the psoriasis. Then GA-TPGS was surface-modified on the curcumin (Cur) loaded ethosomes to construct curcumin-loaded GA-TPGS-modified multifunctional ethosomes (Cur@GA-TPGS-ES), exerting synergistic treatment for psoriasis. Using an interleukin-6-induced cell model, we found that Cur@GA-TPGS-ES displayed desirable suppression of inflammation response and oxidative stress damage. Compared with the ethanol solution, the percutaneous penetration rates of Cur and GA in Cur@GA-TPGS-ES were superior. In vivo microdialysis revealed similar results, suggesting an increase of transcutaneous absorption in Cur@GA-TPGS-ES. Fluorescence staining revealed that the cellular uptake and skin distribution were distinctly enhanced with the delivery by Cur@GA-TPGS-ES. After topical administration to imiquimod-induced psoriatic mice, the Cur@GA-TPGS-ES group showed powerful treatment from inflammatory infiltration inhibition of Cur, glucocorticoid-like effects of GA and anti-lipid peroxidation of TPGS. Overall, GA-TPGS mediated ethosomes possess more advantageous transdermal properties and synergistic antipsoriatic efficacy.

The reversal of chemotherapy-induced multidrug resistance by nanomedicine for cancer therapy

Multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer is a persistent problem in chemotherapy. Scientists have considered the overexpressed efflux transporters responsible for MDR and chemotherapy failure. MDR extremely limits the therapeutic effect of chemotherapy in cancer treatment. Many strategies have been applied to solve this problem. Multifunctional nanoparticles may be one of the most promising approaches to reverse MDR of tumor. These nanoparticles can keep stability in the blood circulation and selectively accumulated in the tumor microenvironment (TME) either by passive or active targeting. The stimuli-sensitive or organelle-targeting nanoparticles can release the drug at the targeted-site without exposure to normal tissues. In order to better understand reversal of MDR, three main strategies are concluded in this review. First strategy is the synergistic effect of chemotherapeutic drugs and ABC transporter inhibitors. Through directly inhibiting overexpressed ABC transporters, chemotherapeutic drugs can enter into resistant cells without being efflux. Second strategy is based on nanoparticles circumventing over-expressed efflux transporters and directly targeting resistance-related organelles. Third approach is the combination of multiple therapy modes overcoming cancer resistance. At last, numerous researches demonstrated cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) had a deep relation with drug resistance. Here, we discuss two different drug delivery approaches of nanomedicine based on CSC therapy.

Cancer Cell Membrane Camouflaged Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Combined with Immune Checkpoint Blockade for Regulating Tumor Microenvironment and Enhancing Antitumor Therapy

PURPOSE

Although anti-programmed cell death protein 1 antibody (aPD1) immunotherapy and chemotherapy has made much progress in the treatment of melanoma, the efficacy still needs to be further improved.

METHODS

Cancer treatment has been greatly enhanced by the use of nanotechnology. Cancer cell membrane (CCM)-camouflaged nanoparticles have shown promising potential in tumor therapy due to their excellent homologous-targeting ability, long blood circulation and immune escape. This work presents a biocompatible and tumor acidic environmental responsive CCM-camouflaged mesoporous silica nanoparticle (CMSN) that is loaded with dacarbazine (DTIC) and combined with aPD1 to achieve better antitumor efficacy.

RESULTS

In vitro cell experiments demonstrated that DTIC@CMSN exhibits a better anti-tumor killing efficiency and a stronger ability to promote the apoptosis of tumor cells than free DTIC. In vivo antitumor results demonstrated that combination therapy of DTIC@CMSN chemotherapy and aPD1 immunotherapy remarkably suppress the melanoma growth and prolong survival time due to highly selective tumor killing, activation of tumor-specific T cells, and regulation of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In addition, safety evaluation studies of DTIC@CMSN also demonstrate their increased tumor accumulation and decreased systemic toxicity.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a promising nano-platform for the combination of chemotherapy with immunotherapy, which is potentially useful for the treatment of melanoma.

In vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors for cancer therapy

Gene therapy by expression constructs or down-regulation of certain genes has shown great potential for the treatment of various diseases. The wide clinical application of nucleic acid materials dependents on the development of biocompatible gene carriers. There are enormous various compounds widely investigated to be used as non-viral gene carriers including lipids, polymers, carbon materials, and inorganic structures. In this review, we will discuss the recent discoveries on non-viral gene delivery systems. We will also highlight the in vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors to treat cancer in different tissue and organs including brain, breast, lung, liver, stomach, and prostate. Finally, we will delineate the state-of-the-art and promising perspective of in vivo gene editing using non-viral nano-vectors.

Update on the Anti-Cancer Potency of Tocotrienols and α-Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol 1000 Succinate on Leukemic Cell Lines

The natural isoforms of vitamin E γ-tocotrienol (γ-ΤΤ) and δ-tocotrienol (δ-ΤΤ) and the synthetic derivative α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) have promising anticancer potency in a variety of cancer cell lines and animal models of cancer. Ongoing clinical trials are investigating the anti-tumor effectiveness of TTs in combination with chemotherapeutic agents in patients suffering from breast, colon, non-small cell lung and ovarian cancers. Despite extensive research on different types of cancer, the anticancer potency of TTs and TPGS has not been thoroughly investigated in leukemias. Given the fact that certain types of leukemias have very low survival rates and that patients suffer significantly from the toxic side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, there is a need to develop novel treatments with increased specificity against cancer cells and reduced toxicity to the patients. The aim of this review is to report current evidence on the anticancer potency of TTs and TPGS on leukemic cells lines and to discuss future studies that could be carried out to investigate the role of these agents in the management of leukemias.

Docetaxel-loaded D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol-1000 succinate liposomes improve lung cancer chemotherapy and reverse multidrug resistance

In this study, D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol-1000 succinate (TPGS)-coated docetaxel-loaded liposomes were developed to reverse multidrug resistance (MDR) and enhance lung cancer therapy. Evaluations were performed using human lung cancer A549 and resistant A549/DDP cells. The reversal multidrug resistant effect was assessed by P-gp inhibition assay, cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and apoptosis assay. The tumor xenograft model was built by subcutaneous injection of A549/DDP cells in the right dorsal area of nude mice. The tumor volumes and body weights were measured every other day. The TPGS-coated liposomes showed a concentration- and time-dependent cytotoxicity and significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of docetaxel in A549/DDP cells. Confocal laser scanning images indicated that higher concentrations of coumarin-6 were successfully delivered into the cytoplasm, and the TPGS-coated liposomes enhanced intracellular drug accumulation by inhibiting overexpressed P-glycoprotein. The TPGS-coated liposomes were shown to induce apoptosis. Furthermore, in vivo anti-tumor studies revealed that TPGS-coated docetaxel-loaded liposomes had outstanding anti-tumor efficacy in an A549/DDP xenograft model. The TPGS-coated liposomes, compared with PEG-coated liposomes, showed significant advantages in vitro and in vivo. The TPGS-coated liposomes were able to reverse MDR and enhance lung cancer therapy. Graphical abstract .

TPGS-grafted and acid-responsive soy protein nanogels for efficient intracellular drug release, accumulation, penetration in 3D tumor spheroids of drug-resistant cancer cells

The frequent occurrence of multidrug resistance (MDR) in solid tumors is the major obstacle for nano-drug delivery systems (nDDS) to realize the successful cancer chemotherapy. Herein, we had prepared pH-responsive nanogels via cross-linking TPGS-grafted soy protein with an acid-labile ortho ester cross-linker (OEAM) to realize the efficient intracellular drugs release and accumulation, and subsequently enhance therapeutic effect in MDR tumor cells. These nanogels displayed a uniform size (~200 nm) and morphology, and the introduction of ortho ester bonds endowed nanogels stability in neutral environment and acid-degradability in acidic conditions. Cisplatin (CDDP) was successfully loaded into nanogels, which exhibited an accelerated drug release at low pH. The modification of TPGS efficiently improved cellular internalization and drug accumulation in A549/DDP cells by inhibiting the function of drug efflux pumps (MRP2 and ATP7A/7B), leading to higher cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Moreover, TPGS-grafted nanogels also showed better drug accumulation and penetration in tumor-like spheroids, and then remarkably inhibited tumor growth owing to the rapid drug release in acidic organelles. As a result, the TPGS-grafted and pH-sensitive soy protein nanogels have a great potential as a drugs carrier for the efficient cancer treatment.

New insights towards mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a technological platform for chemotherapeutic drugs delivery

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) displays interesting properties for biomedical applications such as high chemical stability, large surface area and tunable pores diameters and volumes, allowing the incorporation of large amounts of drugs, protecting them from deactivation and degradation processes acting as an excellent nanoplatform for drug delivery. However, the functional MSNs do not present the ability to transport the therapeutics without any leakage until reach the targeted cells causing side effects. On the other hand, the hydroxyls groups available on MSNs surface allows the conjugation of specific molecules which can binds to the overexpressed Enhanced Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) in many tumors, representing a potential strategy for the cancer treatment. Beyond that, the targeting molecules conjugate onto mesoporous surface increase its cell internalization and act as gatekeepers blocking the mesopores controlling the drug release. In this context, multifunctional MSNs emerge as stimuli-responsive controlled drug delivery systems (CDDS) to overcome drawbacks as low internalization, premature release before to reach the region of interest, several side effects and low effectiveness of the current treatments. This review presents an overview of MSNs fabrication methods and its properties that affects drug delivery as well as stimuli-responsive CDDS for cancer treatment.

A novel fluorescence aptasensor based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles for selective and sensitive detection of aflatoxin B1

Based on the mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN), a novel, simple and label-free aptamer biosensor was designed for the detection of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁). Here, the aptamers were used as molecular recognition probes and "gated molecules" while Rh6G was loaded into the interior of the particles as the signal probe. In the absence of AFB₁, the "gate" was closed to prevent the leakage of the signal probe because of the immobilization of aptamers on the surface of MSN-NH₂. With the presence of AFB₁, the "gate" could be opened to release the signal probe for the specifical binding of aptamers to AFB₁. Our results showed that the fluorescence intensity was positively correlated with the concentration of AFB₁ (0.5-50 ng mL^-1), with the detection limit as low as 0.13 ng mL^-1. What's more, this design provides a new approach for rapid, sensitive and selective detection based on aptamers and it could be applied to numerous other analytes if appropriate aptamers are available.

Reversal of multidrug resistance in breast cancer cells by a combination of ursolic acid with doxorubicin

Multidrug resistance (MDR) has seriously affected or hindered the effect of chemotherapy. Ursolic acid (UA) as a natural compound exhibits a number of potential biological effects including antitumor. Searching for the reversal agents from the natural products has been an effective strategy recently applied in overcoming the MDR. So in this study, the reversal effect of UA on the MDR and involved mechanisms were investigated via a multidrug-resistant MCF-7/ADR cells model and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analytical methods. The synergistic effects were yielded by the combination of UA and Dox based on the investigation of the intracellular accumulation, the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) mediated transport, the energy metabolism including glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and glutamine metabolism as well as related amino acid metabolism. Obtained results showed that the UA could increase amount of doxorubicin (Dox) entering the cell to accumulate in nuclei, decrease the efflux ratio of digoxin comparable to the effects of the known inhibitor verapamil by acting as a P-gp substrate, decrease the content of intracellular alanine, lactate, pyruvate, glucose, α-ketoglutarate, glutamate, glutamine, aspartate, serine, and glycine. Taken together, inhibition of P-gp function and disruption of the metabolism of energy and related amino acids could be the key mechanisms by which UA could reverse the MDR. The findings also indicated that UA could be a potential alternative adjuvant antitumour herbal medicine to resensitize cells with MDR to chemotherapeutic agents.

Theranostic system based on NaY(Mn)F4:Yb/Er upconversion nanoparticles with multi-drug resistance reversing ability

An innovative theranostic system (D-UNT) for MDR tumors diagnosis and therapy based on the red emitter NaY(Mn)F₄:Yb/Er with optimized luminescence was developed.