Long-Circulating Iodinated Albumin–Gadolinium Nanoparticles as Enhanced Magnetic Resonance and Computed Tomography Imaging Probes for Osteosarcoma Visualization

Protein nanoparticles as drug delivery systems for cancer theranostics

Protein-based nanoparticles have garnered significant attention in theranostic applications due to their superior biocompatibility, exceptional biodegradability and ease of functionality. Compared to other nanocarriers, protein-based nanoparticles offer additional advantages, including biofunctionality and precise molecular recognition abilities, which make them highly effective in navigating complex biological environments. Moreover, proteins can serve as powerful tools with self-assembling structures and reagents that enhance cell penetration. And their derivation from abundant renewable sources and ability to degrade into harmless amino acids further enhance their suitability for biomedical applications. However, protein-based nanoparticles have so far not realized their full potential. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the use of protein nanoparticles in tumor diagnosis and treatment and outline typical methods for preparing protein nanoparticles. The review of protein nanoparticles may provide useful new insights into the development of biomaterial fabrication.

Chemotherapy-Sensitized In Situ Vaccination for Malignant Osteosarcoma Enabled by Bioinspired Calcium Phosphonate Nanoagents

How to effectively treat malignant osteosarcoma remains clinically challenging. Programmed delivery of chemotherapeutic agents and immunostimulants may offer a universal strategy for killing osteosarcoma cells while simultaneously eliciting in situ antitumor immunity. However, targeted chemoimmunotherapy lacks a reliable delivery system. To address this issue, we herein developed a bioinspired calcium phosphonate nanoagent that was synthesized by chemical reactions between Ca²⁺ and phosphonate residue from zoledronic acid using bovine serum albumin as a scaffold. In addition, methotrexate combination with a phosphorothioate CpG immunomodulator was also loaded for pH-responsive delivery to enable synergistic chemoimmunotherapy of osteosarcoma. The calcium phosphonate nanoagents were found to effectively accumulate in osteosarcoma for nearly 1 week, which is favorable for exerting the vaccination effects in situ by maturing dendritic cells and priming CD8⁺ T cells to suppress the osteosarcoma progression and pulmonary metastasis through controlled release of the three loaded agents in the acidic tumor microenvironment. The current study may thus offer a reliable delivery platform for achieving targeted chemotherapy-induced in situ antitumor immunity.

Nanomaterial-assisted theranosis of bone diseases

Bone-related diseases refer to a group of skeletal disorders that are characterized by bone and cartilage destruction. Conventional approaches can regulate bone homeostasis to a certain extent. However, these therapies are still associated with some undesirable problems. Fortunately, recent advances in nanomaterials have provided unprecedented opportunities for diagnosis and therapy of bone-related diseases. This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of current advanced theranostic nanomaterials in bone-related diseases. First, the potential utility of nanomaterials for biological imaging and biomarker detection is illustrated. Second, nanomaterials serve as therapeutic delivery platforms with special functions for bone homeostasis regulation and cellular modulation are highlighted. Finally, perspectives in this field are offered, including current key bottlenecks and future directions, which may be helpful for exploiting nanomaterials with novel properties and unique functions. This review will provide scientific guidance to enhance the development of advanced nanomaterials for the diagnosis and therapy of bone-related diseases.

Evaluating the Therapeutic Efficacy of Radiolabeled BSA@CuS Nanoparticle-induced Radio-photothermal Therapy against Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

PURPOSE

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been employed as a mild biological template in nanoscale particles. Copper sulfide (CuS) has been used for photothermal therapy (PTT) in several studies. In this study, we aimed to synthesize the ¹³¹ I-labeled BSA-modified CuS nanoparticles (¹³¹ I-BSA@CuS), with attributes of both radiotherapy and PTT, as a therapeutic agent against anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC).

METHOD

BSA@CuS nanoparticles were prepared using the solvothermal reaction and then labeled with Na¹³¹ I by the chloramine-T method. The products were characterized and their cytotoxicity was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The therapeutic efficacy of ¹³¹ I-BSA@CuS was evaluated in ARO cell (an ATC cell line) subcutaneous tumors.

RESULTS

The nanoparticles showed good biocompatibility and low toxicity in vitro and in vivo. BSA@CuS rapidly and effectively converted the light energy from an 808 nm laser into thermal energy with a conversion efficiency of 28.07%. SPECT/CT imaging demonstrated that the accumulation of radioactivity peaked within 24 h and resided in the tumors for 5 days post intratumoral injection. In vivo assays indicated that, compared to monotherapy, the synthesized nanoparticles employing both PTT and radiotherapy possess better therapeutic efficacy against tumors.

CONCLUSION

The synthesized nanomaterial showed uniform dispersion, good stability and aqueous solubility, excellent photothermal properties, and long-term retention in ATC. Hence, combined radiotherapy and PTT can significantly inhibit tumor growth compared to monotherapy, and can be applied in clinical settings.

Photodynamic cancer therapy using liposomes as an advanced vesicular photosensitizer delivery system

The multidisciplinary field of photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a combination of photochemistry and photophysics sciences, which has shown tremendous potential for cancer therapy application. PDT employs a photosensitizing agent (PS) and light to form cytotoxic reactive oxygen species and subsequently oxidize light-exposed tissue. Despite numerous advantages of PDT and enormous progress in this field, common PSs are still far from ideal treatment because of their poor permeability, non-specific phototoxicity, side effects, hydrophobicity, weak bioavailability, and tendency to self-aggregation. To circumvent these limitations, PS can be encapsulated in liposomes, an advanced drug delivery system that has demonstrated the ability to enhance drug permeability into biological membranes and loading both hydrophobic and lipophilic agents. Moreover, liposomes can also be coated by targeting agents to improve delivery efficiency. The present review aims to summarize the principles of PDT, various PS generations, PS-loaded nanoparticles, liposomes, and their impact on PDT, then discuss recent photodynamic cancer therapy strategies using liposomes as PS-loaded vectors, and highlight future possibilities and perspectives.

Iodinated BSA Nanoparticles for Macrophage-Mediated CT Imaging and Repair of Gastritis

The development of a specific and noninvasive technology for understanding gastritic response together with efficient therapy is an urgent clinical issue. Herein, we fabricated a novel iodinated bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticle based on gastritic microenvironment for computed tomography (CT) imaging and repair of acute gastritis. Derived from the characteristic mucosa defect and inflammatory cell (e.g., macrophage and neutrophil) infiltration in acute gastritis, the pH-sensitive nanoparticles can sedimentate under acidic conditions and be uniformly distributed in the defected mucosal via the phagocytosis of inflammatory cells. Hence, enhanced CT images can clearly reveal the mucosal morphology in the nanoparticle-treated gastritic rat over a long time window comparison with nanoparticle-treated healthy rats and clinical small-molecule-treated gastritic rat. In addition, we have discovered that nanoparticles can repair the atrophic gastric mucosa to a normal state. This repair process mainly stems from inflammatory immune response caused by phagocytized nanoparticles, such as the polarization of proinflammatory macrophages (M1) to anti-inflammatory macrophages (M2). The biocompatible nanoparticles that avoid the inherent defects of the clinical small molecules have great potential for accurate diagnosis and treatment of gastritis in the early stage.

Recent Advances in Nanotechnology-Based Diagnosis and Treatments of Human Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OSA) is a type of bone cancer that begins in the cells that form bones.OSA is a rare mesenchymal bone neoplasm derived from mesenchymal stem cells. Genome disorganization, chromosomal modifications, deregulation of tumor suppressor genes, and DNA repair defects are the factors most responsible for OSA development. Despite significant advances in the diagnosing and treatment of OSA, patients' overall survival has not improved within the last twenty years. Lately, advances in modern nanotechnology have spurred development in OSA management and offered several advantages to overcome the drawbacks of conventional therapies. This technology has allowed the practical design of nanoscale devices combined with numerous functional molecules, including tumor-specific ligands, antibodies, anti-cancer drugs, and imaging probes. Thanks to their small sizes, desirable drug encapsulation efficiency, and good bioavailability, functionalized nanomaterials have found wide-spread applications for combating OSA progression. This review invokes the possible utility of engineered nanomaterials in OSA diagnosis and treatment, motivating the researchers to seek new strategies for tackling the challenges associated with it.

A chlorin-lipid nanovesicle nucleus drug for amplified therapeutic effects of lung cancer by internal radiotherapy combined with the Cerenkov radiation-induced photodynamic therapy

Traditional photodynamic therapy (PDT) requires external light excitation to produce reactive oxygen species (ROSs) for the treatment of tumors. Due to problems of light penetration, traditional PDT is limited by the location and depth of the tumor. In this study, we rationally designed and constructed a novel strategy to amplify the therapeutic effect of PDT. We prepared a chlorin-lipid nanovesicle based on the conjugates of chlorin e6 (Ce 6) and phospholipids, with the surface conjugating the aptamer for lung cancer targeting, GLT21.T. ¹³¹I-labeled bovine serum albumin (¹³¹I-BSA) was loaded into the chlorin-lipid nanovesicle cavity (¹³¹I-BSA@LCN-Apt). ¹³¹I not only plays a role in radiotherapy, but its Cerenkov radiation (CR), as an internal light source, can also stimulate Ce6 to produce ROSs without external light excitation. The in vitro and in vivo therapeutic effects in subcutaneous lung tumor models and orthotopic lung tumor models indicated that ¹³¹I-BSA@LCN-Apt produced a powerful anti-tumor effect through synergistic radiotherapy and CR-PDT, which almost caused complete tumor growth regression. After treatment, the survival time of the mice was significantly prolonged. During the treatment, no obvious side effects were found by histopathology of important organs, hematology and biochemistry analysis except the decrease of the white blood cell count (WBC). The study provides a major tool for deep-seated tumors to obtain amplified therapeutic effects by synergistic radiotherapy and CR-PDT without the use of any external light source.

Preparation and Evaluation of Cabazitaxel-Loaded Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoparticles for Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE

Cabazitaxel (CBZ) is a new taxane-based antitumor drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of prostate cancer, especially for patients with advanced prostate cancer for whom docetaxel is ineffective or causes aggravation. However, Tween 80 injection can cause serious allergic reactions, and CBZ itself has strong toxicity, adverse reactions, and poor tumor selectivity, which greatly limits its clinical applications. Therefore, the CBZ-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs) were developed to overcome the allergenic response of Tween 80 and realize the integration of diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs were prepared by the biomineralization method. The characterization, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), safety, and antitumor activity of the nanoparticles were evaluated in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

The prepared nanoparticles were uniform in size (166 nm), with good MRI performance and stability over 24 h. Compared with CBZ-Tween 80 injection, CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs showed much lower hemolysis, similar tumor inhibition, and enhanced cellular uptake in vitro. The pharmacokinetic behavior of CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs in rats showed that the retention time of the nanoparticles was prolonged, the clearance rate decreased, and the area under the drug-time curve increased. The distribution of CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs in nude mice was characterized by UPLC-MS/MS and MRI, and the results showed that CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs could effectively target tumor tissues with reduced distribution in the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys compared with CBZ-Tween 80, which indicated that CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs not only had a passive targeting effect on tumor tissue but also achieved the integration of diagnosis and treatment. In vivo, CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs showed improved tumor inhibitory effect with a safer profile.

CONCLUSION

In summary, CBZ-BSA-Gd-NPs can serve as an effective therapeutic drug carrier to deliver CBZ into prostate cancer, and realize the integration of diagnosis and therapy.

Resveratrol-loaded folate targeted lipoprotein-mimetic nanoparticles with improved cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity and pharmacokinetic profile

The aim of present study was to develop folate receptor targeted lipoprotein-mimetic nanoparticles of resveratrol (RSV). Lipoprotein-mimicking nanocarrier (RSV-FA-LNPs) comprising of phosphatidyl choline, cholesterol, stearyl amine and folic acid-tagged bovine serum albumin (FA-BSA) were prepared. Folic acid was conjugated to bovine serum albumin by amide bond at a binding rate of 9.46 ± 0.49 folate molecules per bovine serum albumin. The particle size and entrapment efficiency of the developed nanoparticles was found to be 291.37 ± 3.81 nm and 91.96 ± 1.83%, respectively. The in vitro release study depicted that developed nanocarrier prolonged the drug release till 72 h in phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.4). The anticancer potential of RSV in case of RSV-FA-LNPs was found to be substantially improved against MCF-7 cells overexpressing folate receptors compared to non-targeted nanoparticles. The pharmacokinetics studies after intravenous administration in healthy Wistar rats depicted that lipoprotein mimicking nanoparticles presented the longer circulation time (>48 h) compared to free drug which disappeared in few hours (6 h). The in vitro and preclinical findings of the present study demonstrated the applicability of lipoprotein mimicking nanocarriers for the safer and effective delivery of bioactives.

Protein-based nanoplatforms for tumor imaging and therapy

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death all over the world. The development of nanoplatform provides a promising strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. As the foundation of the nanoplatform, the composition of nanocarrier decides the basic properties. Protein exists in all kinds of life and participates in any life activities, having great potentials to serve as a nanocarrier because of its excellent biocompatibility, abundance of functional groups, and inherent biological activity. As a result, protein-based nanoplatforms have evoked extensive interests for tumor imaging and therapy. This review presents the latest progresses on the advancement of protein-based nanoplatforms, introducing the most common protein nanocarriers (such as human/bovine serum albumin, ferritin, human transferrin) thoroughly including their physiochemical properties and specific applications. Also, other kinds of protein are briefly involved. Finally, the prospects and challenges of the development of protein-based nanoplatforms are summarized. This article is categorized under: Biology-Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus-Based Structures Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease.

Bone-Seeking Albumin-Nanomedicine for In Vivo Imaging and Therapeutic Monitoring

Malignant osteolysis associated with irreversible primary bone tumors and bone metastases remains a clinically urgent problem. Exploiting the imaging and therapy function of flexible nanomedicine can provide an alternative for therapeutic navigation and monitoring of malignant osteolysis. Here, we report the development of albumin-based gadolinium oxide nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin and conjugated with bone-seeking alendronate for targeted delivery and therapeutic monitoring. Compared with nontargeted nanomedicine, bone-seeking accumulation and retention can be proven by MRI in a rat model of focal malignant osteolysis. Meanwhile, we observed a whole-body distribution in the consecutive SPECT imaging after radiolabeling with ¹²⁵I, SPECT imaging also indicated the enhanced bone tumor accumulation and prolonged retention. Resulting from the high drug loading and ¹³¹I labeling efficiency, the targeted nanomedicine exhibited significant chemotherapy and inter-radiotherapy capacity. Ultimately, the tumor burden of rats was obviously decreased except for the nontargeted group and the empty carrier group. In vivo CT imaging and pathological analysis revealed that the combined therapy was an efficient measure for antiosteolysis. Our findings suggest that albumin-based nanomedicine can provide a platform for bone-seeking diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring.

Biomineralized Gd2 O3 @HSA Nanoparticles as a Versatile Platform for Dual-Modal Imaging and Chemo-Phototherapy-Synergized Tumor Ablation

A great challenge still remains to explore the facile approaches to construct multifunctional nanoparticles for acquiring precise cancer theranostics. Herein, a biocompatible theranostic nanoplatform capable of simultaneous cancer imaging and therapy is attempted by loading of paclitaxel (PTX) and indocyanine green (ICG) molecules into the matrix of Gd₂ O₃ @human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles (PIGH NPs) via hydrophobic interaction. The subsequent in vitro investigations reveal that the PIGH NPs afford uniform particle size, sustained drug release profile, strong longitudinal relaxivity, potent photothermal effect, effective singlet oxygen generation, and ideal resistance to photobleaching. Moreover, the PIGH NPs achieve high cellular uptake, efficient cytoplasmic drug translocation based on singlet oxygen-triggered endolysosomal disruption and prominent cytotoxicity effect against 4T1 cells under 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) irradiation in contrast to PTX/ICG-loaded HSA nanoparticles (PIH NPs) and free PTX/ICG. After intravenous injection, the PIGH NPs exhibit preferable tumor accumulation and achieve effective tumor ablation in 4T1 tumor bearing mouse model with excellent dual near-infrared fluorescence/magnetic resonance (NIRF/MR) imaging guided synergistic chemo-phototherapy. Hence, the PIGH NPs can be utilized as potential theranostic nanosystem for simultaneous cancer imaging and therapy.

Advanced Nanotechnology Leading the Way to Multimodal Imaging-Guided Precision Surgical Therapy

Surgical resection is the primary and most effective treatment for most patients with solid tumors. However, patients suffer from postoperative recurrence and metastasis. In the past years, emerging nanotechnology has led the way to minimally invasive, precision and intelligent oncological surgery after the rapid development of minimally invasive surgical technology. Advanced nanotechnology in the construction of nanomaterials (NMs) for precision imaging-guided surgery (IGS) as well as surgery-assisted synergistic therapy is summarized, thereby unlocking the advantages of nanotechnology in multimodal IGS-assisted precision synergistic cancer therapy. First, mechanisms and principles of NMs to surgical targets are briefly introduced. Multimodal imaging based on molecular imaging technologies provides a practical method to achieve intraoperative visualization with high resolution and deep tissue penetration. Moreover, multifunctional NMs synergize surgery with adjuvant therapy (e.g., chemotherapy, immunotherapy, phototherapy) to eliminate residual lesions. Finally, key issues in the development of ideal theranostic NMs associated with surgical applications and challenges of clinical transformation are discussed to push forward further development of NMs for multimodal IGS-assisted precision synergistic cancer therapy.

Evaluation of X-ray tomography contrast agents: A review of production, protocols, and biological applications

X-ray computed tomography is a strong tool that finds many applications both in medical applications and in the investigation of biological and nonbiological samples. In the clinics, X-ray tomography is widely used for diagnostic purposes whose three-dimensional imaging in high resolution helps physicians to obtain detailed image of investigated regions. Researchers in biological sciences and engineering use X-ray tomography because it is a nondestructive method to assess the structure of their samples. In both medical and biological applications, visualization of soft tissues and structures requires special treatment, in which special contrast agents are used. In this detailed report, molecule-based and nanoparticle-based contrast agents used in biological applications to enhance the image quality were compiled and reported. Special contrast agent applications and protocols to enhance the contrast for the biological applications and works to develop nanoparticle contrast agents to enhance the contrast for targeted drug delivery and general imaging applications were also assessed and listed.

Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Globular Orphan Nuclear Receptor Regulator with Biological Activity in Soft Tissue Sarcoma

Sarcomas are rare and heterogeneous cancer variants of mesenchymal origin. Their genetic heterogeneity coupled with uncertain histogenesis makes them difficult to treat and results in poor prognosis. In this work, we show that structure-based drug discovery involving computational modeling can be used to identify a new retinoid X receptor (RXR) agonist ligand with a bis(indolyl)methane scaffold. This agent co-self-assembles with an amphiphilic diblock copolymer resulting in nanoparticles (Nano-RXR) with excellent kinetic stability, which were evaluated for efficacy and safety in transformed sarcoma cells, 63-3 Cre and 141-10 Cre of pig origin, and in rodent xenograft models. Responses at gene and protein levels established the treatment approach as a highly effective RXR agonist across cell, rodent, and "Oncopig" models. Interestingly, Nano-RXR was not only able to modulate metabolic and transporter genes related to orphan nuclear receptors but also played a major role in modulating programmed cell death in sarcomas developed in Oncopigs.

Strategies for Preparing Albumin-based Nanoparticles for Multifunctional Bioimaging and Drug Delivery

Biosafety is the primary concern in clinical translation of nanomedicine. As an intrinsic ingredient of human blood without immunogenicity and encouraged by its successful clinical application in Abraxane, albumin has been regarded as a promising material to produce nanoparticles for bioimaging and drug delivery. The strategies for synthesizing albumin-based nanoparticles could be generally categorized into five classes: template, nanocarrier, scaffold, stabilizer and albumin-polymer conjugate. This review introduces approaches utilizing albumin in the preparation of nanoparticles and thereby provides scientists with knowledge of goal-driven design on albumin-based nanomedicine.

Impact of albumin based approaches in nanomedicine: Imaging, targeting and drug delivery

A major challenge in the field of nanomedicine is to transform laboratory innovations into commercially successful clinical products. In this campaign, a variety of nanoenabled approaches have been designed and investigated for their role in biomedical applications. The advantages associated with the unique structure of albumin imparts it with the ability to interact with variety of molecules, while the functional groups present on their surface provide base for large number of modifications making it as an ideal nanocarrier system. So far, a variety of albumin based nanoenabled approaches have been intensively exploited for effective diagnosis and personalized medicine, among them some have successfully completed their journey from lab bench to marketed products. This review focuses on the recent most promising advancement in the field of albumin based nanoenabled approaches for various biomedical applications and their potential use in cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Marriage of Albumin-Gadolinium Complexes and MoS2 Nanoflakes as Cancer Theranostics for Dual-Modality Magnetic Resonance/Photoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

The construction of safe and stable theranostics is beneficial to realize simultaneous cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this study, bovine serum albumin-gadolinium (BSA-Gd) complexes and MoS₂ nanoflakes (MoS₂-Gd-BSA) were successfully married as cancer theranostics for dual-modality magnetic resonance (MR)/photoacoustic (PA) imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT). BSA-Gd complexes were prepared by the biomineralization method and then conjugated with MoS₂ nanoflakes via an amide bond. The as-prepared MoS₂-Gd-BSA possessed a good photostability and photothermal effect. The cytotoxicity assessment and hemolysis assay suggested the excellent biocompatibility of MoS₂-Gd-BSA. Meanwhile, MoS₂-Gd-BSA could not only achieve in vivo MR/PA dual-modality imaging of xenograft tumors, but also effectively kill cancer cells in vitro and ablate the xenograft tumors in vivo upon 808 nm laser illumination. The biodistribution and histological evaluations indicated the negligible toxicity of MoS₂-Gd-BSA both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our results substantiated the potential of MoS₂-Gd-BSA for cancer theranostics.

Autophagy associated cytotoxicity and cellular uptake mechanisms of bismuth nanoparticles in human kidney cells

Bismuth compounds have been used for treatment of bacterial infection, and recently bismuth nanoparticles (BiNP) were synthesized for imaging and diagnostic purpose, while safety concern of bismuth cannot be ignored. Here, we prepared ultrasmall BiNP and showed an enhanced tumor imaging, but BiNP revealed a differentiated cytotoxicity in human embryonic kidney 293 cells (HEK293) compared to other cell types. For the first time, we found that BiNP can induce autophagy, shown as the increase of monodansylcadaverine fluorescence staining and the amount of LC3II that can be inhibited by 3-MA. BiNP were capable of entering cells in a dose and time dependent manner by fluorescence and element detection methods BiNP were found to be localized in the cytoplasm observed by transmission electron microscopy and intracellular bismuth element confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Using endocytic inhibitors, BiNP were found to require ATP and endosomal trafficking pathways for their cellular uptake. Internalized BiNP did not co-localize with EEA1, but co-localized with Lysotracker/LAMP1/LAMP2 at late time points, indicating BiNP may be retained in the non-early endosomal vacuoles and late endosomes. With our novel finding of bismuth induced autophagy and endocytic mechanisms, potential approaches may be applied to reduce the toxicity by bismuth.

Novel iodinated gold nanoclusters for precise diagnosis of thyroid cancer

As the most common endocrine malignancy with a high incidence, thyroid cancer lacks a dual-modal imaging method for precise diagnosis. An accurate and multimodal imaging system is pivotal to solve this problem. Herein, dual-modality fluorescence/Computed Tomography (CT) iodinated gold nanoclusters for malignant thyroid cancer visualization have been recently fabricated. In this study, innovative iodinated gold nanoclusters (AuNCs@BSA-I) were synthesized via Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and chloramine-T. AuNCs@BSA-I not only possess an ultra-small size and brilliant biocompatibility but also exhibit excellent fluorescence/CT imaging properties. Particularly with regard to CT imaging properties, AuNCs@BSA-I rival the clinical CT contrast medium. And the fluorescence emission spectrum of AuNCs@BSA-I falls in the near infrared region (NIR). For further translational application in medicine, we established an orthotopic human thyroid cancer patient tissue derived xenograft (PDX) mouse model, highly close to the actual human thyroid cancer. The results unveil that AuNCs@BSA-I exert sensitive and accurate diagnosis characteristics. To be more specific, the AuNCs@BSA-I fluorescent/CT signals in the thyroid tumor represent characteristics of 'slow in fast out', compared to those in the normal thyroid. Moreover, AuNCs@BSA-I could distinguish minimal thyroid cancer, as small as 2 mm³. Therefore, AuNCs@BSA-I appear to be a promising nanoprobe which could be applied to preclinical medicine.

Geometrical confinement directed albumin-based nanoprobes as enhanced T1 contrast agents for tumor imaging

We report a facile strategy to assemble geometrically confined albumin-based nanoparticles as T₁ contrast agents for sensitive tumor imaging.

Protein/peptide-templated biomimetic synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Currently, protein/peptide-based biomimetic mineralization has been demonstrated to be an efficient and promising strategy for synthesis of inorganic/metal nanoparticles (NPs) for bioapplications.

Multifunctional Redox-Responsive Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Efficient Targeting Drug Delivery and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The convenient modification of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) can provide great opportunities for constructing a new generation of nanocarriers with multiple functions. In the current study, we fabricated a new multifunctional drug delivery system based on MSN capped by gadolinium-based bovine serum albumin complex (BSA-Gd) and hyaluronic acid (HA) via reductive-cleavable disulfide bond. In this multifunctional nanoparticle (MSN-ss-GHA), BSA-Gd component was prepared by biomineralization and acted as both smart gatekeeper and contrast agent for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, while HA served as the targeted molecule to improve the specific affinity of MSN-ss-GHA toward cancer cells. The successful fabrication of MSN-ss-GHA was demonstrated by a series of physicochemical characterization. The redox-sensitive drug release behavior of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) loaded MSN-ss-GHA (DOX@MSN-ss-GHA) was also verified. Comparatively, the MSN-ss-GHA exhibited excellent biocompatibility and distinctly enhanced cell uptake by 4T1 cells. More importantly, the improved in vitro MR imaging ability of MSN-ss-GHA over that of Gd-DTPA was also confirmed. The results also suggested that the DOX@MSN-ss-GHA could efficiently deliver DOX into 4T1 cells and showed enhanced cytotoxicity as compared to that of nontargeted nanocarrier. The in vivo experiment also demonstrated the negligible toxicity of MSN-ss-GHA and improved antitumor suppression of DOX@MSN-ss-GHA. Thus, this multifunctional MSN-based theranostic agent holds potential for efficient redox-responsive targeting drug delivery and MR imaging.

BL-038, a Benzofuran Derivative, Induces Cell Apoptosis in Human Chondrosarcoma Cells through Reactive Oxygen Species/Mitochondrial Dysfunction and the Caspases Dependent Pathway

Chondrosarcoma is a highly malignant cartilage-forming bone tumor that has the capacity to invade locally and cause distant metastasis. Moreover, chondrosarcoma is intrinsically resistant to conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The novel benzofuran derivative, BL-038 (2-amino-3-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-6-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzofuran-4-yl acetate), has been evaluated for its anticancer effects in human chondrosarcoma cells. BL-038 caused cell apoptosis in two human chondrosarcoma cell lines, JJ012 and SW1353, but not in primary chondrocytes. Treatment of chondrosarcoma with BL-038 also induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Furthermore, BL-038 decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and changed mitochondrial-related apoptosis, by downregulating the anti-apoptotic activity members (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL) and upregulating pro-apoptotic members (Bax, Bak) of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins, key regulators of the apoptotic machinery in cells. These results demonstrate that in human chondrosarcoma cells, the apoptotic and cytotoxic effects of BL-038 are mediated by the intrinsic mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway, which in turn causes the release of cytochrome c, the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), to elicit apoptosis response. Our results show that the benzofuran derivative BL-038 induces apoptosis in chondrosarcoma cells.