Anticancer activity of 9-cis-retinoic acid encapsulated in PEG-coated PLGA-nanoparticles

α-Acylamino-β-lactone N-Acylethanolamine-hydrolyzing Acid Amidase Inhibitors Encapsulated in PLGA Nanoparticles: Improvement of the Physical Stability and Protection of Human Cells from Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Stress

N-Acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA) is an N-terminal cysteine hydrolase that preferentially catalyzes the hydrolysis of endogenous lipid mediators such as palmitoylethanolamide, which has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective and antinociceptive properties by engaging peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α. A few potent NAAA inhibitors have been developed, including α-acylamino-β-lactone derivatives, which are very strong and effective, but they have limited chemical and plasmatic stability, compromising their use as systemic agents. In the present study, as an example of a molecule belonging to the chemical class of N-(2-oxo-3-oxetanyl)amide NAAA inhibitors, URB866 was entrapped in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles in order to increase its physical stability. The data show a monomodal pattern and a significant time- and temperature-dependent stability of the molecule-loaded nanoparticles, which also demonstrated a greater ability to effectively retain the compound. The nanoparticles improved the photostability of URB866 with respect to that of the free molecule and displayed a better antioxidant profile on various cell lines at the molecule concentration of 25 μM. Overall, these results prove that the use of polymeric nanoparticles could be a useful strategy for overcoming the instability of α-acylamino-β-lactone NAAA inhibitors, allowing the maintenance of their characteristics and activity for a longer time.

Liposome nano-formulation with cationic polar lipid DOTAP and cholesterol as a suitable pH-responsive carrier for molecular therapeutic drug (all-trans retinoic acid) delivery to lung cancer cells

The molecular targeted drug ATRA demands a suitable carrier that delivers to the cancer site due to its poor bioavailability and drug resistance. ATRA, being a lipid with carboxylic acid, has been nano‐formulated as a cationic lipo‐ATRA with DOTAP:cholesterol:ATRA (5:4:1) and its pH‐responsive release, intracellular drug accumulation, and anticancer effect on human lung cancer (A549) cell line analysed. The analysis of the physicochemical characteristics of the developed lipo‐ATRA (0.8 µmol) revealed that the size of 231 ± 2.35 d.nm had a zeta potential of 6.4 ± 1.19 and an encapsulation efficiency of 93.7 ± 3.6%. The ATRA release from lipo‐ATRA in vitro was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher at acidic pH 6 compared to pH 7.5. The intracellular uptake of ATRA into lipo‐ATRA‐treated A549 cells was seven‐fold higher (0.007 ± 0.001 mg/ml) while only three‐fold uptake was observed in free ATRA treatment (0.003 ± 0.002 mg/ml). The lipo‐ATRA treatment caused a highly significant (p ≤ 0.001) decrease in percent cell viability at 48 h when compared with the free ATRA treatment. Overall, the results proved that the developed lipo‐ATRA has suitable physicochemical properties with enhanced ATRA release at acidic pH, while maintaining stability at physiologic pH and temperature. This resulted in an increased ATRA uptake by lung cancer cells with enhanced treatment efficiency. Hence, it is concluded that DOTAP lipo‐ATRA is a suitable carrier for ATRA delivery to solid cancer cells.

Brij-stabilized zein nanoparticles as potential drug carriers

The current study was designed to provide a preliminary physico-chemical characterization of zein nanosystems prepared with various Brij surfactants (for the first time to the best of our knowledge) as a function of various external stimuli such as temperature, pH, serum incubation and the freeze-drying process. The results demonstrate that when Brijs are characterized by unsaturation (C18), considerable stabilization of the colloidal structure is promoted while the length of the polyethylene glycol fraction does not significantly modulate the physico-chemical properties of the nanosystems. Specifically, dynamic light scattering and nanoparticle tracking analysis demonstrated that the use of 0.2 % w/v of Brij O10 promoted the formation of stable zein nanosystems with mean sizes of ∼150 nm and a narrow size distribution, preserving their structures at various pHs and temperatures. The use of mannitol as cryoprotectant resulted in a formulation that can easily be re-suspended in water after the freeze-drying process. This nanoformulation demonstrated that it efficiently retained different amounts of both hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds and showed a prolonged release of the entrapped molecules. In addition, the nanosystems showed a favorable degree of in vitro safety on various cell lines when a concentration <50 μg/mL of protein was used, demonstrating the potential application of Brij O10-stabilized zein nanoparticles as innovative nanocarriers of several active compounds.

Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery to Solid Tumors

Advances in nanotechnology have favored the development of novel colloidal formulations able to modulate the pharmacological and biopharmaceutical properties of drugs. The peculiar physico-chemical and technological properties of nanomaterial-based therapeutics have allowed for several successful applications in the treatment of cancer. The size, shape, charge and patterning of nanoscale therapeutic molecules are parameters that need to be investigated and modulated in order to promote and optimize cell and tissue interaction. In this review, the use of polymeric nanoparticles as drug delivery systems of anticancer compounds, their physico-chemical properties and their ability to be efficiently localized in specific tumor tissues have been described. The nanoencapsulation of antitumor active compounds in polymeric systems is a promising approach to improve the efficacy of various tumor treatments.

Prunus spinosa Extract Loaded in Biomimetic Nanoparticles Evokes In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory and Wound Healing Activities

Prunus spinosa fruits (PSF) contain different phenolic compounds showing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Innovative drug delivery systems such as biomimetic nanoparticles could improve the activity of PSF extract by promoting (i) the protection of payload into the lipidic bilayer, (ii) increased accumulation to the diseased tissue due to specific targeting properties, (iii) improved biocompatibility, (iv) low toxicity and increased bioavailability. Using membrane proteins extracted from human monocyte cell line THP-1 cells and a mixture of phospholipids, we formulated two types of PSF-extract-loaded biomimetic vesicles differing from each other for the presence of either 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) or 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (DOPG). The biological activity of free extract (PSF), compared to both types of extract-loaded vesicles (PSF-DOPCs and PSF-DOPGs) and empty vesicles (DOPCs and DOPGs), was evaluated in vitro on HUVEC cells. PSF-DOPCs showed preferential incorporation of the extract. When enriched into the nanovesicles, the extract showed a significantly increased anti-inflammatory activity, and a pronounced wound-healing effect (with PSF-DOPCs more efficient than PSF-DOPG) compared to free PSF. This innovative drug delivery system, combining nutraceutical active ingredients into a biomimetic formulation, represents a possible adjuvant therapy for the treatment of wound healing. This nanoplatform could be useful for the encapsulation/enrichment of other nutraceutical products with short stability and low bioavailability.

Burgeoning Polymer Nano Blends for Improved Controlled Drug Release: A Review

With continual rapid developments in the biomedical field and understanding of the important mechanisms and pharmacokinetics of biological molecules, controlled drug delivery systems (CDDSs) have been at the forefront over conventional drug delivery systems. Over the past several years, scientists have placed boundless energy and time into exploiting a wide variety of excipients, particularly diverse polymers, both natural and synthetic. More recently, the development of nano polymer blends has achieved noteworthy attention due to their amazing properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and more importantly, their pivotal role in controlled and sustained drug release in vitro and in vivo. These compounds come with a number of effective benefits for improving problems of targeted or controlled drug and gene delivery systems; thus, they have been extensively used in medical and pharmaceutical applications. Additionally, they are quite attractive for wound dressings, textiles, tissue engineering, and biomedical prostheses. In this sense, some important and workable natural polymers (namely, chitosan (CS), starch and cellulose) and some applicable synthetic ones (such as poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly-glycolic acid (PGA)) have played an indispensable role over the last two decades for their therapeutic effects owing to their appealing and renewable biological properties. According to our data, this is the first review article highlighting CDDSs composed of diverse natural and synthetic nano biopolymers, blended for biological purposes, mostly over the past five years; other reviews have just briefly mentioned the use of such blended polymers. We, additionally, try to make comparisons between various nano blending systems in terms of improved sustained and controlled drug release behavior.

Nanoparticles Loaded with the BET Inhibitor JQ1 Block the Growth of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

Inhibition of bromo-and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins, epigenetic regulators of genes involved in cell viability, has been efficiently tested in preclinical models of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the use of the selective BET-inhibitor JQ1 on humans is limited by its very short half-life. Herein, we developed, characterized and tested a novel formulation of nanoparticles containing JQ1 (N-JQ1) against TNBC in vitro and in vivo. N-JQ1, prepared using the nanoprecipitation method of preformedpoly-lactid-co-glycolic acid in an aqueous solution containing JQ1 and poloxamer-188 as a stabilizer, presented a high physico-chemical stability. Treatment of MDA-MB 157 and MDA-MB 231 TNBC cells with N-JQ1 determined a significant decrease in cell viability, adhesion and migration. Intra-peritoneal administration (5 days/week for two weeks) of N-JQ1 in nude mice hosting a xenograft TNBC after flank injection of MDA-MB-231 cells determined a great reduction in the growth and vascularity of the neoplasm. Moreover, the treatment resulted in a minimal infiltration of nearby tissues. Finally, the encapsulation of JQ1 in nanoparticles improved the anticancer efficacy of this epigenetic compound against TNBC in vitro and in vivo, opening the way to test it in the treatment of TNBC.

Anticancer activity of all-trans retinoic acid-loaded liposomes on human thyroid carcinoma cells

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is an anti-tumor compound, exerting different anti-cancer effects on different types of cancer cells. Unfortunately, retinoids are also characterized by certain side effects following systemic administration, such as the burning of skin and general malaise. The highly variable degree of bioavailability of ATRA plus its tendency to induce its own destruction through metabolic degradation following oral treatment necessitate the development of alternative formulations. The aim of this work is to evaluate the physico-chemical properties of unilamellar, ATRA-containing liposomes and to investigate the cytotoxic activity of this potential nanomedicine on human thyroid carcinoma cells. Liposomes made up of DPPC/Chol/DSPE-mPEG2000 (6:3:1 molar ratio), characterized by a mean diameter of ∼200nm, a polydispersity index of 0.1 and a negative surface charge, were used as ATRA-carriers and their antiproliferative efficacy was investigated in comparison with the free drug on three different human thyroid carcinoma cell lines (PTC-1, B-CPAP, and FRO) through MTT-testing. The liposomes protected the ATRA against photodegradation and increased its antiproliferative properties due to the improvement of its cellular uptake. ATRA-loaded liposomes could be a novel formulation useful for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.