Targeting the Mitochondria with Pseudo-Stealthy Nanotaxanes to Impair Mitochondrial Biogenesis for Effective Cancer Treatment

Tyrosinase-Woven Melanin Nets for Melanoma Therapy through Targeted Mitochondrial Tethering and Enhanced Photothermal Treatment

Manipulating intracellular biological processes and organelles has emerged as a pivotal strategy to influence cellular physiological functions. Mitochondria, recognized as the powerhouse of cells, play a crucial role in tumorigenesis and progression. Inspired by the Nature's tyrosinase-catalyzed melanin formation within melanoma cells, here an approach is developed using a polysaccharide dually-functionalized with tyrosine and triphenylphosphine (TPP) for targeted mitochondria cross-linking in melanoma cells. This technique intricately weaves melanin nets within the cells, serving as a tether for the mitochondria and effectively decelerating tumor metabolism through nanoparticle-net transformation. Tyrosinase acts as the "needle", while the functionalized polysaccharide serves as the "string" successfully constructing nets within the cell. Furthermore, the tyrosinase-catalyzed cross-linking of tyrosine not only facilitates the production of artificial melanin but also enhances the photothermal conversion efficiency of melanoma cells, leading to decrease of the tumor growth. This study unveils a non-drug method for regulating organelle physiological activity and introduces photothermal treatment. This work not only sheds light on the manipulation of cellular functions but also holds promise for advancing cancer therapeutic strategies.

Hybrid Homodimeric Prodrug Nanoassemblies for Low-Toxicity and Synergistic Chemophotodynamic Therapy of Melanoma

Synergistically active nanoparticles hold great promise for facilitating multimodal cancer therapy. However, strategies for their feasible manufacture and optimizing their formulations remain lacking. Herein, we developed hybrid homodimeric prodrug nanotherapeutics with tumor-restricted drug activation and chemophotodynamic pharmacology by leveraging the supramolecular nanoassembly of small molecules. The covalent dimerization of cytotoxic taxane chemotherapy via reactive oxygen species (ROS)-activated linker yielded a homodimeric prodrug, which was further coassembled with a ROS-generating dimeric photosensitizer. The nanoassemblies were readily refined in an amphiphilic PEGylation matrix for particle surface cloaking and in vivo intravenous injection. The nanoassemblies were optimized with favorable stability and combinatorial synergism to kill cancer cells. Upon near-infrared laser irradiation, the neighboring dimer photosensitizer generated ROS, subsequently triggering bond cleavage to facilitate drug activation, which in turn produced synergistic chemophotodynamic effects against cancer. In a preclinical model of melanoma, the intravenous administration of PEGylated nanoassemblies followed by near-infrared tumor irradiation led to significant tumor regression. Furthermore, animals treated with this efficient, photo-activatable nanotherapy exhibited low systemic toxicity even at high doses. This study describes a simple and cost-effective approach to integrate multimodal therapies by creating self-assembling small-molecule prodrugs for designing a combinatorial therapeutic nanosystem. We consider that this new paradigm holds substantial potential for advancing clinical translation.

STING-Activating Small Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer Immunotherapy

Immuno-oncology has become a revolutionary strategy for cancer treatment. Therapeutic interventions based on adaptive immunity through immune checkpoint therapy or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have received clinical approval for monotherapy and combination treatment in various cancers. Although these treatments have achieved clinical successes, only a minority of cancer patients show a response, highlighting the urgent need to discover new therapeutic molecules that could be exploited to improve clinical outcomes and pave the way for the next generation of immunotherapy. Given the critical role of the innate immune system against infection and cancer, substantial efforts have been dedicated to developing novel anticancer therapeutics that target these pathways. Targeting the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is a powerful strategy to generate a durable antitumor response, and activation of the adaptor protein STING induces the initiation of transcriptional cascades, thereby producing type I interferons, pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Various STING agonists, including natural or synthetic cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), have been developed as anticancer therapeutics. However, since most CDNs are confined to intratumoral administration, there has been a great interest in developing non-nucleotide agonists for systemic treatment. Here, we review the current development of STING-activating therapeutics in both preclinical and clinical stages.

An acid-activatable fluorouracil prodrug for colorectal cancer synergistic therapy

5-Fluorouracil has demonstrated certain efficiency in patients with colorectal cancer. However, significant side effects of use by injection are common. To address this issue defects, a reengineered 5'-deoxy-5-fluorocytidine (DFCR) based drug delivery system (POACa) is developed as a prominent tumor-selective nano-activator. Investigations demonstrate that the constructed nano-activator exhibits good biocompatibility and high therapeutic efficiency in mice with subcutaneous and orthotopic SW-480 colorectal tumors, as its activity is strictly dependent on the tumor-associated acid environment and thymidine phosphorylase. These strategies diminish the off-target toxicity and improve the specificity and sensitivity of human colorectal cancer cells to 5-Fu, obtaining potent efficiency by the combination of H2O2 mediated oxidative stress, calcium overload and 5-Fu-induced chemotherapy (the combination index is 0.11). Overall, the engineered nano-activator exhibits a high therapeutic index in vitro and in vivo. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, we designed and prepared a pH-responsive polymer to synchronously deliver DFCR (5'-deoxy-5-fluorocytidine, a prodrug of 5-Fu), Ca2+ and H2O2. The constructed nano-activator was denoted as POACa. (1) To address the problem of premature leakage of cargo by physical embedding, our research modified the inactive prodrug DFCR through chemical bonding. (2) The activation of the prepared nano-activator was strictly dependent on the tumor-associated acid environment and thymidine phosphorylase, providing the drug delivery system with inherent safety. (3) A distinctly low combination index value (0.11) of CaO2 and DFCR indicated that POACa has a prominent tumor suppression effect by tumor calcium overload sensitized chemotherapy and H2O2 mediated cytotoxicity.

Precise subcellular targeting approaches for organelle-related disorders

Pharmacological research has expanded to the nanoscale level with advanced imaging technologies, enabling the analysis of drug distribution at the cellular organelle level. These advances in research techniques have contributed to the targeting of cellular organelles to address the fundamental causes of diseases. Beyond navigating the hurdles of reaching lesion tissues upon administration and identifying target cells within these tissues, controlling drug accumulation at the organelle level is the most refined method of disease management. This approach opens new avenues for the development of more potent therapeutic strategies by delving into the intricate roles and interplay of cellular organelles. Thus, organelle-targeted approaches help overcome the limitations of conventional therapies by precisely regulating functionally compartmentalized spaces based on their environment. This review discusses the basic concepts of organelle targeting research and proposes strategies to target diseases arising from organelle dysfunction. We also address the current challenges faced by organelle targeting and explore future research directions.

Mitochondria-Targeted Nanoadjuvants Induced Multi-Functional Immune-Microenvironment Remodeling to Sensitize Tumor Radio-Immunotherapy

It is newly revealed that collagen works as a physical barrier to tumor immune infiltration, oxygen perfusion, and immune depressor in solid tumors. Meanwhile, after radiotherapy (RT), the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) overexpression and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) excessive secretion would accelerate DNA damage repair and trigger T cell exclusion to limit RT efficacy. However, existing drugs or nanoparticles can hardly address these obstacles of highly effective RT simultaneously, effectively, and easily. In this study, it is revealed that inducing mitochondria dysfunction by using oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors like Lonidamine (LND) can serve as a highly effective multi-immune pathway regulation strategy through PD-L1, collagen, and TGF-β co-depression. Then, IR-LND is prepared by combining the mitochondria-targeted molecule IR-68 with LND, which then is loaded with liposomes (Lip) to create IR-LND@Lip nanoadjuvants. By doing this, IR-LND@Lip more effectively sensitizes RT by generating more DNA damage and transforming cold tumors into hot ones through immune activation by PD-L1, collagen, and TGF-β co-inhibition. In conclusion, the combined treatment of RT and IR-LND@Lip ultimately almost completely suppressed the growth of bladder tumors and breast tumors.

Hyaluronic acid/dextran-based polymeric micelles co-delivering ursolic acid and doxorubicin to mitochondria for potentiating chemotherapy in MDR cancer

Cancer multidrug resistance (MDR) dramatically hindered the efficiency of standard chemotherapy. Mitochondria are highly involved in the occurrence and development of MDR; thus, inducing its malfunction will be an appealing strategy to treat MDR tumors. In this paper, a natural polysaccharides-based nanoplatform (TDTD@UA/HA micelles) with cell and mitochondria dual-targeting ability was facilely fabricated to co-deliver ursolic acid (UA) and doxorubicin (DOX) for combinatorial MDR therapy. TDTD@UA/HA micelles featured a spherical morphology, narrow size distribution (∼140 nm), as well as favorable drug co-loading capacity (DOX: 8.41 %, UA: 9.06 %). After hyaluronic acid (HA)-mediated endocytosis, the lysosomal hyaluronidase promoted the degradation of HA layer and then the positive triphenylphosphine groups were exposed, which significantly enhanced the mitochondria-accumulation of nano micelles. Subsequently, DOX and UA were specifically released into mitochondria under the trigger of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS), followed by severe mitochondrial destruction through generating ROS, exhausting mitochondrial membrane potential, and blocking energy supply, etc.; ultimately contributing to the susceptibility restoration of MCF-7/ADR cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Importantly, TDTD@UA/HA micelles performed potent anticancer efficacy without distinct toxicity on the MDR tumor-bearing nude mice model. Overall, the versatile nanomedicine represented a new therapeutic paradigm and held great promise in overcoming MDR-related cancer.

Mitochondrial Localized In Situ Self-Assembly Reprogramming Tumor Immune and Metabolic Microenvironment for Enhanced Cancer Therapy

The inherent immune and metabolic tumor microenvironment (TME) of most solid tumors adversely affect the antitumor efficacy of various treatments, which is an urgent issue to be solved in clinical cancer therapy. In this study, a mitochondrial localized in situ self-assembly system is constructed to remodel the TME by improving immunogenicity and disrupting the metabolic plasticity of cancer cells. The peptide-based drug delivery system can be pre-assembled into nanomicelles in vitro and form functional nanofibers on mitochondria through a cascade-responsive process involving reductive release, targeted enrichment, and in situ self-assembly. The organelle-specific in situ self-assemblyeffectively switches the role of mitophagy from pro-survival to pro-death, which finally induces intense endoplasmic reticulum stress and atypical type II immunogenic cell death. Disintegration of the mitochondrial ultrastructure also impedes the metabolic plasticity of tumor cells, which greatly promotes the immunosuppresive TME remodeling into an immunostimulatory TME. Ultimately, the mitochondrial localized in situ self-assembly system effectively suppresses tumor metastases, and converts cold tumors into hot tumors with enhanced sensitivity to radiotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade therapy. This study offers a universal strategy for spatiotemporally controlling supramolecular self-assembly on sub-organelles to determine cancer cell fate and enhance cancer therapy.

In Situ Self-Assembled Phytopolyphenol-Coordinated Intelligent Nanotherapeutics for Multipronged Management of Ferroptosis-Driven Alzheimer's Disease

Ferroptosis is a vital driver of pathophysiological consequences of Alzheimer's disease (AD). High-efficiency pharmacological inhibition of ferroptosis requires comprehensive coordination of diverse abnormal intracellular events, which is an urgent problem and great challenge for its application in AD treatment. Herein, a triphenylphosphonium-modified quercetin-derived smart nanomedicine (TQCN) is developed for multipronged anti-ferroptosis therapy in AD. Taking advantage of the favorable brain-targeting and mitochondria-locating properties, TQCN can efficiently chelate iron through phytopolyphenol-mediated spontaneous coordination and self-assemble into metal-phenolic nanocomplexes in situ, exerting escalating exogenous offensive effects to attenuate iron overload and its induced free radical burst. Meanwhile, the Nrf2 signaling-mediated endogenous defensive system is reconstituted to restore iron metabolism homeostasis represented by iron export and storage and enhance cytoprotective antioxidant cascades represented by lipid peroxidation detoxification. Benefiting from the multifaceted regulation of pathogenic processes triggering ferroptosis, TQCN treatment can ameliorate various neurodegenerative manifestations associated with brain iron deposition and rescue severe cognitive decline in AD mice. This work displays great promise of in situ self-assembled phytopolyphenol-coordinated intelligent nanotherapeutics as advanced candidates against ferroptosis-driven AD progression.

Nanotherapeutics for prostate cancer treatment: A comprehensive review

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most prevalent solid organ malignancy and seriously affects male health. The adverse effects of prostate cancer therapeutics can cause secondary damage to patients. Nanotherapeutics, which have special targeting abilities and controlled therapeutic release profiles, may serve as alternative agents for PCa treatment. At present, many nanotherapeutics have been developed to treat PCa and have shown better treatment effects in animals than traditional therapeutics. Although PCa nanotherapeutics are highly attractive, few successful cases have been reported in clinical practice. To help researchers design valuable nanotherapeutics for PCa treatment and avoid useless efforts, herein, we first reviewed the strategies and challenges involved in prostate cancer treatment. Subsequently, we presented a comprehensive review of nanotherapeutics for PCa treatment, including their targeting methods, controlled release strategies, therapeutic approaches and mechanisms. Finally, we proposed the future prospects of nanotherapeutics for PCa treatment.

Oral liposomal delivery of an activatable budesonide prodrug reduces colitis in experimental mice

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of the most common intestinal disorders, with increasing global incidence and prevalence. Numerous therapeutic drugs are available but require intravenous administration and are associated with high toxicity and insufficient patient compliance. Here, an oral liposome that entraps the activatable corticosteroid anti-inflammatory budesonide was developed for efficacious and safe IBD therapy. The prodrug was produced via the ligation of budesonide with linoleic acid linked by a hydrolytic ester bond, which was further constrained into lipid constituents to form colloidal stable nanoliposomes (termed budsomes). Chemical modification with linoleic acid augmented the compatibility and miscibility of the resulting prodrug in lipid bilayers to provide protection from the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract, while liposomal nanoformulation enables preferential accumulation to inflamed vasculature. Hence, when delivered orally, budsomes exhibited high stability with low drug release in the stomach in the presence of ultra-acidic pH but released active budesonide after accumulation in inflamed intestinal tissues. Notably, oral administration of budsomes demonstrated favorable anti-colitis effect with only ∼7% mouse body weight loss, whereas at least ∼16% weight loss was observed in other treatment groups. Overall, budsomes exhibited higher therapeutic efficiency than free budesonide treatment and potently induced remission of acute colitis without any adverse side effects. These data suggest a new and reliable approach for improving the efficacy of budesonide. Our in vivo preclinical data demonstrate the safety and increased efficacy of the budsome platform for IBD treatment, further supporting clinical evaluation of this orally efficacious budesonide therapeutic.

Endogenous miRNA and K+ Co-Activated Dynamic Assembly of DNA Coacervates for Intracellular miRNA Imaging and Mitochondrial Intervention

Intracellular dynamic assembly of DNA structures may be beneficial for the development of multifunctional nanoplatforms for the regulation of cell behaviors, providing new strategies for disease diagnosis and intervention. Herein, we propose the dynamic assembly of DNA coacervates in living cells triggered by miRNA-21 and K+, which can be used for both miRNA imaging and mitochondrial intervention. The rationale is that miRNA-21 can trigger the hybridization chain reaction to generate G-quadruplex precursors, and K+ can mediate the assembly of G-quadruplex-based coacervates, allowing the colorimetric detection of miRNA-21 ranging from 10 pM to 10 μM. Moreover, the as-formed DNA coacervates can specifically target mitochondria in MCF-7 breast cancer cells using the MCF-7 cell membrane as delivery carriers, which further act as an anionic shielding to inhibit communication between mitochondria and environments, with a significant inhibitory effect on ATP production and cellular migration behaviors. This work provides an ideal multifunctional nanoplatform for rationally interfering with cellular metabolism and migration behaviors through the dynamic assembly of DNA coacervates mediated by endogenous molecules, which has a large number of potential applications in the biomedical field, especially theranostics for cancer metastasis.

Thermo-Chemical Resistance to Combination Therapy of Glioma Depends on Cellular Energy Level

Thermal therapy has been widely used in clinical tumor treatment and more recently in combination with chemotherapy, where the key challenge is the treatment resistance. The mechanism at the cellular level underlying the resistance to thermo-chemical combination therapy remains elusive. In this study, we constructed 3D culture models for glioma cells (i.e., 3D glioma spheres) as the model system to recapitulate the native tumor microenvironment and systematically investigated the thermal response of 3D glioma spheres at different hyperthermic temperatures. We found that 3D glioma spheres show high viability under hyperthermia, especially under high hyperthermic temperatures (42 °C). Further study revealed that the main mechanism lies in the high energy level of cells in 3D glioma spheres under hyperthermia, which enables the cells to respond promptly to thermal stimulation and maintain cellular viability by upregulating the chaperon protein Hsp70 and the anti-apoptotic pathway AKT. Besides, we also demonstrated that 3D glioma spheres show strong drug resistance to the thermo-chemical combination therapy. This study provides a new perspective on understanding the thermal response of combination therapy for tumor treatment.

Dynamic nanoassemblies derived from small-molecule homodimeric prodrugs for in situ drug activation and safe osteosarcoma treatment

Supramolecular prodrug self-assembly is a cost-effective and powerful approach for creating injectable anticancer nanoassemblies. Herein, we describe the self-assembly of small-molecule prodrug nanotherapeutics for tumor-restricted pharmacology that can be self-activated and independent of the exogenous stimuli. Covalent dimerization of the anticancer agent cabazitaxel via reactive oxygen species (ROS)- and esterase-activatable linkages produced the homodimeric prodrug diCTX, which was further coassembled with an ROS generator, dimeric dihydroartemisinin (diDHA). The coassembled nanoparticles were further refined in an amphiphilic matrix, making them suitable for in vivo administration. The ROS obtained from the coassembled diDHA synergized with intracellular esterase to activate the neighboring diCTX, which in turn induced potent cytotoxicity. In a preclinical orthotopic model of human osteosarcomas, nanoparticle administration exhibited durable antitumor efficacy. Furthermore, this smart, dual-responsive nanotherapeutic exhibited lower toxicity in animals than those of free drug combinations. We predict that this platform has great potential for further clinical translation.

Chemically programmed STING-activating nano-liposomal vesicles improve anticancer immunity

The often immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) may hinder immune evasion and response to checkpoint blockade therapies. Pharmacological activation of the STING pathway does create an immunologically hot TME, however, systemic delivery might lead to undesired off-target inflammatory responses. Here, we generate a small panel of esterase-activatable pro-drugs based on the structure of the non-nucleotide STING agonist MSA-2 that are subsequently stably incorporated into a liposomal vesicle for intravenous administration. The pharmacokinetic properties and immune stimulatory capacity of pro-drugs delivered via liposomes (SAProsomes) are enhanced compared to the free drug form. By performing efficacy screening among the SAProsomes incorporating different pro-drugs in syngeneic mouse tumor models, we find that superior therapeutic performance relies on improved delivery to the desired tumor and lymphoid compartments. The best candidate, SAProsome-3, highly stimulates secretion of inflammatory cytokines and creates a tumoricidal immune landscape. Notably, upon application to breast cancer or melanoma mouse models, SAProsome-3 elicits durable remission of established tumors and postsurgical tumor-free survival while decreasing metastatic burden without significant systemic toxicity. In summary, our work establishes the proof of principle for a better targeted and more efficient and safe STING agonist therapy.

Autonomous metal-organic framework nanorobots for active mitochondria-targeted cancer therapy

Nanorobotic manipulation to access subcellular organelles remains unmet due to the challenge in achieving intracellular controlled propulsion. Intracellular organelles, such as mitochondria, are an emerging therapeutic target with selective targeting and curative efficacy. We report an autonomous nanorobot capable of active mitochondria-targeted drug delivery, prepared by facilely encapsulating mitochondriotropic doxorubicin-triphenylphosphonium (DOX-TPP) inside zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) nanoparticles. The catalytic ZIF-67 body can decompose bioavailable hydrogen peroxide overexpressed inside tumor cells to generate effective intracellular mitochondriotropic movement in the presence of TPP cation. This nanorobot-enhanced targeted drug delivery induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and mitochondrial dysregulation to improve the in vitro anticancer effect and suppression of cancer cell metastasis, further verified by in vivo evaluations in the subcutaneous tumor model and orthotopic breast tumor model. This nanorobot unlocks a fresh field of nanorobot operation with intracellular organelle access, thereby introducing the next generation of robotic medical devices with organelle-level resolution for precision therapy.

A mitochondria-targeting self-assembled carrier-free lonidamine nanodrug for redox-activated drug release to enhance cancer chemotherapy

Mitochondria play a vital role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. In recent years, studies have found that mitochondria have an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors, and targeting mitochondria has become a new strategy for tumor treatment. Lonidamine (LND), as a hexokinase inhibitor, can block the energy supply and destroy mitochondria. However, poor water solubility and low mitochondrial selectivity limit its clinical application. To overcome these obstacles, we report redox-activated self-assembled carrier-free nanoparticles (Cy-TK-LND NPs) based on a small molecule prodrug, in which photosensitizer IR780 (Cy) which targets mitochondria is conjugated to LND via a sensitive thioketal (TK) linker. Intracellular oxidative stress induced by laser radiation leads to the responsive cleavage of Cy-TK-LND NPs, facilitating the release of free LND into mitochondria. Subsequently, LND damages mitochondria, triggering the apoptosis pathway. The results show the effective killing effect of Cy-TK-LND NPs on cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The IC50 value of irradiated Cy-TK-LND NPs is 5-fold lower than that of free LND. Moreover, tumor tissue section staining results demonstrate that irradiated Cy-TK-LND NPs induce necrosis and apoptosis of tumor cells, upregulate cytochrome C and pro-apoptotic Bax, and downregulate anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. Generally, Cy-TK-LND NPs exhibit efficient mitochondria-targeted delivery to improve the medicinal availability of LND. Accordingly, such a carrier-free prodrug-based nanomedicine holds promise as an effective cancer chemotherapy strategy.

Nanoparticles for cancer therapy: a review of influencing factors and evaluation methods for biosafety

Nanoparticles are widely used in the biomedical field for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes due to their small size, high carrier capacity, and ease of modification, which enable selective targeting and as contrast agents. Over the past decades, more and more nanoparticles have received regulatory approval to enter the clinic, more nanoparticles have shown potential for clinical translation, and humans have increasing access to them. However, nanoparticles have a high potential to cause unpredictable adverse effects on human organs, tissues, and cells due to their unique physicochemical properties and interactions with DNA, lipids, cells, tissues, proteins, and biological fluids. Currently, issues, such as nanoparticle side effects and toxicity, remain controversial, and these pitfalls must be fully considered prior to their application to body systems. Therefore, it is particularly urgent and important to assess the safety of nanoparticles acting in living organisms. In this paper, we review the important factors influencing the biosafety of nanoparticles in terms of their properties, and introduce common methods to summarize the biosafety evaluation of nanoparticles through in vitro and in body systems.

Patient-derived xenograft model in colorectal cancer basic and translational research

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most popular malignancies globally, with 930 000 deaths in 2020. The evaluation of CRC-related pathogenesis and the discovery of potential therapeutic targets will be meaningful and helpful for improving CRC treatment. With huge efforts made in past decades, the systematic treatment regimens have been applied to improve the prognosis of CRC patients. However, the sensitivity of CRC to chemotherapy and targeted therapy is different from person to person, which is an important cause of treatment failure. The emergence of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models shows great potential to alleviate the straits. PDX models possess similar genetic and pathological characteristics as the features of primary tumors. Moreover, PDX has the ability to mimic the tumor microenvironment of the original tumor. Thus, the PDX model is an important tool to screen precise drugs for individualized treatment, seek predictive biomarkers for prognosis supervision, and evaluate the unknown mechanism in basic research. This paper reviews the recent advances in constructed methods and applications of the CRC PDX model, aiming to provide new knowledge for CRC basic research and therapeutics.