The Fate of Intranasally Instilled Silver Nanoarchitectures

A bioconvergence study on platinum-free concurrent chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of HPV-negative head and neck carcinoma

Locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) is characterized by high rate of recurrence, resulting in a poor survival. Standard treatments are associated with significant toxicities that impact the patient's quality of life, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapies to improve patient outcomes. On this regard, noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) are emerging as promising agents as both drug carriers and radiosensitizers. On the other hand, co-treatments based on NPs are still at the preclinical stage because of the associated metal-persistence.In this bioconvergence study, we introduce a novel strategy to exploit tumour chorioallantoic membrane models (CAMs) in radio-investigations within clinical equipment and evaluate the performance of non-persistent nanoarchitectures (NAs) in combination with radiotherapy with respect to the standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of HPV-negative HNSCCs. A comparable effect has been observed between the tested approaches, suggesting NAs as a potential platinum-free agent in concurrent chemoradiotherapy for HNSCCs. On a broader basis, our bioconvergence approach provides an advance for the translation of Pt-free radiosensitizer to the clinical practice, positively shifting the therapeutic vs. side effects equilibrium for the management of HNSCCs.

Nonpersistent Nanoarchitectures Enhance Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in an Immunocompetent Orthotopic Model of HPV+ Head/Neck Carcinoma

Cisplatin chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the established standard of care for managing locally advanced human papillomavirus-positive head/neck carcinoma. The typically young patients may suffer serious and long-time side effects caused by the treatment, such as dysphagia, and hearing loss. Thus, ensuring a satisfactory post-treatment quality of life is paramount. One potential replacing approach to the classical CRT involves the combination of standard-dose radiotherapy and radiosensitizers such as noble metal nanoparticles (NPs). However, several concerns about size, shape, and biocompatibility limit the translation of metal nanomaterials to the clinical practice. Here, it is demonstrated that a new model of nonpersistent gold nanoarchitectures containing cisplatin (NAs-Cluster-CisPt) generates, in combination with radiotherapy, a significant in vivo tumor-reducing effect compared to the standard CRT, achieving a complete tumor clearance in 25% of the immunocompetent models that persist for 60 days. These findings, together with the negligible amount of metals recognized in the excretory organs, highlight that the concurrent administration of NAs-Cluster-CisPt and radiotherapy has the potential to overcome some clinical limitations associated to NP-based approaches while enhancing the treatment outcome with respect to standard CRT. Overall, despite further mechanistic investigations being essential, these data support the exploiting of nonpersistent metal-nanomaterial-mediated approaches for oral cancer management.

Opportunities and Challenges for Inhalable Nanomedicine Formulations in Respiratory Diseases: A Review

Lungs experience frequent interactions with the external environment and have an abundant supply of blood; therefore, they are susceptible to invasion by pathogenic microorganisms and tumor cells. However, the limited pharmacokinetics of conventional drugs in the lungs poses a clinical challenge. The emergence of different nano-formulations has been facilitated by advancements in nanotechnology. Inhaled nanomedicines exhibit better targeting and prolonged therapeutic effects. Although nano-formulations have great potential, they still present several unknown risks. Herein, we review the (1) physiological anatomy of the lungs and their biological barriers, (2) pharmacokinetics and toxicology of nanomaterial formulations in the lungs; (3) current nanomaterials that can be applied to the respiratory system and related design strategies, and (4) current applications of inhaled nanomaterials in treating respiratory disorders, vaccine design, and imaging detection based on the characteristics of different nanomaterials. Finally, (5) we analyze and summarize the challenges and prospects of nanomaterials for respiratory disease applications. We believe that nanomaterials, particularly inhaled nano-formulations, have excellent prospects for application in respiratory diseases. However, we emphasize that the simultaneous toxic side effects of biological nanomaterials must be considered during the application of these emerging medicines. This study aims to offer comprehensive guidelines and valuable insights for conducting research on nanomaterials in the domain of the respiratory system.

Evolving approaches in glioma treatment: harnessing the potential of copper metabolism modulation

The key properties and high versatility of metal nanoparticles have shed new perspectives on cancer therapy, with copper nanoparticles gaining great interest because of the ability to couple the intrinsic properties of metal nanoparticles with the biological activities of copper ions in cancer cells. Copper, indeed, is a cofactor involved in different metabolic pathways of many physiological and pathological processes. Literature data report on the use of copper in preclinical protocols for cancer treatment based on chemo-, photothermal-, or copper chelating-therapies. Copper nanoparticles exhibit anticancer activity via multiple routes, mainly involving the targeting of mitochondria, the modulation of oxidative stress, the induction of apoptosis and autophagy, and the modulation of immune response. Moreover, compared to other metal nanoparticles (e.g. gold, silver, palladium, and platinum), copper nanoparticles are rapidly cleared from organs with low systemic toxicity and benefit from the copper's low cost and wide availability. Within this review, we aim to explore the impact of copper in cancer research, focusing on glioma, the most common primary brain tumour. Glioma accounts for about 80% of all malignant brain tumours and shows a poor prognosis with the five-year survival rate being less than 5%. After introducing the glioma pathogenesis and the limitation of current therapeutic strategies, we will discuss the potential impact of copper therapy and present the key results of the most relevant literature to establish a reliable foundation for future development of copper-based approaches.

Immunotoxicity of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles: from toxic mechanisms to metabolism and outcomes

The influence of metal and metal oxide nanomaterials on various fields since their discovery has been remarkable. They have unique properties, and therefore, have been employed in specific applications, including biomedicine. However, their potential health risks cannot be ignored. Several studies have shown that exposure to metal and metal oxide nanoparticles can lead to immunotoxicity. Different types of metals and metal oxide nanoparticles may have a negative impact on the immune system through various mechanisms, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, autophagy, and apoptosis. As an essential factor in determining the function and fate of immune cells, immunometabolism may also be an essential target for these nanoparticles to exert immunotoxic effects in vivo. In addition, the biodegradation and metabolic outcomes of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles are also important considerations in assessing their immunotoxic effects. Herein, we focus on the cellular mechanism of the immunotoxic effects and toxic effects of different types of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, as well as the metabolism and outcomes of these nanoparticles in vivo. Also, we discuss the relationship between the possible regulatory effect of nanoparticles on immunometabolism and their immunotoxic effects. Finally, we present perspectives on the future research and development direction of metal and metal oxide nanomaterials to promote scientific research on the health risks of nanomaterials and reduce their adverse effects on human health.

Gold nanoparticles as antiangiogenic and antimetastatic agents

Angiogenesis and metastasis are two interdependent cancer hallmarks, the latter of which is the key cause of treatment failure. Thus, establishing effective antiangiogenesis/antimetastasis agents is the final frontier in cancer research. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) may provide disruptive advancements in this regard due to their intrinsic physical and physiological features. Here, we comprehensively discuss recent potential therapeutical strategies to treat angiogenesis and metastasis and present a critical review on the state-of-the-art in vitro and in vivo evaluations of the antiangiogenic/antimetastatic activity of GNPs. Finally, we provide perspectives on the contribution of GNPs to the advancement of cancer management.

Hybrid nano-architectures loaded with metal complexes for the co-chemotherapy of head and neck carcinomas

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are a complex group of malignancies that affect different body sites pertaining to the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Current chemotherapy relies on platinum complexes, the major exponent being cisplatin, which exert severe side effects that can negatively affect prognosis. For this reason, other metal complexes with less severe side effects are being investigated as alternatives or adjuvants to platinum complexes. In this context, exploiting (supra)additive effects by the concurrent administration of cisplatin and emerging metal complexes is a promising research strategy that may lead to effective cancer management with reduced adverse reactions. Here, the combined action of cisplatin and a ruthenium(II) η⁶-arene compound (RuCy), both as free molecules and loaded into hybrid nano-architectures (NAs), has been assessed on HPV-negative HNSCC models of increasing complexity: 2D cell cultures, 3D multicellular tumor spheroids, and chorioallantoic membranes (CAMs). Two new NAs have been established to explore all the delivery combinations and compare their ability to enhance the efficacy of cisplatin in the treatment of HNSCCs. A significant supra-additive effect has been observed in both 2D and 3D models by one combination of treatments, suggesting that cisplatin is particularly effective when loaded on NAs, whereas RuCy performs better when administered as a free compound. Overall, this work paves the way for the establishment of the next co-chemotherapeutic approaches for the management of HNSCCs.

Silver nanoparticles with excellent biocompatibility block pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of lung surfactant

Silver (Ag) is known to possess antimicrobial properties which is commonly attributed to soluble Ag ions. Here, we showed that Ag nanoparticles (NPs) potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection using two different pseudovirus neutralization assays. We also evaluated a set of Ag nanoparticles of different sizes with varying surface properties, including polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified Ag nanoparticles, and found that only the bare (unmodified) nanoparticles were able to prevent virus infection. For comparison, TiO₂ nanoparticles failed to intercept the virus. Proteins and lipids may adsorb to nanoparticles forming a so-called bio-corona; however, Ag nanoparticles pre-incubated with pulmonary surfactant retained their ability to block virus infection in the present model. Furthermore, the secondary structure of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was perturbed by the Ag nanoparticles, but not by the ionic control (AgNO₃) nor by the TiO₂ nanoparticles. Finally, Ag nanoparticles were shown to be non-cytotoxic towards the human lung epithelial cell line BEAS-2B and this was confirmed by using primary human nasal epithelial cells. These results further support that Ag nanoparticles may find use as anti-viral agents.

Penetration and translocation of functional inorganic nanomaterials into biological barriers

With excellent physicochemical properties, inorganic nanomaterials (INMs) have exhibited a series of attractive applications in biomedical fields. Biological barriers prevent successful delivery of nanomedicine in living systems that limits the development of nanomedicine especially for sufficient delivery of drugs and effective therapy. Numerous researches have focused on overcoming these biological barriers and homogeneity of organisms to enhance therapeutic efficacy, however, most of these strategies fail to resolve these challenges. In this review, we present the latest progress about how INMs interact with biological barriers and penetrate these barriers. We also summarize that both native structure and components of biological barriers and physicochemical properties of INMs contributed to the penetration capacity. Knowledge about the relationship between INMs structure and penetration capacity will guide the design and application of functional and efficient nanomedicine in the future.

Pro-apoptotic and size-reducing effects of protein corona-modulating nano-architectures enclosing platinum prodrug in in vivo oral carcinoma

The selective and localized delivery of active agents to neoplasms is crucial to enhance the chemotherapeutic efficacy while reducing the associated side effects. The encapsulation of chemotherapeutics in nanoparticles decorated...