Engineering MMP-2 Activated Nanoparticles Carrying B7-H3 Bispecific Antibodies for Ferroptosis-Enhanced Glioblastoma Immunotherapy

Applications of nanotechnology in remodeling the tumour microenvironment for glioblastoma treatment

With the increasing research and deepening understanding of the glioblastoma (GBM) tumour microenvironment (TME), novel and more effective therapeutic strategies have been proposed. The GBM TME involves intricate interactions between tumour and non-tumour cells, promoting tumour progression. Key therapeutic goals for GBM treatment include improving the immunosuppressive microenvironment, enhancing the cytotoxicity of immune cells against tumours, and inhibiting tumour growth and proliferation. Consequently, remodeling the GBM TME using nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery enables targeted delivery, thereby improving treatment specificity, facilitating combination therapies, and optimizing drug metabolism. This review provides an overview of the GBM TME and discusses the methods of remodeling the GBM TME using nanotechnology. Specifically, it explores the application of nanotechnology in ameliorating immune cell immunosuppression, inducing immunogenic cell death, stimulating, and recruiting immune cells, regulating tumour metabolism, and modulating the crosstalk between tumours and other cells.

The Mutual Regulatory Role of Ferroptosis and Immunotherapy in Anti-tumor Therapy

Ferroptosis is a form of cell death that is triggered by the presence of ferrous ions and is characterized by lipid peroxidation induced by these ions. The mechanism exhibits distinct morphological characteristics compared to apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis. A notable aspect of ferroptosis is its ability to inhibit uncontrolled tumor replication and immortalization, especially in malignant, drug-resistant, and metastatic tumors. Additionally, immunotherapy, a novel therapeutic approach for tumors, has been found to have a reciprocal regulatory relationship with ferroptosis in the context of anti-tumor therapy. A comprehensive analysis of ferroptosis and immunotherapy in tumor therapy is presented in this paper, highlighting the potential for mutual adjuvant effects. Specifically, we discuss the mechanisms underlying ferroptosis and immunotherapy, emphasizing their ability to improve the tumor immune microenvironment and enhance immunotherapeutic effects. Furthermore, we investigate how immunotherapeutic factors may increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to ferroptosis. We aim to provide a prospective view of the promising value of combined ferroptosis and immunotherapy in anticancer therapy by elucidating the mutual regulatory network between each.

CAR T cells redirected to B7-H3 for pediatric solid tumors: Current status and future perspectives

Despite intensive therapies, pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors have poor outcomes and need novel treatments. Immune therapies offer an alternative to conventional treatment options but require the identification of differentially expressed antigens to direct antitumor activity to sites of disease. B7-H3 (CD276) is an immune regulatory protein that is expressed in a range of malignancies and has limited expression in normal tissues. B7-H3 is highly expressed in pediatric solid tumors including osteosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, Wilms tumor, neuroblastoma, and many rare tumors. In this article we review B7-H3-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (B7-H3-CAR) T cell therapies for pediatric solid tumors, reporting preclinical development strategies and outlining the landscape of active pediatric clinical trials. We identify challenges to the success of CAR T cell therapy for solid tumors including localizing to and penetrating solid tumor sites, evading the hostile tumor microenvironment, supporting T cell expansion and persistence, and avoiding intrinsic tumor resistance. We highlight strategies to overcome these challenges and enhance the effect of B7-H3-CAR T cells, including advanced CAR T cell design and incorporation of combination therapies.

Monitoring ROS Responsive Fe3O4-based Nanoparticle Mediated Ferroptosis and Immunotherapy via 129Xe MRI

The immune checkpoint blockade strategy has improved the survival rate of late-stage lung cancer patients. However, the low immune response rate limits the immunotherapy efficiency. Here, we report a ROS-responsive Fe3O4-based nanoparticle that undergoes charge reversal and disassembly in the tumor microenvironment, enhancing the uptake of Fe3O4 by tumor cells and triggering a more severe ferroptosis. In the tumor microenvironment, the nanoparticle rapidly disassembles and releases the loaded GOx and the immune-activating peptide Tuftsin under overexpressed H2O2. GOx can consume the glucose of tumor cells and generate more H2O2, promoting the disassembly of the nanoparticle and drug release, thereby enhancing the therapeutic effect of ferroptosis. Combined with Tuftsin, it can more effectively reverse the immune-suppressive microenvironment and promote the recruitment of effector T cells in tumor tissues. Ultimately, in combination with α-PD-L1, there is significant inhibition of the growth of lung metastases. Additionally, the hyperpolarized 129Xe method has been used to evaluate the Fe3O4 nanoparticle-mediated immunotherapy, where the ventilation defects in lung metastases have been significantly improved with complete lung structure and function recovered. The ferroptosis-enhanced immunotherapy combined with non-radiation evaluation methodology paves a new way for designing novel theranostic agents for cancer therapy.

The Role of Bacteria in Central Nervous System Tumors: Opportunities and Challenges

Tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) are severe and refractory diseases with poor prognosis, especially for patients with malignant glioblastoma and brain metastases. Currently, numerous studies have explored the potential role of bacteria and intestinal flora in tumor development and treatment. Bacteria can penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), targeting the hypoxic microenvironment at the core of tumors, thereby eliminating tumors and activating both the innate and adaptive immune responses, rendering them promising therapeutic agents for CNS tumors. In addition, engineered bacteria and derivatives, such as bacterial membrane proteins and bacterial spores, can also be used as good candidate carriers for targeted drug delivery. Moreover, the intestinal flora can regulate CNS tumor metabolism and influence the immune microenvironment through the "gut-brain axis". Therefore, bacterial anti-tumor therapy, engineered bacterial targeted drug delivery, and intervention of the intestinal flora provide therapeutic modalities for the treatment of CNS tumors. In this paper, we performed a comprehensive review of the mechanisms and therapeutic practices of bacterial therapy for CNS tumors and discussed potential future research directions in this field.

Hypoxia effects on glioblastoma progression through YAP/TAZ pathway regulation

The resistance of glioblastomas (GBM) to standard therapies poses a clinical challenge with limited survival despite interventions. The tumor microenvironment (TME) orchestrates GBM progression, comprising stromal and immune cells and is characterized by extensive hypoxic regions. Hypoxia activates the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) pathway, interacting with the Hippo pathway (YAP/TAZ) in crucial cellular processes. We discuss here the related signaling crosstalk between YAP/TAZ and regions of hypoxia in the TME with particular attention on the MST1/2 and LATS1/2-regulated YAP/TAZ activation, impacting cell proliferation, invasion, and stemness. Moreover, the hypoxia-YAP/TAZ axis influence on angiogenesis, stem cells, and metabolic regulators is defined. By reviewing extracellular matrix alterations activation of YAP/TAZ, modulation of signaling pathways we also discuss the significance of spatial constraints and epigenetic modifications contribution to GBM progression, with potential therapeutic targets in YAP/TAZ-mediated gene regulation. Comprehensive understanding of the hypoxia-Hippo pathway-TME interplay offers insights for novel therapeutic strategies, aiming to provide new directions for treatment.

The roles of ferroptosis in cancer: Tumor suppression, tumor microenvironment, and therapeutic interventions

In cancer treatment, the recurrent challenge of inducing apoptosis through conventional therapeutic modalities, often thwarted by therapy resistance, emphasizes the critical need to explore alternative cell death pathways. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death triggered by the lethal accumulation of lipid peroxides on cellular membranes, has emerged as one such promising frontier in oncology. Induction of ferroptosis not only suppresses tumor growth but also holds potential for augmenting immunotherapy responses and surmounting resistance to existing cancer therapies. This review navigates the role of ferroptosis in tumor suppression. Furthermore, we delve into the complex role of ferroptosis within the tumor microenvironment and its interplay with antitumor immunity, offering insights into the prospect of targeting ferroptosis as a strategic approach in cancer therapy.

B7-H3 is associated with the armored-cold phenotype and predicts poor immune checkpoint blockade response in melanoma

Melanoma is the most suitable tumor type for immunotherapy, but not all melanoma patients could respond to immunotherapy. B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3) belongs to the B7 family and is overexpressed in a number of malignant tumors, but the expression pattern of B7-H3 in melanoma has not been well summarized. The expression of B7-H3 was investigated in melanoma and its correlations with features of the tumor microenvironment (TME) by using various public databases, including the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the GEPIA, and the Human Protein Atlas databases. In addition, the in-house melanoma tissue microarray was applied to validate the results from public databases. Based on the public and in-house cohorts, we found that B7-H3 was overexpressed in melanoma tumor tissues and high B7-H3 expression was related to poor clinical outcome. Moreover, B7-H3 was negatively correlated with levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and positively correlated with collagen infiltration. With clinical translational value, the predictive value of B7-H3 for conventional immunotherapy was detected using the Kaplan-Meier plotter tool, and the results showed that melanoma patients with high B7-H3 expression were insensitive to anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy. In conclusion, we first investigate the expression of B7-H3 in melanoma and its correlations with the TME features, and indicate B7-H3 as a promising therapeutic target in melanoma patients that are insensitive to conventional immunotherapy.

Self-adjuvant Astragalus polysaccharide-based nanovaccines for enhanced tumor immunotherapy: a novel delivery system candidate for tumor vaccines

The study of tumor nanovaccines (NVs) has gained interest because they specifically recognize and eliminate tumor cells. However, the poor recognition and internalization by dendritic cells (DCs) and insufficient immunogenicity restricted the vaccine efficacy. Herein, we extracted two molecular-weight Astragalus polysaccharides (APS, 12.19 kD; APSHMw, 135.67 kD) from Radix Astragali and made them self-assemble with OVA257-264 directly forming OVA/APS integrated nanocomplexes through the microfluidic method. The nanocomplexes were wrapped with a sheddable calcium phosphate layer to improve stability. APS in the formed nanocomplexes served as drug carriers and immune adjuvants for potent tumor immunotherapy. The optimal APS-NVs were approximately 160 nm with uniform size distribution and could remain stable in physiological saline solution. The FITC-OVA in APS-NVs could be effectively taken up by DCs, and APS-NVs could stimulate the maturation of DCs, improving the antigen cross-presentation efficiency in vitro. The possible mechanism was that APS can induce DC activation via multiple receptors such as dectin-1 and Toll-like receptors 2 and 4. Enhanced accumulation of APS-NVs both in draining and distal lymph nodes were observed following s.c. injection. Smaller APS-NVs could easily access the lymph nodes. Furthermore, APS-NVs could markedly promote antigen delivery efficiency to DCs and activate cytotoxic T cells. In addition, APS-NVs achieve a better antitumor effect in established B16-OVA melanoma tumors compared with the OVA+Alum treatment group. The antitumor mechanism correlated with the increase in cytotoxic T cells in the tumor region. Subsequently, the poor tumor inhibitory effect of APS-NVs on the nude mouse model of melanoma also confirmed the participation of antitumor adaptive immune response induced by NVs. Therefore, this study developed a promising APS-based tumor NV that is an efficient tumor immunotherapy without systemic side effects.

Exploiting Nanotechnology for Drug Delivery: Advancing the Anti-Cancer Effects of Autophagy-Modulating Compounds in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Background

Cancer continues to be a prominent issue in the field of medicine, as demonstrated by recent studies emphasizing the significant role of autophagy in the development of cancer. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides a variety of anti-tumor agents capable of regulating autophagy. However, the clinical application of autophagy-modulating compounds derived from TCM is impeded by their restricted water solubility and bioavailability. To overcome this challenge, the utilization of nanotechnology has been suggested as a potential solution. Nonetheless, the current body of literature on nanoparticles delivering TCM-derived autophagy-modulating anti-tumor compounds for cancer treatment is limited, lacking comprehensive summaries and detailed descriptions.

Methods

Up to November 2023, a comprehensive research study was conducted to gather relevant data using a variety of databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer Link, Web of Science, and CNKI. The keywords utilized in this investigation included "autophagy", "nanoparticles", "traditional Chinese medicine" and "anticancer".

Results

This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential of nanotechnology in overcoming delivery challenges and enhancing the anti-cancer properties of autophagy-modulating compounds in TCM. The evaluation is based on a synthesis of different classes of autophagy-modulating compounds in TCM, their mechanisms of action in cancer treatment, and their potential benefits as reported in various scholarly sources. The findings indicate that nanotechnology shows potential in enhancing the availability of autophagy-modulating agents in TCM, thereby opening up a plethora of potential therapeutic avenues.

Conclusion

Nanotechnology has the potential to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of autophagy-modulating compounds in traditional TCM, through regulation of autophagy.

Nanoreactor based on single-atom nanoenzymes promotes ferroptosis for cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a promising mainstream approach in anti-tumor therapy. It boasts advantages such as durable responses and lower side effects. However, there are still some limitations to be addressed. Current cancer immunotherapy has shown low response rates due to inadequate immunogenicity of certain tumor cells. To address these challenges, an acid-specific nanoreactor was developed, designed to induce immunogenicity by triggering ferroptosis in tumor cells. The nanoreactor integrates glucose oxidase (GOx) with a single-atom nanoenzyme (SAE), which exhibits high peroxidase (POD)-like activity in the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME). This specific acid-sensitivity transforms endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH). GOx enhances the POD-like SAE activity in the nanoreactor by metabolizing glucose in tumor cells, producing gluconic acid and H2O2. This nanoreactor induces high levels of oxidative stress within tumor cells through the synergistic action of SAE and GOx, leading to depletion of GSH and subsequently triggering ferroptosis. The resulting nanoreactor-induced ferroptosis leads to immunogenic cell death (ICD) and significantly recruits T lymphocyte infiltration in tumor tissues. This study was designed with the concept of triggering ferroptosis-dependent ICD mechanism in bladder cancer cells, and developed an acid-specific nanoreactor to enhance the immunotherapy efficacy for bladder cancer, which introduces a novel approach for immunotherapy of bladder cancer.

The roles of epigallocatechin gallate in the tumor microenvironment, metabolic reprogramming, and immunotherapy

Cancer, a disease that modern medicine has not fully understood and conquered, with its high incidence and mortality, deprives countless patients of health and even life. According to global cancer statistics, there were an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and nearly 10 million cancer deaths in 2020, with the age-standardized incidence and mortality rates of 201.0 and 100.7 per 100,000, respectively. Although remarkable advancements have been made in therapeutic strategies recently, the overall prognosis of cancer patients remains not optimistic. Consequently, there are still many severe challenges to be faced and difficult problems to be solved in cancer therapy today. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a natural polyphenol extracted from tea leaves, has received much attention for its antitumor effects. Accumulating investigations have confirmed that EGCG can inhibit tumorigenesis and progression by triggering apoptosis, suppressing proliferation, invasion, and migration, altering tumor epigenetic modification, and overcoming chemotherapy resistance. Nevertheless, its regulatory roles and biomolecular mechanisms in the immune microenvironment, metabolic microenvironment, and immunotherapy remain obscure. In this article, we summarized the most recent updates about the effects of EGCG on tumor microenvironment (TME), metabolic reprogramming, and anti-cancer immunotherapy. The results demonstrated EGCG can promote the anti-cancer immune response of cytotoxic lymphocytes and dendritic cells (DCs), attenuate the immunosuppression of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs), and inhibit the tumor-promoting functions of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs), and various stromal cells including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), endothelial cells (ECs), stellate cells, and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). Additionally, EGCG can suppress multiple metabolic reprogramming pathways, including glucose uptake, aerobic glycolysis, glutamine metabolism, fatty acid anabolism, and nucleotide synthesis. Finally, EGCG, as an immunomodulator and immune checkpoint blockade, can enhance immunotherapeutic efficacy and may be a promising candidate for antitumor immunotherapy. In conclusion, EGCG plays versatile regulatory roles in TME and metabolic reprogramming, which provides novel insights and combined therapeutic strategies for cancer immunotherapy.

Nanodelivery Systems as a Novel Strategy to Overcome Treatment Failure of Cancer

Despite the tremendous progress in cancer treatment in recent decades, cancers often become resistant due to multiple mechanisms, such as intrinsic or acquired multidrug resistance, which leads to unsatisfactory treatment effects or accompanying metastasis and recurrence, ultimately to treatment failure. With a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of tumors, researchers have realized that treatment designs targeting tumor resistance mechanisms would be a promising strategy to break the therapeutic deadlock. Nanodelivery systems have excellent physicochemical properties, including highly efficient tissue-specific delivery, substantial specific surface area, and controllable surface chemistry, which endow nanodelivery systems with capabilities such as precise targeting, deep penetration, responsive drug release, multidrug codelivery, and multimodal synergy, which are currently widely used in biomedical researches and bring a new dawn for overcoming cancer resistance. Based on the mechanisms of tumor therapeutic resistance, this review summarizes the research progress of nanodelivery systems for overcoming tumor resistance to improve therapeutic efficacy in recent years and offers prospects and challenges of the application of nanodelivery systems for overcoming cancer resistance.

B7-H3 regulates anti-tumor immunity and promotes tumor development in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract and one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become a milestone in many cancer treatments with significant curative effects. However, its therapeutic effect on colorectal cancer is still limited. B7-H3 is a novel immune checkpoint molecule of the B7/CD28 family and is overexpressed in a variety of solid tumors including colorectal cancer. B7-H3 was considered as a costimulatory molecule that promotes anti-tumor immunity. However, more and more studies support that B7-H3 is a co-inhibitory molecule and plays an important immunosuppressive role in colorectal cancer. Meanwhile, B7-H3 promoted metabolic reprogramming, invasion and metastasis, and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer. Therapies targeting B7-H3, including monoclonal antibodies, antibody drug conjugations, and chimeric antigen receptor T cells, have great potential to improve the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients.

Polyphenol-Based Nanosystems for Next-Generation Cancer Therapy: Multifunctionality, Design, and Challenges

With the continuous updating of cancer treatment methods and the rapid development of precision medicine in recent years, there are higher demands for advanced and versatile drug delivery systems. Scientists are committed to create greener and more effective nanomedicines where the carrier is no longer limited to a single function of drug delivery. Polyphenols, which can act as both active ingredients and fundamental building blocks, are being explored as potential multifunctional carriers that are efficient and safe for design purposes. Due to their intrinsic anticancer activity, phenolic compounds have shown surprising expressiveness in ablation of tumor cells, overcoming cancer multidrug resistance (MDR), and enhancing immunotherapeutic efficacy. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the design, synthesis, and application of versatile polyphenol-based nanosystems for cancer therapy in various modes. Moreover, the merits of polyphenols and the challenges for their clinical translation are also discussed, and it is pointed out that the novel polyphenol delivery system requires further optimization and validation.

Preconditioning of radiotherapy enhances efficacy of B7-H3-CAR-T in treating solid tumor models

AIMS

Limited efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells in treating solid tumors is largely due to the antigen heterogeneity and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). B7-H3 is over-expressed in most kind of solid tumors, making it a promising target for cancer treatment. This study aims to explore the effect of B7-H3-CAR-T therapy combined with radiotherapy in treating solid tumor models.

METHODS

Irradiated tumor cell lines were prepared and tested. A humanized B7-H3-CAR-T was constructed, and it was evaluated that B7-H3-CAR-T cytotoxicity against solid tumor models with preconditioning of radiotherapy in vitro and vivo.

RESULTS

Irradiation was found to increase expression level of B7-H3 in pancreatic cancer (PANC-1), colorectal cancer (HCT-15, SW620), acute myelocytic leukemia (AML-5), epidermoid carcinoma (KB) and glioma (U87-MG) human cell lines significantly. 6Gy irradiation was also found to up-regulate tumor-infiltration molecule like intracellular adhesion molecule-1 ICAM-1 or FAS in HCT-15 cells, supporting a possible synergistic enhancement effect of radiotherapy. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that irradiation indeed significantly enhanced the ability of B7-H3-CAR-T to infiltrate and kill tumors. Interestingly in dual-tumor mouse model study, not only tumor cells on irradiation side were eradicated completely, irradiation also enhanced CAR-T tumor-killing ability on non-irradiated side, confirming the abscopal effect of irradiation existed with CAR-T therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that B7-H3-CAR-T therapy combined with radiotherapy may be a promising modality in treating solid tumors.

Drug resistance in glioblastoma: from chemo- to immunotherapy

As the most common and aggressive type of primary brain tumor in adults, glioblastoma is estimated to end over 10,000 lives each year in the United States alone. Stand treatment for glioblastoma, including surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy (i.e., Temozolomide), has been largely unchanged since early 2000. Cancer immunotherapy has significantly shifted the paradigm of cancer management in the past decade with various degrees of success in treating many hematopoietic cancers and some solid tumors, such as melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little progress has been made in the field of neuro-oncology, especially in the application of immunotherapy to glioblastoma treatment. In this review, we attempted to summarize the common drug resistance mechanisms in glioblastoma from Temozolomide to immunotherapy. Our intent is not to repeat the well-known difficulty in the area of neuro-oncology, such as the blood-brain barrier, but to provide some fresh insights into the molecular mechanisms responsible for resistance by summarizing some of the most recent literature. Through this review, we also hope to share some new ideas for improving the immunotherapy outcome of glioblastoma treatment.

The Therapeutic Effects of MUC1-C shRNA@Fe3O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles in Alternating Magnetic Fields on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Purpose

Improving the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a serious challenge today. The primary objective of this study was to construct MUC1-C shRNA@ Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and investigate their potential therapeutic benefits in alternating magnetic fields (AMF) on TNBC.

Methods

Firstly, we verified the high expression of MUC1 in TNBC and synthesized specific MUC1-C shRNA plasmids (MUC1-C shRNA). Then, we prepared and characterized MUC1-C shRNA@Fe3O4 MNPs and confirmed their MUC1-C gene silencing effect and magneto-thermal conversion ability in AMF. Moreover, the inhibitory effects on TNBC in vitro and in vivo were observed as well as biosafety. Finally, the protein levels of BCL-2-associated X protein (Bax), cleaved-caspase3, glutathione peroxidase inhibitor 4 (GPX4), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) in TNBC cells and tissues were examined, and it was speculated that apoptosis and ferroptosis were involved in the synergistic treatment.

Results

MUC1-C shRNA@ Fe3O4 MNPs have a size of ~75 nm, with an encapsulation rate of (29.78±0.63) %, showing excellent gene therapy and magnetic hyperthermia functions. Under a constant AMF (3Kw) and a set concentration (200µg mL-1), the nanoparticles could be rapidly warmed up within 20 minutes and stabilized at about 43 °C. It could be uptaken by TNBC cells through endocytosis and significantly inhibit their proliferation and migration, with a growth inhibition rate of 79.22% for TNBC tumors. After treatment, GPX4, NRF2, and FTH1 expression levels in TNBC cells and tumor tissues were suppressed, while Bax and cleaved-caspase3 were increased. As key therapeutic measures, gene therapy, and magnetic hyperthermia have shown a synergistic effect in this treatment strategy, with a combined index (q index) of 1.23.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we developed MUC1-C shRNA@Fe3O4 MNPs with magnetic hyperthermia and gene therapy functions, which have shown satisfactory therapeutic effects on TNBC without significant side effects. This study provides a potential option for the precision treatment of TNBC.

Three-Dimensional Gene Regulation Network in Glioblastoma Ferroptosis

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of cell death, which is reported to be associated with glioma progression and drug sensitivity. Targeting ferroptosis is a potential therapeutic approach for glioma. However, the molecular mechanism of glioma cell ferroptosis is not clear. In this study, we profile the change of 3D chromatin structure in glioblastoma ferroptosis by using HiChIP and study the 3D gene regulation network in glioblastoma ferroptosis. A combination of an analysis of HiChIP and RNA-seq data suggests that change of chromatin loops mediated by 3D chromatin structure regulates gene expressions in glioblastoma ferroptosis. Genes that are regulated by 3D chromatin structures include genes that were reported to function in ferroptosis, like HDM2 and TXNRD1. We propose a new regulatory mechanism governing glioblastoma cell ferroptosis by 3D chromatin structure.

Tumor targeted cancer membrane-camouflaged ultra-small Fe nanoparticles for enhanced collaborative apoptosis and ferroptosis in glioma

Glioma is recognized as the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. Owing to the occurrence of drug resistance and the failure of drug to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), there is no effective strategy for the treatment of glioma. The main objective of this study was to develop a biomimetic glioma C6 cell membrane (C6M) derived nanovesicles (DOX-FN/C6M-NVs) loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and ultra-small Fe nanoparticles (FN) for accomplishing the effective brain tumor-targeted delivery of DOX and improving anti-cancer efficacy via inducing collaborative apoptosis and ferroptosis. The findings revealed that employing C6M-NVs as a carrier significantly improved the therapeutic efficacy by enabling evasion of immune surveillance, facilitating targeted drug delivery to tumor sites, and minimizing cardiotoxicity and adverse effects associated with DOX. DOX-FN/C6M-NVs exhibited more potent anti-tumor effects as compared with free DOX by promoting DOX-mediated apoptosis and accelerating ferroptosis via the mediation of FN. This study suggested that DOX-FN/C6M-NVs as the potential inducer of ferroptosis and apoptosis conferred effective tumor suppression in the treatment of glioma.

Immunotherapy: a promising approach for glioma treatment

Gliomas are the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumors worldwide, with glioblastoma (GBM) being the most common and aggressive type. Despite two decades of relentless pursuit in exploring novel therapeutic approaches for GBM, there is limited progress in improving patients' survival outcomes. Numerous obstacles impede the effective treatment of GBM, including the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), the blood-brain barrier, and extensive heterogeneity. Despite these challenges, immunotherapies are emerging as a promising avenue that may offer new hope for the treatment of gliomas. There are four main types of immunotherapies for gliomas, immune checkpoint blockades, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies, vaccines, and oncolytic viruses. In addition, gene therapy, bispecific antibody therapy, and combine therapy are also briefly introduced in this review. The significant role of TME in the process of immunotherapies has been emphasized in many studies. Although immunotherapy is a promising treatment for gliomas, enormous effort is required to overcome the existing barriers to its success. Owing to the rapid development and increasing attention paid to immunotherapies for gliomas, this article aims to review the recent advances in immunotherapies for gliomas.

Exploring the role of m6A methylation regulators in glioblastoma multiforme and their impact on the tumor immune microenvironment

Although the role of N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) methylation factors has been established in multiple cancer types, its involvement in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains limited. This study aims to explore the involvement of m6A regulators in GBM and examine their association with the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). A comprehensive set of 24 candidate m6A RNA regulators was procured. Consensus clustering was performed based on these regulators to identify distinct GBM clusters. PD-L1 and PD-1 levels, immune cell infiltration, and immune scores were evaluated between two clusters. Prognostic signatures and correlation analysis with TIME were analyzed using Lasso and Spearman's analysis. GBM tissue was collected to verify the correlations. Eighteen m6A regulators (WTAP, YTHDF2, HNRNPC, CAPRIN1, YTHDF3, METTL14, GNL3, ZCCHC4, HNRNPD, YTHDF1, RBM15, PCIF1, RBM27, KIAA1429, MSI2, FTO, ALKBH5, and METTL3), PD-L1, and PD-1 were significantly upregulated in GBM tissue. These regulators were divided into two distinct molecular subtypes (clusters 1 and 2). Cluster 2 exhibited a significant increase in immune score, monocytes, M1 macrophages, activated mast cells, and eosinophils. HNRNPC, YWHAG, and ALKBH5 were significantly associated with TIME and positively correlated with PD-L1. Immune cell invasiveness profiles dynamically changed with copy number changes of these three m6A regulators. Finally, YWHAG and ALKBH5 were found to be independent prognostic indicators of GBM through risk analysis and were experimentally verified with clinical samples. YWHAG and ALKBH5 may be used as prognostic markers for patients with GBM. m6A methylation regulators may play an important role in regulating PD-L1/PD-1 expression and immune infiltration, thus having a significant impact on GBM TIME.

Advancements in pH-responsive nanocarriers: enhancing drug delivery for tumor therapy

INTRODUCTION

Tumors pose a significant global economic and health burden, with conventional cancer treatments lacking tumor specificity, leading to limited efficiency and undesirable side effects. Targeted tumor therapy is imminent. Tumor cells produce lactate and hydrogen ions (H+) by Warburg effect, forming an acidic tumor microenvironment (TME), which can be employed to design targeted tumor therapy. Recently, progress in nanotechnology has led to the development of pH-responsive nanocarriers, which have gathered significant attention. Under acidic tumor conditions, they exhibit targeted accumulation within tumor sites and controlled release profiles of therapeutic reagents, enabling precise tumor therapy.

AREAS COVERED

This review comprehensively summarize the principles underlying pH-responsive features, discussing various types of pH-responsive nanocarriers, their advantages, and limitations. Innovative therapeutic drugs are also examined, followed by an exploration of recent advancements in applying various pH-responsive nanocarriers as delivery systems for enhanced tumor therapy.

EXPERT OPINIONS

pH-responsive nanocarriers have garnered significant attention for their capability to achieve targeted accumulation of therapeutic agents at tumor sites and controlled drug delivery profiles, ultimately increasing the efficiency of tumor eradication. It is anticipated that the employment of pH-responsive nanocarriers will elevate the effectiveness and safety of tumor therapy, contributing to improved overall outcomes.