Co-Delivery of Paclitaxel by a Capsaicin Prodrug Micelle Facilitating for Combination Therapy on Breast Cancer

Polymeric nanomaterials-based theranostic platforms for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatment

Breast cancer, the second leading global cause of death, affects 2.1 million women annually, with an alarming 15 percent mortality rate. Among its diverse forms, Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) emerges as the deadliest, characterized by the absence of hormone receptors. This article underscores the urgent need for innovative treatment approaches in tackling TNBC, emphasizing the transformative potential of polymeric nanomaterials (PNMs). Evolved through nanotechnology, PNMs offer versatile biomedical applications, particularly in addressing the intricate challenges of TNBC. The synthesis methods of PNMs, explored within the tumor microenvironment using cellular models, showcase their dynamic nature in cancer treatment. The article anticipates the future of TNBC therapeutics through the optimization of PNMs-based strategies, integrating them into photothermal (PT), photodynamic (PT), and hyperthermia therapy (HTT), drug delivery, and active tumor targeting strategies. Advancements in synthetic methods, coupled with a nuanced understanding of the tumor microenvironment, hold promise for personalized interventions. Comparative investigations of therapeutic models and a thorough exploration of polymeric nanoplatforms toxicological perspectives become imperative for ensuring efficacy and safety. We have explored the interdisciplinary collaboration between nanotechnology, oncology, and molecular biology as pivotal in translating PNMs innovations into tangible benefits for TNBC patients.

Galacturonic acid-capsaicin prodrug for prolonged nociceptive-selective nerve blockade

There is an urgent clinical need to develop nerve-blocking agents capable of inducing long duration sensory block without muscle weakness or paralysis to treat post-operative and chronic pain conditions. Here, we report a galacturonic acid-capsaicin (GalA-CAP) prodrug as an effective nociceptive-selective axon blocking agent. Capsaicin selectively acts on nociceptive signaling without motor nerve blockade or disruption of proprioception and touch sensation, and the galacturonic acid moiety enhance prodrug permeability across the restrictive peripheral nerve barriers (PNBs) via carrier-mediated transport by the facilitative glucose transporters (GLUTs). In addition, following prodrug transport across PNBs, the inactive prodrug is converted to active capsaicin through linker hydrolysis, leading to sustained drug release. A single injection of GalA-CAP prodrug at the sciatic nerves of rats led to nociceptive-selective nerve blockade lasting for 234 ± 37 h, which is a sufficient duration to address the most intense period of postsurgical pain. Furthermore, the prodrug markedly mitigated capsaicin-associated side effects, leading to a notable decrease in systemic toxicity, benign local tissue reactions, and diminished burning and irritant effects.

UNC-45A: A potential therapeutic target for malignant tumors

Uncoordinated mutant number-45 myosin chaperone A (UNC-45A), a protein highly conserved throughout evolution, is ubiquitously expressed in somatic cells. It is correlated with tumorigenesis, proliferation, metastasis, and invasion of multiple malignant tumors. The current understanding of the role of UNC-45A in tumor progression is mainly related to the regulation of non-muscle myosin II (NM-II). However, many studies have suggested that the mechanisms by which UNC-45A is involved in tumor progression are far greater than those of NM-II regulation. UNC-45A can also promote tumor cell proliferation by regulating checkpoint kinase 1 (ChK1) phosphorylation or the transcriptional activity of nuclear receptors, and induces chemoresistance to paclitaxel in tumor cells by destabilizing microtubule activity. In this review, we discuss the recent advances illuminating the role of UNC-45A in tumor progression. We also put forward therapeutic strategies targeting UNC-45A, in the hope of paving the way the development of UNC-45A-targeted therapies for patients with malignant tumors.

Tumor-associated macrophages in non-small-cell lung cancer: From treatment resistance mechanisms to therapeutic targets

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Different treatment approaches are typically employed based on the stage of NSCLC. Common clinical treatment methods include surgical resection, drug therapy, and radiation therapy. However, with the introduction and utilization of immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer treatment has entered a new era, completely revolutionizing the treatment landscape for various cancers and significantly improving overall patient survival. Concurrently, treatment resistance often poses a critical challenge, with many patients experiencing disease progression following an initial response due to treatment resistance. Increasing evidence suggests that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in treatment resistance. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) within the TME can promote treatment resistance in NSCLC by secreting various cytokines activating signaling pathways, and interacting with other immune cells. Therefore, this article will focus on elucidating the key mechanisms of TAMs in treatment resistance and analyze how targeting TAMs can reduce the levels of treatment resistance in NSCLC, providing a comprehensive understanding of the principles and approaches to overcome treatment resistance in NSCLC.

ROS-Responsive Prodrug Micelle Co-Delivery System for Synergistic Antiatherosclerotic Therapy

Tanshinone IIA (TS-IIA) and salvianic acid A (SAA) are the main pharmacological active constituents of Danshen, which exhibit potent effects on atherosclerosis. A combination of TS-IIA and SAA might exert a synergistic antiatherosclerotic effect. However, the opposite solubility profiles of TS-IIA and SAA might lead to difficulty in achieving a synergistic combined effect of the two active components. Therefore, in this work, we fabricated a ROS-responsive prodrug micelle for the codelivery of TS-IIA and SAA (TS-IIA-PM) by self-assembling amphiphilic block copolymer PEG5000-SAA/PLA10000-APBA. The amphiphilic polymer was characterized by 1H NMR, FTIR, and alizarin red S competition tests. The ROS responsiveness of TS-IIA-PM was evidenced by time-course monitoring of particle size and morphology changes and drug release behavior in the presence of 1 mM H2O2. We found TS-IIA-PM was stable according to its critical micelle concentration and the unchanged particle sizes in 10% FBS for 7 days. The results of in vitro and in vivo tests revealed that TS-IIA-PM was safe and biocompatible. Furthermore, it was observed that TS-IIA and prodrug micelle could produce synergistic antiatherosclerotic effect based on the results of the antioxidant study, which was further confirmed by a series of pharmocodynamics studies, such as in vitro DiI-oxLDL uptake study, oil red O staining, cholesterol efflux study, inflammatory cytokine analysis, in vivo CD68 immunostaining, and lipid disposition staining studies. Collectively, TS-IIA-PM holds great potential for the safe and efficient codelivery of TS-IIA and SAA for synergistic antiatherosclerosis.

Diffusion-mediated carving of interior topologies of all-natural protein nanoparticles to tailor sustained drug release for effective breast cancer therapy

Proteins are promising base materials for developing drug carriers with efficient blood circulation due to low possibilities of clearance by macrophages. However, such natural biopolymers have highly sophisticated molecular structures, preventing them from being assembled into nano-platforms with manipulable payload release profiles. Here, we report the self-assembly of two natural proteins (milk casein and rice protein) into protein nanoparticles (NPs, ∼150 nm) with tailorable release profiles. Diffusion of plant-derived paclitaxel (PTX)-containing eugenol into the hydrophobic cores of the NPs and subsequent dialysis to remove eugenol from the cores lead to the carving of the NP interiors. With the increase in the mass ratios of casein and rice protein, this process generates all-natural NPs with PTX loaded in their full cavities, semi-full cavities, or solid cores. These NPs can be efficiently uptaken by breast cancer cells and could kill the cancer cells efficiently. PTX in these NPs demonstrates increasingly sustained in vivo release profiles from full cavities, semi-full cavities, to solid cores, gradually extending its pharmacokinetic profiles in blood plasma to favor drug accumulation in breast tumor models. Consequently, the NPs with solid cores completely inhibit tumor growth in vivo, more effectively than those with full and semi-full cavities. Our work opens up a new avenue to the use of diffusion-mediated nanoscale carving in producing biomaterials with controllable interior topologies relevant to drug release profiles.

Codelivery of Phytochemicals with Conventional Anticancer Drugs in Form of Nanocarriers

Anticancer drugs in monotherapy are ineffective to treat various kinds of cancer due to the heterogeneous nature of cancer. Moreover, available anticancer drugs possessed various hurdles, such as drug resistance, insensitivity of cancer cells to drugs, adverse effects and patient inconveniences. Hence, plant-based phytochemicals could be a better substitute for conventional chemotherapy for treatment of cancer due to various properties: lesser adverse effects, action via multiple pathways, economical, etc. Various preclinical studies have demonstrated that a combination of phytochemicals with conventional anticancer drugs is more efficacious than phytochemicals individually to treat cancer because plant-derived compounds have lower anticancer efficacy than conventional anticancer drugs. Moreover, phytochemicals suffer from poor aqueous solubility and reduced bioavailability, which must be resolved for efficacious treatment of cancer. Therefore, nanotechnology-based novel carriers are employed for codelivery of phytochemicals and conventional anticancer drugs for better treatment of cancer. These novel carriers include nanoemulsion, nanosuspension, nanostructured lipid carriers, solid lipid nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, metallic nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes that provide various benefits of improved solubility, reduced adverse effects, higher efficacy, reduced dose, improved dosing frequency, reduced drug resistance, improved bioavailability and higher patient compliance. This review summarizes various phytochemicals employed in treatment of cancer, combination therapy of phytochemicals with anticancer drugs and various nanotechnology-based carriers to deliver the combination therapy in treatment of cancer.

Nano-drug co-delivery system of natural active ingredients and chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment: a review

Chemotherapy drugs have been used for a long time in the treatment of cancer, but serious side effects are caused by the inability of the drug to be solely delivered to the tumor when treating cancer with chemotherapy. Natural products have attracted more and more attention due to the antitumor effect in multiple ways, abundant resources and less side effects. Therefore, the combination of natural active ingredients and chemotherapy drugs may be an effective antitumor strategy, which can inhibit the growth of tumor and multidrug resistance, reduce side effects of chemotherapy drugs. Nano-drug co-delivery system (NDCDS) can play an important role in the combination of natural active ingredients and chemotherapy drugs. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the research status and application prospect of nano-delivery strategies for the combination of natural active ingredients and chemotherapy drugs, aiming to provide a basis for the development of anti-tumor drugs.

Phytochemical Targeting of Mitochondria for Breast Cancer Chemoprevention, Therapy, and Sensitization

Breast cancer is a common and deadly disease that causes tremendous physical, emotional, and financial burden on patients and society. Early-stage breast cancer and less aggressive subtypes have promising prognosis for patients, but in aggressive subtypes, and as cancers progress, treatment options and responses diminish, dramatically decreasing survival. Plants are nutritionally rich and biologically diverse organisms containing thousands of metabolites, some of which have chemopreventive, therapeutic, and sensitizing properties, providing a rich source for drug discovery. In this study we review the current landscape of breast cancer with a central focus on the potential role of phytochemicals for treatment, management, and disease prevention. We discuss the relevance of phytochemical targeting of mitochondria for improved anti-breast cancer efficacy. We highlight current applications of phytochemicals and derivative structures that display anti-cancer properties and modulate cancer mitochondria, while describing future applicability and identifying areas of promise.

Anti-cancer activity of sustained release capsaicin formulations

Capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-noneamide) is a hydrophobic, lipophilic vanilloid phytochemical abundantly found in chili peppers and pepper extracts. Several convergent studies show that capsaicin displays robust cancer activity, suppressing the growth, angiogenesis and metastasis of several human cancers. Despite its potent cancer-suppressing activity, the clinical applications of capsaicin as a viable anti-cancer drug have remained problematic due to its poor bioavailability and aqueous solubility properties. In addition, the administration of capsaicin is associated with adverse side effects like gastrointestinal cramps, stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea and vomiting. All these hurdles may be circumvented by encapsulation of capsaicin in sustained release drug delivery systems. Most of the capsaicin-based the sustained release drugs have been tested for their pain-relieving activity. Only a few of these formulations have been investigated as anti-cancer agents. The present review describes the physicochemical properties, bioavailability, and anti-cancer activity of capsaicin-sustained release agents. The asset of such continuous release capsaicin formulations is that they display better solubility, stability, bioavailability, and growth-suppressive activity than the free drug. The encapsulation of capsaicin in sustained release carriers minimizes the adverse side effects of capsaicin. In summary, these capsaicin-based sustained release drug delivery systems have the potential to function as novel chemotherapies, unique diagnostic imaging probes and innovative chemosensitization agents in human cancers.

Crizotinib prodrug micelles co-delivered doxorubicin for synergistic immunogenic cell death induction on breast cancer chemo-immunotherapy

Chemotherapeutic agents can trigger the immune response via inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), but the weak ICD effect induced by chemotherapy alone limits its lasting antitumor immunotherapy effect. A Cro polymerized prodrug carriers (POEG-b-PCro) with immunostimulatory by ICD induction was developed and co-delivered DOX to generate synergistic ICD induction for chemo-immunotherapy on breast cancer. DOX/POEG-b-PCro micelles displayed prolonged circulation in blood, efficient accumulation in tumors, internalization and then co-released DOX&Cro in tumor cells. Moreover, the DOX/POEG-b-PCro micelles synergistically triggered ICD induction by releasing the nuclear high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and down-regulation of c-Met level for generating chemo-immune anti-tumor actions. Importantly, the DOX/POEG-b-PCro micelles synergistically enhanced the tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes infiltration, concomitant decreasing the immunosuppressive regulatory T (Treg) cells, accompanied with the increased cytokines secretion of IFN-γ and TNF-α, consequently displaying an improved anti-tumor activity in 4T1 breast cancer mice. Overall, POEG-b-PCro prodrug micelles co-delivered DOX could be served as a promising nano drug delivery system for synergistic ICD induction on breast cancer chemo-immunotherapy.

Capsaicin: A Two-Decade Systematic Review of Global Research Output and Recent Advances Against Human Cancer

Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is one of the most important natural products in the genus Capsicum. Due to its numerous biological effects, there has been extensive and increasing research interest in capsaicin, resulting in increased scientific publications in recent years. Therefore, an in-depth bibliometric analysis of published literature on capsaicin from 2001 to 2021 was performed to assess the global research status, thematic and emerging areas, and potential insights into future research. Furthermore, recent research advances of capsaicin and its combination therapy on human cancer as well as their potential mechanisms of action were described. In the last two decades, research outputs on capsaicin have increased by an estimated 18% per year and were dominated by research articles at 93% of the 3753 assessed literature. In addition, anti-cancer/pharmacokinetics, cytotoxicity, in vivo neurological and pain research studies were the keyword clusters generated and designated as thematic domains for capsaicin research. It was evident that the United States, China, and Japan accounted for about 42% of 3753 publications that met the inclusion criteria. Also, visibly dominant collaboration nodes and networks with most of the other identified countries were established. Assessment of the eligible literature revealed that the potential of capsaicin for mitigating cancer mainly entailed its chemo-preventive effects, which were often linked to its ability to exert multi-biological effects such as anti-mutagenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, clinical studies were limited, which may be related to some of the inherent challenges associated with capsaicin in the limited clinical trials. This review presents a novel approach to visualizing information about capsaicin research and a comprehensive perspective on the therapeutic significance and applications of capsaicin in the treatment of human cancer.

Drug-Herb Interactions among Thai Herbs and Anticancer Drugs: A Scoping Review

More than half of Thai patients with cancer take herbal preparations while receiving anticancer therapy. There is no systematic or scoping review on interactions between anticancer drugs and Thai herbs, although several research articles have that Thai herbs inhibit cytochrome P450 (CYP) or efflux transporter. Therefore, we gathered and integrated information related to the interactions between anticancer drugs and Thai herbs. Fifty-two anticancer drugs from the 2020 Thailand National List of Essential Medicines and 75 herbs from the 2020 Thai Herbal Pharmacopoeia were selected to determine potential anticancer drug–herb interactions. The pharmacological profiles of the selected anticancer drugs were reviewed and matched with the herbal pharmacological activities to determine possible interactions. A large number of potential anticancer drug–herb interactions were found; the majority involved CYP inhibition. Efflux transporter inhibition and enzyme induction were also found, which could interfere with the pharmacokinetic profiles of anticancer drugs. However, there is limited knowledge on the pharmacodynamic interactions between anticancer drugs and Thai herbs. Therefore, further research is warranted. Information regarding interactions between anticancer drugs and Thai herbs should provide as a useful resource to healthcare professionals in daily practice. It could enable the prediction of possible anticancer drug–herb interactions and could be used to optimize cancer therapy outcomes.

Recent advances in polymeric core-shell nanocarriers for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs

The treatment effect of chemotherapeutics is often impeded by nonspecific biodistribution and limited biocompatibility. Polymeric core-shell nanocarriers (PCS NCs) composed of a polymer core and at least one shell have been widely applied for cancer therapy and have shown great potential in selectively delivering chemotherapeutic drugs to tumor sites. These PCS NCs can effectively ameliorate the delivery efficiency and therapeutic index of anticarcinogens by prolonging drug residence in the bloodstream, enhancing tumor tissue drug penetration, facilitating cellular drug uptake, controlling the spatiotemporal release of payloads, or codelivering two or more bioactive agents. This review summarizes recently published literature on using PCS NCs to transport chemotherapeutic drugs with poor aqueous solubility and discusses their design principles, structural features, functional properties, and potential limitations.

Resistance to Intervention: Paclitaxel in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer stands as the most prevalent cancer in women globally, and contributes to the highest percentage of mortality due to cancer-related deaths in women. Paclitaxel (PTX) is heavily relied on as a frontline chemotherapy drug in breast cancer treatment, especially in advanced metastatic cancer. Generation of resistance to PTX often derails clinical management and adversely affects patient outcomes. Understanding the molecular mechanism of PTX resistance is necessary to device methods to aid in overcoming the resistance. Recent studies exploring the mechanism of development of PTX resistance have led to unveiling of a range novel therapeutic targets. PTX resistance pathways that involve major regulatory proteins/RNAs like RNF8/Twist/ROR1, TLR, ErbB3/ErbB2, BRCA1- IRIS, MENA, LIN9, MiRNA, FoxM1 and IRAK1 have expanded the complexity of resistance mechanisms, and brought newer insights into the development of drug targets. These resistance-related targets can be dealt with synthetic/natural therapeutics in combination with PTX. The present review encompasses the recent understanding of PTX resistance mechanisms in breast cancer and possible therapeutic combinations to overcome resistance.

Drug Resistance in Metastatic Breast Cancer: Tumor Targeted Nanomedicine to the Rescue

Breast cancer, specifically metastatic breast, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women. This is mainly due to relapse and reoccurrence of tumor. The primary reason for cancer relapse is the development of multidrug resistance (MDR) hampering the treatment and prognosis. MDR can occur due to a multitude of molecular events, including increased expression of efflux transporters such as P-gp, BCRP, or MRP1; epithelial to mesenchymal transition; and resistance development in breast cancer stem cells. Excessive dose dumping in chemotherapy can cause intrinsic anti-cancer MDR to appear prior to chemotherapy and after the treatment. Hence, novel targeted nanomedicines encapsulating chemotherapeutics and gene therapy products may assist to overcome cancer drug resistance. Targeted nanomedicines offer innovative strategies to overcome the limitations of conventional chemotherapy while permitting enhanced selectivity to cancer cells. Targeted nanotheranostics permit targeted drug release, precise breast cancer diagnosis, and importantly, the ability to overcome MDR. The article discusses various nanomedicines designed to selectively target breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer, and breast cancer stem cells. In addition, the review discusses recent approaches, including combination nanoparticles (NPs), theranostic NPs, and stimuli sensitive or “smart” NPs. Recent innovations in microRNA NPs and personalized medicine NPs are also discussed. Future perspective research for complex targeted and multi-stage responsive nanomedicines for metastatic breast cancer is discussed.

Dual polymeric prodrug co-assembled nanoparticles with precise ratiometric co-delivery of cisplatin and metformin for lung cancer chemoimmunotherapy

The combination therapy of cisplatin (CDDP) and metformin (MET) is a clinical strategy to enhance therapeutic outcomes in lung cancer. However, the efficacy of this combination is limited due to the asynchronous pharmacokinetic behavior of CDDP and MET, used as free drugs. Therefore, in this work, hyaluronic acid-cisplatin/polystyrene-polymetformin (HA-CDDP/PMet) dual-prodrug co-assembled nanoparticles were developed, with precise ratiometric co-delivery of CDDP and MET for chemo-immunotherapy against lung cancer. The HA-CDDP/PMet NPs showed a spherical morphology with an average particle size of 166.5 nm and a zeta potential of -17.4 mV at an HA-CDDP and PMet mass ratio of 1/1. The content of CDDP and MET in HA-CDDP/PMet NPs was 3.7% and 15.2%, respectively. In vitro antitumor effects of CDDP and MET resulted in an improved synergistic action on proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction on Lewis lung cancer cells. Moreover, in vivo by co-delivered HA-CDDP/PMet NPs into tumor cells, with an excellent intracellular CDDP and MET cleavage. These nanoparticles exhibited significantly increased tumor accumulation and tumor growth inhibition and prolonged animal overall survival in Lewis lung cancer bearing mice without nephrotoxicity, excess of free drugs and homo-prodrugs. The synergistic effect of MET and CDDP in HA-CDDP/PMet NPs resulted in up-regulation of the cleaved poly(ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP) protein to induce tumor cell apoptosis, and down-regulation of the excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) protein level to decrease the resistance to CDDP. The synergistic effect of MET and CDDP in HA-CDDP/PMet NPs also resulted in induction of the adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase-α (AMPK-α) pathway and inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), finally exerting a chemotherapeutic effect and modulating a potent immunotherapeutic function with an increase in CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, a concomitant decrease in regulatory T (Treg) cells, and an increased expression of the cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α. Therefore, the immunochemotherapy using CDDP and MET mediated by this dual prodrug co-assembled nano-platform might provide a promising treatment strategy against lung cancer.

Self-Assembled Peptide-Based Biocomposites for Near-Infrared Light Triggered Drug Release to Tumor Cells

Peptide-based nanomaterials are increasingly gaining popularity due to their specificity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. In this work, a new multi-layered peptide-based biocomposite for targeting MCF-7 breast cancer cells is developed. The amphipathic Fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-Leu-Ser peptide is synthesized, which is conjugated to a tumor-targeting peptide sequence Gly-Cys-Gly-Asn-Ser to form Fmoc-L-S-G-C-G-N-S (FLS) assemblies. To the FLS assemblies, gold nanorods are then attached to develop drug delivery vehicles (DDVs). The DDVs are entrapped with the anti-cancer drug fulvestrant. Entrapment efficiency is found to be 50.6%. Release studies indicate that irradiating the gold nanorod bound DDVs at NIR wavelength (785 nm) increases drug release by fourfold compared to assemblies that are not irradiated. These results also show higher cytotoxicity and lower cell invasion due to photo-triggered drug release. Furthermore, distinct actin cytoskeletal changes are observed. Such novel peptide-based gold nanorod bound DDVs demonstrate potential in dual targeting of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Synergistic Combination of Sodium Aescinate-Stabilized, Polymer-Free, Twin-Like Nanoparticles to Reverse Paclitaxel Resistance

BACKGROUND

The development of paclitaxel (PTX) resistance seriously restricts its clinical efficacy. An attractive option for combating resistance is inhibiting the expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in tumor cells. We have reported that flavokawain A (FKA) inhibited P-gp protein expression in PTX-resistant A549 (A549/T) cells, indicating that FKA combined with PTX may reverse PTX resistance. However, due to the variable pharmacokinetics of FKA and PTX, the conventional cocktail combination in clinics may cause uncertainty of treatment efficacy in vivo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To synergistically elevate the anti-cancer activity of PTX and FKA in vivo, the national medical products administration (NMPA) approved sodium aescinate (Aes) was utilized to stabilize hydrophobic PTX and FKA to form polymer-free twin like PTX-A nanoparticles (NPs) and FKA-A NPs.

RESULTS

The resulting nanoparticles prepared simply by nanoprecipitation possessed similar particle size, good stability and ultrahigh drug loadings of up to 50%. With the aid of Aes, these two drugs accumulated in tumor tissue by passive targeting and were efficiently taken up by A549/T cells; this resulted in significant suppression of tumor growth in A549/T homograft mice at a low PTX dose (2.5 mg·kg-1). Synergistic effects and reversed PTX resistance were achieved by the combination of PTX-A NPs and FKA-A NPs by inhibiting P-gp expression in tumor cells.

CONCLUSION

Using NMPA-approved Aes to prepare twin-like nanoparticles without introducing any new materials provides an efficient platform for combination chemotherapy and clinical translation.

Codelivered Chemotherapeutic Doxorubicin via a Dual-Functional Immunostimulatory Polymeric Prodrug for Breast Cancer Immunochemotherapy

Immunochemotherapy is viewed as a promising approach for cancer therapy via combination treatment with immune-modulating drugs and chemotherapeutic drugs. A novel dual-functional immunostimulatory polymeric prodrug carrier PEG_2k-Fmoc-1-MT was developed for simultaneously delivering 1-methyl tryptophan (1-MT) of an indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) inhibitor and chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (DOX) for breast cancer immunochemotherapy. DOX/PEG_2k-Fmoc-1-MT micelles were more effective in cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction in 4T1 cells. PEG_2k-Fmoc-1-MT prodrug micelles presented enhanced inhibition ability of IDO with decreased kynurenine production and increased the proliferation in dose-dependent manners of effector CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. DOX/PEG_2k-Fmoc-1-MT micelles exhibited prolonged blood circulation time and superior accumulation of DOX and 1-MT in tumors compared to that of DOX and 1-MT solutions. A significantly enhanced immune response of the DOX/PEG_2k-Fmoc-1-MT micelles was observed with the decreasing tryptophan/kynurenine ratio in blood and tumor tissue, promoting effector CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells while reducing regulatory T cell (Tregs) expression. Meanwhile, the coreleased DOX-triggered immunogenic cell death action combined with the cleaved 1-MT promoted the related cytokine secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-2, and interferon-γ, further facilitating the T cell-mediated immune responses. More importantly, the DOX-loaded micelles led to a significantly improved inhibition on tumor growth and prolonged animal survival rate in a 4T1 murine breast cancer model. In conclusion, DOX codelivered by a PEG_2k-Fmoc-1-MT immunostimulatory polymeric prodrug showed a maximum immunochemotherapy efficacy against breast cancer.

The potential impact of trigonelline loaded micelles on Nrf2 suppression to overcome oxaliplatin resistance in colon cancer cells

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) has a pivotal role in promoting chemoresistance by regulation of antioxidants and detoxification enzymes. Trigonelline is one of the major alkaloids in raw coffee which has been recently introduced as potent inhibitor of Nrf2. This study investigated the role of trigonelline and trigonelline loaded micelles in Nrf2 inhibition to break down oxaliplatin resistance in colon cancer cells. The PCL-PEG-PCL and PLA-PCL-PEG-PCL-PLA copolymers and trigonelline loaded micelles were prepared and characterized for fourier transforms infrared (FTIR), hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR), carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C-NMR) spectroscopy, particle size, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and entrapment efficiency. Cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated by using MTT and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Nrf2, MRP1, NQO1, HO-1, Bax, and Bcl2 gene expressions were examined by qRT-PCR. Our results revealed that micelles had spherical shapes with narrow sizes and zeta potential indexes of - 9.06 ± 6.94 mV for trigonelline loaded 3Block and - 7.47 ± 6.08 mV for trigonelline loaded 5Block micelles. After Nrf2 inhibition by trigonelline, antioxidant response element (ARE) related gene expressions were decreased (p < 0.05) with a significantly higher impact by trigonelline loaded micelles (p < 0.05). Trigonelline loaded micelles also strongly decreased IC50 value of oxaliplatin in resistant colon cancer cells (p < 0.05). Furthermore, trigonelline loaded 5Block micelle increased oxaliplatin-induced apoptosis in a Nrf2/ARE dependent manner. Altogether, the current study suggests that delivery of trigonelline loaded micelles as potent Nrf2 inhibitors can be considered as a promising strategy to overcome oxaliplatin resistance in colon cancer patients.

A Cu9S5 nanoparticle-based CpG delivery system for synergistic photothermal-, photodynamic- and immunotherapy

Despite its great potential in cancer therapy, phototherapy, including photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), often cause metastasis of tumors. Immunotherapy has revolutionized the cancer treatment owing to the capability of activating immune system to eliminate tumors. However, the integration of phototherapy and immunotherapy in a single nanoagent for cancer therapy is still a challenging task. Here, we fabricated (Cu₉S₅@mSiO₂-PpIX@MnO₂@CpG (CSPM@CpG)) as a synergistic therapeutic model for phototherapy enhanced immunotherapy. The intracellular uptake of cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) promoted the infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in tumor tissue, further stimulating the production of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and remarkably elevating the immune response level. Excellent anti-tumor effects have been achieved by synergistic PTT/PDT/immunotherapy. The metastasis of tumors was effectively inhibited by the immune response of CpG. Thus, our proposed work provides a strategy to combine phototherapy with immunotherapy to enhance the therapeutic efficiency and further inhibit metastasis of tumors.

CpG oligonucleotides can stimulate an anticancer immune response. Zhou et al. now develop nanoparticles that can deliver CpG, which promotes cancer cell death after photothermal and photodynamic therapy in vitro and in vivo, concomitant with an immunological response.