Redox-Responsive Micellar Nanoparticles from Glycosaminoglycans for CD44 Targeted Drug Delivery

Targeted Delivery Strategies for Multiple Myeloma and Their Adverse Drug Reactions

Currently, multiple myeloma (MM) is a prevalent hematopoietic system malignancy, known for its insidious onset and unfavorable prognosis. Recently developed chemotherapy drugs for MM have exhibited promising therapeutic outcomes. Nevertheless, to overcome the shortcomings of traditional clinical drug treatment, such as off-target effects, multiple drug resistance, and systemic toxicity, targeted drug delivery systems are optimizing the conventional pharmaceuticals for precise delivery to designated sites at controlled rates, striving for maximal efficacy and safety, presenting a promising approach for MM treatment. This review will delve into the outstanding performance of antibody-drug conjugates, peptide-drug conjugates, aptamer-drug conjugates, and nanocarrier drug delivery systems in preclinical studies or clinical trials for MM and monitor their adverse reactions during treatment.

Layer-by-layer coated calcium carbonate nanoparticles for targeting breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is resistant to conventional treatments due to the specific tumour microenvironment, the associated acidic pH and the overexpression of receptors that enhance cells tumorigenicity. Herein, we optimized the synthesis of acidic resorbable calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanoparticles and the encapsulation of a low molecular weight model molecule (Rhodamine). The addition of ethylene glycol during the synthetic process resulted in a particle size decrease: we obtained homogeneous CaCO3 particles with an average size of 564 nm. Their negative charge enabled the assembly of layer-by-layer (LbL) coatings with surface-exposed hyaluronic acid (HA), a ligand of tumour-associated receptor CD44. The coating decreased Rhodamine release by two-fold compared to uncoated nanoparticles. We demonstrated the effect of nanoparticles on two breast cancer cell lines with different aggressiveness - SK-BR-3 and the more aggressive MDA-MB-231 - and compared them with the normal breast cell line MCF10A. CaCO3 nanoparticles (coated and uncoated) significantly decreased the metabolic activity of the breast cancer cells. The interactions between LbL-coated nanoparticles and cells depended on HA expression on the cell surface: more particles were observed on the surface of MDA-MB-231 cells, which had the thickest endogenous HA coating. We concluded that CaCO3 nanoparticles are potential candidates to carry low molecular weight chemotherapeutics and deliver them to aggressive breast cancer sites with an HA-abundant pericellular matrix.

Hyaluronan Brush-like Copolymers Promote CD44 Declustering in Breast Cancer Cells

We report on the synthesis of hyaluronan (HA) brush-like copolymers and their application as antagonists of tumorigenic CD44-HA interactions. HA (4.8 kDa, ca. 24 saccharides) was grafted on 2-hydrohyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) by end-on oxime ligation. The obtained copolymers were compared with low and high molecular weight HA in terms of hydrolysis kinetics in the presence of hyaluronidase (isothermal titration calorimetry) and interactions with CD44 (surface plasmon resonance). The results evidenced that the high molecular weight HA and HA-g-HEMA have a much higher affinity to CD44 than low molecular weight HA. Additionally, slower enzymatic degradation was observed for the copolymer, making it an excellent candidate for active targeting of tumorigenic CD44-HA interactions. We, therefore, investigated the effect of the copolymer on cancer cell lines with different expression of CD44 and observed an efficient declustering of CD44 that is usually associated with reduction of metastasis and drug resistance.

Hyaluronic Acid within Self-Assembling Nanoparticles: Endless Possibilities for Targeted Cancer Therapy

Self-assembling nanoparticles (SANPs) based on hyaluronic acid (HA) represent unique tools in cancer therapy because they combine the HA targeting activity towards cancer cells with the advantageous features of the self-assembling nanosystems, i.e., chemical versatility and ease of preparation and scalability. This review describes the key outcomes arising from the combination of HA and SANPs, focusing on nanomaterials where HA and/or HA-derivatives are inserted within the self-assembling nanostructure. We elucidate the different HA derivatization strategies proposed for this scope, as well as the preparation methods used for the fabrication of the delivery device. After showing the biological results in the employed in vivo and in vitro models, we discussed the pros and cons of each nanosystem, opening a discussion on which approach represents the most promising strategy for further investigation and effective therapeutic protocol development.

Facile Construction of a Two-in-One Injectable Micelleplex-Loaded Thermogel System for the Prolonged Delivery of Plasmid DNA

Nanoparticle-hydrogel systems have recently emerged as a class of interesting hybrid materials with immense potential for several biomedical applications. Remarkably, the incorporation of nanoparticles into a hydrogel may yield synergistic benefits lacking in a singular system. However, most synthetic strategies require laborious steps to achieve the system, severely restricting the process of translational research. Herein, a facile strategy to access a two-in-one system comprising two distinct polyurethane (PU)-based micellar systems is demonstrated and applied as a novel sustained gene delivery platform, where the two PUs are synthesized similarly but with slightly different compositions. One PU forms cationic micelles that complex with plasmid DNA (pDNA), which are loaded into a thermogel formed by another PU micellar system for the prolonged release of pDNA micelleplexes. Specifically, a thermogelling multiblock PU copolymer (denoted as EPH) was synthesized via the step-growth polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol), poly(propylene glycol), and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate). By further introducing a cationic extender, 3-(dimethylamino)-1,2-propanediol, into the reaction feed, a series of cationic PUs (denoted as EPHD) with varying compositions were obtained. The EPHDs formed positively charged micelles in aqueous solutions, efficiently condensed pDNA into nano-sized micelleplexes (<200 nm) at optimized w/w ratios, and mediated transient green fluorescence protein expression in HEK293T cells at 48 h post-transfection. On the other hand, aqueous EPH solution (4 wt %) was injectable at 4 °C and rapidly gelled upon heating to 37 °C to form a stable hydrogel depot. EPHD/pDNA micelleplexes were easily loaded into EPH by mixing the solutions at 4 °C, before heating to 37 °C, leading to the resultant hydrogel system. The in vitro release study revealed that while free pDNA loaded in the thermogel was completely released in 2 weeks, the release of EPHD/pDNA micelleplexes was prolonged to at least 28 days, suggesting substantial micelleplex-hydrogel interactions. Intact, bioactive, and noncytotoxic EPHD/pDNA micelleplexes in the release media were proved by gel retardation, in vitro gene transfection, and CCK-8 cytotoxicity assay results, respectively. Collectively, this work presents a simple approach to achieving and optimizing a novel two-in-one nanoparticle-hydrogel system for the prolonged delivery of pDNA and may be promising for long-term gene delivery applications.

RHAMM expression tunes the response of breast cancer cell lines to hyaluronan

Hyaluronan (HA) synthesis and degradation are altered during carcinogenesis leading to an increased HA content in the tumor microenvironment, which correlates with poor prognosis and treatment outcomes. The main HA receptors, CD44 and RHAMM, are also overexpressed in tumors where they activate anti-apoptotic, proliferative, invasive, and migration signaling pathways. Herein, we used a unidirectional HA gradient to investigate in a high-throughput fashion the bi-directional communication between HA and breast cancer cell lines with different surface expression of CD44 and RHAMM. We found that the expression of CD44 and RHAMM depends on the HA density: the expression of these receptors is promoted at higher HA density and RHAMM is more sensitive to these changes when compared to CD44. Blocking either CD44 or RHAMM revealed different functions on binding and recognizing HA and a compensatory expression between these two receptors that maintains protumorigenic effectors such as cortactin. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: We show that the expression of main hyaluronan (HA) receptors CD44 and RHAMM is enhanced in a HA concentration-dependent manner. Blocking activity experiments with either RHAMM or CD44 reveal the redundancy of these two receptors towards HA recognition and activation/recruitment of protumorigenic molecular effector, cortactin. These experiments also demonstrate that cells with overexpressed RHAMM are more sensitive to HA density than CD44 positive cells. The reported results are important for the development of therapies that target the hyaluronan signaling in the tumor microenvironment.

Influence of Hyaluronan Density on the Behavior of Breast Cancer Cells with Different CD44 Expression

Molecular gradients are common in biosystems and play an essential role in physiological and pathological processes. During carcinogenesis, for example, hyaluronan (HA) homeostasis is dysregulated by cancer cells and the altered synthesis and degradation processes result in the formation of HA gradients within the tumor microenvironment. Herein, a platform is developed to study the biological role of HA gradient in breast cancer cells. Cells with different aggressiveness and expression of CD44-the main HA receptor usually overexpressed in breast cancers, are selected for this study. The developed platform is compatible with several imaging modalities and allows assessment of cell density, morphology, CD44 expression, and cell motility in a function of HA density. Using high-throughput analysis, it is shown that cells that do not express CD44 do not change along the gradient, while CD44 positive cells respond differently to the HA gradient depending on the level of CD44 expression and HA density. This different response is associated with the activation of different signaling pathways by the CD44-HA interactions.

Co-localization and crosstalk between CD44 and RHAMM depend on hyaluronan presentation

CD44 and the receptor for hyaluronic acid-mediated motility (RHAMM) are the main hyaluronan (HA) receptors. They are commonly overexpressed in different cancers activating signaling pathways related to tumor progression, metastasis and chemoresistance. Besides their involvement in signal transduction via interaction with HA, currently, there is a little information about the possible crosstalk between CD44 and RHAMM and the role of HA in this process. In the present work, we used immunocytochemistry combined with Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation to elucidate the involvement of HA in CD44 and RHAMM expression, co-localization and crosstalk. We studied breast cancer cells lines with different degrees of invasiveness and expression of these receptors in the absence of exogenous HA and compared the data with the results obtained for cultures supplemented with either soluble HA or seeded on substrates with end-on immobilized HA. Our results demonstrated that cells response depends on the HA presentation: CD44/RHAMM complexation was upregulated in all cell lines upon interaction with immobilized HA, but not with its soluble form. Moreover, the results showed that the expression of both CD44 and RHAMM is regulated via interactions with HA indicating cell-specific feedback loop(s) in the signaling cascade.

Recent advances in the redox-responsive drug delivery nanoplatforms: A chemical structure and physical property perspective

Poor water solubility, off-target toxicity, and small therapeutic window are among major obstacles for the development of drug products. Redox-responsive drug delivery nanoplatforms not only overcome the delivery and pharmacokinetic pitfalls observed in conventional drug delivery, but also leverage the site-specific delivery properties. Cleavable diselenide and disulfide bonds in the presence of elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione concentration are among widely used stimuli-responsive bonds to design nanocarriers. This review covers a wide range of redox-responsive chemical structures and their properties for designing nanoparticles aiming controlled loading, delivery, and release of hydrophobic anticancer drugs at tumor site.

Drug delivery systems based on CD44-targeted glycosaminoglycans for cancer therapy

The polysaccharide-based biomaterials hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) have aroused great interest for use in drug delivery systems for tumor therapy, as they have outstanding biocompatibility and great targeting ability for cluster determinant 44 (CD44). In addition, modified HA and CS can self-assemble into micelles or micellar nanoparticles (NPs) for targeted drug delivery. This review discusses the formation of HA- and CS-based NPs, and various types of CS-based NPs including CS-drug conjugates, CS-polymer NPs, CS-small molecule NPs, polyelectrolyte nanocomplexes (PECs), CS-metal NPs, and nanogels. We then focus on the applications of HA- and CS-based NPs in tumor chemotherapy, gene therapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and immunotherapy. Finally, this review is expected to provide guidelines for the development of various HA- and CS-based NPs used in multiple cancer therapies.

Influence of Hydrophobic Chains in Nanocarriers on Antitumor Efficacy of Docetaxel Nanoparticles

The composition of amphiphilic nanocarriers can affect the antitumor efficacy of drug-loaded nanoparticles and should be researched systematically. In this paper, to study the influence of hydrophobic chains, an amphiphilic copolymer (PEG₄₅PCL₁₇) and hydrophilic PEG (PEG₄₅) were utilized as nanocarriers to prepare docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles (DTX/PEG₄₅PCL₁₇ nanoparticles and DTX/PEG₄₅ nanoparticles) through an antisolvent precipitation method. The two DTX nanoparticles presented a similar drug loading content of approximately 60% and a sheet-like morphology. During the preparation procedure, the drug loading content affected the morphology of DTX nanoparticles, and the nanocarrier composition influenced the particle size. Compared with DTX/PEG₄₅ nanoparticles, DTX/PEG₄₅PCL₁₇ nanoparticles showed a smaller mean diameter and better in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity. The cytotoxicity of DTX/PEG₄₅PCL₁₇ nanoparticles against 4T1 cells was 1.31 μg mL^-1, 3.4-fold lower than that of DTX/PEG₄₅ nanoparticles. More importantly, DTX/PEG₄₅PCL₁₇ nanoparticles showed significantly higher antitumor activity in vivo, with an inhibition rate over 80%, 1.5-fold higher than that of DTX/PEG₄₅ nanoparticles. Based on these results, antitumor activity appears to be significantly affected by the particle size, which was determined by the composition of the nanocarrier. In summary, to improve antitumor efficacy, the amphiphilic structure should be considered and optimized in the design of nanocarriers.

4-n-Butylresorcinol-Based Linear and Graft Polymethacrylates for Arbutin and Vitamins Delivery by Micellar Systems

A novel initiator, bromoester modified 4-n-butylresorcinol (4nBREBr₂), was prepared and utilized in controlled atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to obtain three series of amphiphilic copolymers. The V-shaped copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (MPEGMA), abbreviated to P(HEMA-co-MMA), P(HEMA-co-MPEGMA), and P(MMA-co-MPEGMA), were synthesized. Moreover, P((HEMA-graft-PEG)-co-MMA) graft copolymers were prepared by combining the pre-polymerization modification of HEMA and a "click" reaction using a "grafting onto" approach. All copolymers could form micelles with encapsulated active substances (vitamin C (VitC), vitamin E (VitE), arbutin (ARB)), which are used in cosmetology. In vitro studies carried out in a PBS solution (pH 7.4) demonstrates that in most cases the maximum release of active substance was after 1 h. The polymeric systems presenting satisfactory encapsulation characteristics and release profiles are attractive micellar carriers of cosmetic substances, which show a positive effect on the skin condition.

Chondroitin sulfate derived theranostic and therapeutic nanocarriers for tumor-targeted drug delivery

The standard chemotherapy is facing the challenges of lack of cancer selectivity and development of drug resistance. Currently, with the application of nanotechnology, the rationally designed nanocarriers of chondroitin sulfate (CS) have been fabricated and their unique features of low toxicity, biocompatibility, and active and passive targeting made them drug delivery vehicles of the choice for cancer therapy. The hydrophilic and anionic CS could be incorporated as a building block into- or decorated on the surface of nanoformulations. Micellar nanoparticles (NPs) self-assembled from amphiphilic CS-drug conjugates and CS-polymer conjugates, polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) and nanogels of CS have been widely implicated in cancer directed therapy. The surface modulation of organic, inorganic, lipid and metallic NPs with CS promotes the receptor-mediated internalization of NPs to the tumor cells. The potential contribution of CS and CS-proteoglycans (CSPGs) in the pathogenesis of various cancer types, and CS nanocarriers in immunotherapy, radiotherapy, sonodynamic therapy (SDT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer are summarized in this review paper.

Co-Delivery of Curcumin and Paclitaxel by "Core-Shell" Targeting Amphiphilic Copolymer to Reverse Resistance in the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer

Background

Ovarian cancer is a common malignancy in the female reproductive system with a high mortality rate. The most important reason is multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer chemotherapy. To reduce side effects, reverse resistance and improve efficacy for the treatment of ovarian cancer, a “core-shell” polymeric nanoparticle-mediated curcumin and paclitaxel co-delivery platform was designed.

Methods

Nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed the successful grafting of polyethylenimine (PEI) and stearic acid (SA) (PEI-SA), which is designed as a mother core for transport carrier. Then, PEI-SA was modified with hyaluronic acid (HA) and physicochemical properties were examined. To understand the regulatory mechanism of resistance and measure the anti-tumor efficacy of the treatments, cytotoxicity assay, cellular uptake, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression and migration experiment of ovarian cancer cells were performed. In addition, adverse reactions of nanoformulation to the reproductive system were examined.

Results

HA-modified drug-loaded PEI-SA had a narrow size of about 189 nm in diameters, and the particle size was suitable for endocytosis. The nanocarrier could target specifically to CD44 receptor on the ovarian cancer cell membrane. Co-delivery of curcumin and paclitaxel by the nanocarriers exerts synergistic anti-ovarian cancer effects on chemosensitive human ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3) and multi-drug resistant variant (SKOV3-TR30) in vitro, and it also shows a good anti-tumor effect in ovarian tumor-bearing nude mice. The mechanism of reversing drug resistance may be that the nanoparticles inhibit the efflux of P-gp, inhibit the migration of tumor cells, and curcumin synergistically reverses the resistance of PTX to increase antitumor activity. It is worth noting that the treatment did not cause significant toxicity to the uterus and ovaries with the observation of macroscopic and microscopic.

Conclusion

This special structure of targeting nanoparticles co-delivery with the curcumin and paclitaxel can increase the anti-tumor efficacy without increasing the adverse reactions as a promising strategy for therapy ovarian cancer.

Blood component ridable and CD44 receptor targetable nanoparticles based on a maleimide-functionalized chondroitin sulfate derivative

Chondroitin sulfate A-deoxycholic acid-polyethylene glycol-maleimide (CSA-DOCA-PEG-MAL; CDPM) nanostructures were designed for the transient binding of MAL with thiol in blood components and cell membranes, in addition to the CD44 receptor targeting, for the therapy of breast cancer. The spontaneous binding of free thiol groups in plasma proteins and blood cells with the MAL group of CDPM was significantly higher than that of CSA-DOCA-PEG (CDP). Enhanced cellular uptake and the in vitro antiproliferation efficacy of docetaxel (D)-loaded CDPM (CDPM/D) nanoparticles (NPs) in MCF-7 cells indicated dual-targeting effects based on MAL-thiol reactions and CSA-CD44 receptor interactions. Following intravenous injection in rats, reduced clearance and an elevated half-life of the drug was observed in the CDPM/D NPs compared to the CDP/D NPs. Taken together, MAL modification of CDP NPs could be a promising approach not only to enhance tumor targeting and penetration but also to extend the blood circulation time of anticancer drugs.

Active Cellular and Subcellular Targeting of Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

Nanoparticle (NP)-mediated drug delivery (NMDD) for active targeting of diseases is a primary goal of nanomedicine. NPs have much to offer in overcoming the limitations of traditional drug delivery approaches, including off-target drug toxicity and the need for the administration of repetitive doses. In the last decade, one of the main foci in NMDD has been the realization of NP-mediated drug formulations for active targeted delivery to diseased tissues, with an emphasis on cellular and subcellular targeting. Advances on this front have included the intricate design of targeted NP-drug constructs to navigate through biological barriers, overcome multidrug resistance (MDR), decrease side effects, and improve overall drug efficacy. In this review, we survey advancements in NP-mediated drug targeting over the last five years, highlighting how various NP-drug constructs have been designed to achieve active targeted delivery and improved therapeutic outcomes for critical diseases including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease. We conclude with a survey of the current clinical trial landscape for active targeted NP-drug delivery and how we envision this field will progress in the near future.

Heparosan as a potential alternative to hyaluronic acid for the design of biopolymer-based nanovectors for anticancer therapy

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are important components of the extracellular matrix that have attracted great interest for drug delivery and pharmaceutical applications due to their diverse biological functions. Among GAGs, heparosan (Hep), a biosynthetic precursor of heparin, has recently emerged as a promising building block for the design of nanoparticles with stealth properties. Though this non-sulfated polysaccharide has a chemical structure very close to that of hyaluronic acid (HA), it distinguishes from HA in that it is biologically inert in the extracellular spaces in the body. In this study, we designed Hep- and HA-based nanogels (NGs) that differ only in the chemical nature of the hydrophilic shell. The nanogels were prepared in a very straightforward way from Hep and HA modified with a thermoresponsive copolymer properly designed to induce self-assembly below room temperature. This versatile synthetic approach also enabled further shell-crosslinking allowing an increase in the colloidal stability. After careful characterization of the un-crosslinked and crosslinked Hep and HA NGs in terms of size (Z-average diameters of un-crosslinked and crosslinked NGs ∼110 and 150 nm) and morphology, they were injected intravenously into tumor-bearing mice for biodistribution experiments. Interestingly, these show that the liver uptake of Hep nanogels is remarkably reduced and tumor accumulation significantly improved as compared to HA nanogels (intensity ratios of tumor-to-liver of 2.2 and 1.4 for the un-crosslinked and crosslinked Hep NGs versus 0.11 for the un-crosslinked and crosslinked HA ones). These results highlight the key role played by the shell-forming GAGs on the in vivo fate of nanogels, which correlates with the specific biological properties of Hep and HA.

Hypoxia-activated prodrugs and redox-responsive nanocarriers

Hypoxia is one of the marked features of malignant tumors, which is associated with several adaptation changes in the microenvironment of tumor cells. Therefore, targeting tumor hypoxia is a research hotspot for cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the developing chemotherapeutic drugs for targeting hypoxia, including quinones, nitroaromatic/nitroimidazole, N-oxides, and transition metal complexes. In addition, redox-responsive bonds, such as nitroimidazole groups, azogroups, and disulfide bonds, are frequently used in drug delivery systems for targeting the redox environment of tumors. Both hypoxia-activated prodrugs and redox-responsive drug delivery nanocarriers have significant effects on targeting tumor hypoxia for cancer therapy. Hypoxia-activated prodrugs are commonly used in clinical trials with favorable prospects, while redox-responsive nanocarriers are currently at the experimental stage.