Aspartic acid tagged carbon nanotubols as a tool to deliver docetaxel to breast cancer cells: Reduced hemotoxicity with improved cytotoxicity

Carbon Nanomaterials (CNMs) in Cancer Therapy: A Database of CNM-Based Nanocarrier Systems

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) are an incredibly versatile class of materials that can be used as scaffolds to construct anticancer nanocarrier systems. The ease of chemical functionalisation, biocompatibility, and intrinsic therapeutic capabilities of many of these nanoparticles can be leveraged to design effective anticancer systems. This article is the first comprehensive review of CNM-based nanocarrier systems that incorporate approved chemotherapy drugs, and many different types of CNMs and chemotherapy agents are discussed. Almost 200 examples of these nanocarrier systems have been analysed and compiled into a database. The entries are organised by anticancer drug type, and the composition, drug loading/release metrics, and experimental results from these systems have been compiled. Our analysis reveals graphene, and particularly graphene oxide (GO), as the most frequently employed CNM, with carbon nanotubes and carbon dots following in popularity. Moreover, the database encompasses various chemotherapeutic agents, with antimicrotubule agents being the most common payload due to their compatibility with CNM surfaces. The benefits of the identified systems are discussed, and the factors affecting their efficacy are detailed.

Stealth Liposomal Chemotherapeutic Agent for Triple Negative Breast Cancer with Improved Pharmacokinetics

Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most lethal cancers. Chemotherapeutics for targeting CDK4 and CDK6 like Palbociclib (PAB) in triple-negative breast cancer was widely explored. However, poor bioavailability and severe side effects profile limiting its clinical usage in the field of cancer chemotherapy. Herein, we set out to develop the stealth liposomes (LPS) of PAB by rotary thin film evaporation with a vesicle size of less than 100 nm. In vitro, drug release studies were performed and fitted into different release kinetic models. LPS were characterized by electron microscopic techniques for morphology. The engineered nanotherapeutics agents were further evaluated in 4T1 triple-negative breast cancer cell lines for its anti-cancer potential and cellular uptake. The hemolytic potential and pharmacokinetic (PK) behavior of developed LPS-PAB and PAB were analyzed by using robust UHPLC-QTOF-MS method. LPS-PAB demonstrates biphasic release profile with first-order release kinetics. Further, LPS-PAB has shown less IC₅₀ value (1.99 µM) compared to PAB alone (3.24 µM). The designed nanoliposomes were tagged with fluorescent FITC dye to check rapid cellular uptake. Importantly, stealth LPS-PAB has shown a 1.75-fold reduction in hemolytic potential as compared to PAB plain drug at 100 µg/mL concentration. The PK results obtained was displayed 2.5-fold increase in C_max, 1.45-fold increase in AUC_tot, 1.8-fold increase in half-life and 1.3-fold increase in MRT with LPS-PAB when compared to orally administered PAB suspension. These findings suggest that novel LPS-PAB can be employed as an alternate therapeutic strategy to eradicate triple-negative breast cancer.

Biomedical Applications of Carbon Nanomaterials: Fullerenes, Quantum Dots, Nanotubes, Nanofibers, and Graphene

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) have received tremendous interest in the area of nanotechnology due to their unique properties and flexible dimensional structure. CNMs have excellent electrical, thermal, and optical properties that make them promising materials for drug delivery, bioimaging, biosensing, and tissue engineering applications. Currently, there are many types of CNMs, such as quantum dots, nanotubes, nanosheets, and nanoribbons; and there are many others in development that promise exciting applications in the future. The surface functionalization of CNMs modifies their chemical and physical properties, which enhances their drug loading/release capacity, their ability to target drug delivery to specific sites, and their dispersibility and suitability in biological systems. Thus, CNMs have been effectively used in different biomedical systems. This review explores the unique physical, chemical, and biological properties that allow CNMs to improve on the state of the art materials currently used in different biomedical applications. The discussion also embraces the emerging biomedical applications of CNMs, including targeted drug delivery, medical implants, tissue engineering, wound healing, biosensing, bioimaging, vaccination, and photodynamic therapy.