Fabrication and characterization of a folic acid-bound 5-fluorouracil loaded quantum dot system for hepatocellular carcinoma targeted therapy

Hyaluronic acid-conjugated methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil for targeted drug delivery

The delivery of chemotherapeutical drugs via nanomaterials has become a focus of pharmaceutical research over several decades due to improved drug delivery to cancer cells, decreased side effects on normal tissues, and increased therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a novel hyaluronic acid-conjugated methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil nanodrug system has been developed to address the critical limitations associated with the high toxicity and side effects of methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil. Furthermore, this nanodrug system enhances the targeting capacity of drug molecules and facilitates the potential integration of multimodal drug therapies. Concomitantly, the synergistic effects of MTX with 5-fluorouracil have been shown to improve the therapeutic index of MTX while attenuating the associated toxicities of MTX. The structure and micromorphology of the novel nanodrug can be confirmed by 1HNMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis, DLS, TEM, and AFM. Due to the ability of HA to bind to CD44 receptors activated on the surface of cancer cells and its enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, the novel nanodrug we designed and synthesized can effectively target cancer cells. Cell counting Kit-8 (CCK8), flow cytometry, and live-dead staining assays in vitro showed that this nanodrug system had high targeting and antitumor activity against CD44 receptors. By using drugs to act on patient-derived colorectal, liver, and breast cancer organoids, the anticancer effect of the nanodrug was identified and verified. These results showed that the nanodrug system developed in this study may have great potential as a targeted therapy for cancer.

Appraisal of folate functionalized bosutinib cubosomes against hepatic cancer cells: In-vitro, In-silico, and in-vivo pharmacokinetic study

Targeted therapies enhance the efficacy of tumour screening and management while lowering side effects. Multiple tumours, including liver cancer, exhibit elevated levels of folate receptor expression. This research attempted to develop surface-functionalised bosutinib cubosomes against hepatocellular carcinoma. The novelty of this work is the anti-hepatic action of bosutinib (BST) and folic acid-modified bosutinib cubosomes (BSTMF) established through proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase (SrC)/ focal adhesion kinase(FAK), reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and cell cytotoxicity. Later, the in-vivo pharmacokinetics of BSTMF were determined for the first time. The strong affinity of folic acid (FA) for folate receptors allows BSTMF to enter cells via FA receptor-mediated endocytosis. The particle size of the prepared BSTMF was 188.5 ± 2.25 nm, and its zeta potential was -20.19 ± 2.01 mV, an encapsulation efficiency of 90.31 ± 3.15 %, and a drug release rate of 76.70 ± 2.10 % for 48 h. The surface architecture of BSTMF was identified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM). Cell-line studies demonstrated that BSTMF substantially lowered the viability of Hep G2 cells compared to BST and bosutinib-loaded cubosomes (BSTF). BSTMF demonstrated an elevated BST concentration in tumour tissue than in other organs and also displayed superior pharmacokinetics, implying that they hold potential against hepatic cancers. This is the first study to show that BSTMF may be effective against liver cancer by targeting folate receptors and triggering SrC/FAK-dependent apoptotic pathways. Multiple parameters demonstrated that BSTMF enhanced anticancer targeting, therapeutic efficacy, and safety in NDEA-induced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Functionalized PAMAM-Based Nanoformulation for Targeted Delivery of 5-Fluorouracil in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Efficacy of a traditional anticancer drug is challenged by adverse effects of the drug including its nonspecific bio-distribution, short half-life and side effects. Dendrimer-based targeted drug delivery sysytem has been considered as a promising strategy to increase targeting ability and reduce adverse effects of anti-cancer drugs.

OBJECTIVE

This study analyzed the feasibility whether the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) could be delivered by functionalized fifth-poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) with the peptide WP05 and the acetic anhydride to the liver cancer cells, reducing toxicity of the PAMAM and improving the targeting property of 5-FU during delivery.

METHODS

The functionalized PAMAM-based nanoformulation (WP05-G5.0NHAC-FUA) was fabricated through an amide condensation reaction to improve therapeutic efficacy of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The physicochemical structure, particle size, zeta potential, stability and in vitro release characteristics of WP05-G5.0NHAC-FUA were evaluated. In addition, the targeting, biocompatibility, anti-proliferation and anti-migration of WP05-G5.0NHAC-FUA were investigated. The anti-tumor effect of WP05-G5.0NHAC-FUA in vivo was evaluated by constructing xenograft tumor models of hunman hepatoma cells (Bel-7402) implanted in nude mice.

RESULTS

The resultant WP05-G5.0NHAC-FUA displayed spherical-like nanoparticles with the size of 174.20 ± 3.59 nm. Zeta potential and the drug loading of WP05-G5.0NHAC-FUA were 5.62 ± 0.41mV and 28.67 ± 1.25 %, respectively. Notably, the optimized 5-FU-loaded formulation showed greater cytotoxicity with an IC50 of 30.80 ±4.04 μg/mL than free 5-FU (114.93 ±1.43 μg/mL) in Bel-7402 cancer liver cells, but a significantly reduced side effect relative to free 5-FU in L02 normal liver cells. In vivo animal study further confirmed efficient tumor accumulation and enhanced therapeutic efficiency.

CONCLUSION

The developed nanoformulation is a promising platform for the targeting delivery of 5-FU and provides a promising solution for improving the efficacy of hepatocellular carcinoma chemotherapy.

Nanomedicine in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A New Frontier in Targeted Cancer Treatment

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death and is associated with a dismal median survival of 2-9 months. The fundamental limitations and ineffectiveness of current HCC treatments have led to the development of a vast range of nanotechnologies with the goal of improving the safety and efficacy of treatment for HCC. Although remarkable success has been achieved in nanomedicine research, there are unique considerations such as molecular heterogeneity and concomitant liver dysfunction that complicate the translation of nanotheranostics in HCC. This review highlights the progress, challenges, and targeting opportunities in HCC nanomedicine based on the growing literature in recent years.

The Biological Activity Research of the Nano-Drugs Based on 5-Fluorouracil-Modified Quantum Dots

PURPOSE

Over the past decades, quantum dots (QDs) have shown the broad application in diverse fields, especially in intracellular probing and drug delivery, due to their high fluorescence intensity, long fluorescence lifetime, strong light-resistant bleaching ability, and strong light stability. Therefore, we explore a kind of therapeutic potential against cancer with fluorescent imaging.

METHODS

In the current study, a new type of QDs (QDs@L-Cys-TAEA-5-FUA) capped with L-cysteine (L-Cys) and tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TAEA) ligands, and conjugated with 5-fluorouracil-1-acetic acid (5-FUA) has been synthesized. Ligands were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. The modified QDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), and fluorescence microscopy. And the biological activity of modified QDs was explored by using MTT assay with HeLa, SMMC-7721 HepG2, and QSG-7701 cells. The fluorescence imaging of modified QDs was obtained by fluorescence microscope.

RESULTS

The modified QDs are of controllable sizes in the range of 4-5 nm and they possess strong optical emission properties. UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra demonstrated that the L-Cys-TAEA-5-FUA was successfully incorporated into QD nanoparticles. The MTT results demonstrated that L-Cys-TAEA-5-FUA modified QDs could efficiently inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells as compared to the normal cells, illustrating their antitumor efficacy. The mechanistic studies revealed that the effective internalization of modified QDs inside cancer cells could inhibit their proliferation, through excessive production of intracellular reactive oxygen species, leading to apoptosis process.

CONCLUSION

The present study suggests that modified QDs can enter cells efficiently and could be employed as therapeutic agents for the treatment of various types of cancers with fluorescent imaging.

Nanomaterials for Nanotheranostics: Tuning Their Properties According to Disease Needs

Nanotheranostics is one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs in nanomedicine. Most of the currently available diagnosis and therapies are invasive, time-consuming, and associated with severe toxic side effects. Nanotheranostics, on the other hand, has the potential to bridge this gap by harnessing the capabilities of nanotechnology and nanomaterials for combined therapeutics and diagnostics with markedly enhanced efficacy. However, nanomaterial applications in nanotheranostics are still in its infancy. This is due to the fact that each disease has a particular microenvironment with well-defined characteristics, which promotes deeper selection criteria of nanomaterials to meet the disease needs. In this review, we have outlined how nanomaterials are designed and tailored for nanotheranostics of cancer and other diseases such as neurodegenerative, autoimmune (particularly on rheumatoid arthritis), and cardiovascular diseases. The penetrability and retention of a nanomaterial in the biological system, the therapeutic strategy used, and the imaging mode selected are some of the aspects discussed for each disease. The specific properties of the nanomaterials in terms of feasibility, physicochemical challenges, progress in clinical trials, its toxicity, and their future application on translational medicine are addressed. Our review meticulously and critically examines the applications of nanotheranostics with various nanomaterials, including graphene, across several diseases, offering a broader perspective of this emerging field.

Green-emitting carbon dot loaded silica nanoparticles coated with DNA-cross-linked hydrogels for sensitive carcinoembryonic antigen detection and effective targeted cancer therapy

Bifunctional composite nanospheres for carcinoembryonic antigen sensing and targeted drug delivery, based on carbon dot loaded silica nanoparticles coated with DNA-cross-linked hydrogels.