Impact of plasma concentration of transferrin on targeting capacity of nanoparticles

Personalized biocorona as disease biomarker: The challenges and opportunities

It is well known that when nanoparticles interact with biological fluids, a layer of proteins and biological components forms on them. This layer may alter the biological fate and efficiency of the nanomaterial. Recent studies have shown that illness states have a major impact on the structure of the biocorona, sometimes referred to as the "personalized protein corona." Physiological factors like illness, which impact the proteome and metabolome pattern and result in conformational changes in proteins, give rise to this structure of discrimination in biocorona decoration. Improving the efficiency of precise platforms for developing new molecular biomarkers for accurate illness diagnosis is vitally necessary. The biocorona pattern's discrimination may be a diagnostic tool for designing biosensors. As a result, in this review, we summarize the most current studies on the relationship between physiological conditions and the variety of biocorona patterns that influence the biological responses of nanosystems. The biocorona pattern's flexibility may provide new research directions and be utilized to create nanoparticle-based therapeutic and diagnostic products suited to certain physiological situations.

Unraveling the impact of different liposomal formulations on the plasma protein corona composition might give hints on the targeting capability of nanoparticles

Nanoparticles (NPs) interact with biological fluids after being injected into the bloodstream. The interactions between NPs and plasma proteins at the nano-bio interface affect their biopharmaceutical properties and distribution in the organ and tissues due to protein corona (PrC) composition, and in turn, modification of the resulting targeting capability. Moreover, lipid and polymer NPs, at their interface, affect the composition of PrC and the relative adsorption and abundance of specific proteins. To investigate this latter aspect, we synthesized and characterized different liposomal formulations (LFs) with lipids and polymer-conjugated lipids at different molar ratios, having different sizes, size distributions and surface charges. The PrC composition of various designed LFs was evaluated ex vivo in human plasma by label-free quantitative proteomics. We also correlated the relative abundance of identified specific proteins in the coronas of the different LFs with their physicochemical properties (size, PDI, zeta potential). The evaluation of outputs from different bioinformatic tools discovered protein clusters allowing to highlight: (i) common as well as the unique species for the various formulations; (ii) correlation between each identified PrC and the physicochemical properties of LFs; (iii) some preferential binding determined by physicochemical properties of LFs; (iv) occurrence of formulation-specific protein patterns in PrC. Investigating specific clusters in PrC will help decode the multivalent roles of the protein pattern components in the drug delivery process, taking advantage of the bio-nanoscale recognition and identification for significant advances in nanomedicine.

Sex-specific outcomes in cancer therapy: the central role of hormones

Sex hormones play a pivotal role in modulating various physiological processes, with emerging evidence underscoring their influence on cancer progression and treatment outcomes. This review delves into the intricate relationship between sex hormones and cancer, elucidating the underlying biological mechanisms and their clinical implications. We explore the multifaceted roles of estrogen, androgens, and progesterone, highlighting their respective influence on specific cancers such as breast, ovarian, endometrial, and prostate. Special attention is given to estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) tumors, androgen receptor signaling, and the dual role of progesterone in both promoting and inhibiting cancer progression. Clinical observations reveal varied treatment responses contingent upon hormonal levels, with certain therapies like tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, and anti-androgens demonstrating notable success. However, disparities in treatment outcomes between males and females in hormone-sensitive cancers necessitate further exploration. Therapeutically, the utilization of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) during cancer treatments presents both potential risks and benefits. The promise of personalized therapies, tailored to an individual's hormonal profile, offers a novel approach to optimizing therapeutic outcomes. Concurrently, the burgeoning exploration of new drugs and interventions targeting hormonal pathways heralds a future of more effective and precise treatments for hormone-sensitive cancers. This review underscores the pressing need for a deeper understanding of sex hormones in cancer therapy and the ensuing implications for future therapeutic innovations.

The D-amino acid oxidase-carbon nanotubes: evaluation of cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of a potential anticancer nanosystem

The 'enzyme prodrug therapy' represents a promising strategy to overcome limitations of current cancer treatments by the systemic administration of prodrugs, converted by a foreign enzyme into an active anticancer compound directly in tumor sites. One example is D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO), a dimeric flavoenzyme able to catalyze the oxidative deamination of D-amino acids with production of hydrogen peroxide, a reactive oxygen species (ROS), able to favor cancer cells death. A DAAO variant containing five aminoacidic substitutions (mDAAO) was demonstrated to possess a better therapeutic efficacy under low O2 concentration than wild-type DAAO (wtDAAO). Recently, aiming to design promising nanocarriers for DAAO, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to reduce their tendency to aggregation and to improve their biocompatibility. Here, wtDAAO and mDAAO were adsorbed on PEGylated MWCNTs and their activity and cytotoxicity were tested. While PEG-MWCNTs-DAAOs have shown a higher activity than pristine MWCNTs-DAAO (independently on the DAAO variant used), PEG-MWCNTs-mDAAO showed a higher cytotoxicity than PEG-MWCNTs-wtDAAO at low O2 concentration. In order to evaluate the nanocarriers' biocompatibility, PEG-MWCNTs-DAAOs were incubated in human serum and the composition of protein corona was investigated via nLC-MS/MS, aiming to characterize both soft and hard coronas. The mDAAO variant has influenced the bio-corona composition in both number of proteins and presence of opsonins and dysopsonins: notably, the soft corona of PEG-MWCNTs-mDAAO contained less proteins and was more enriched in proteins able to inhibit the immune response than PEG-MWCNTs-wtDAAO. Considering the obtained results, the PEGylated MWCNTs conjugated with the mDAAO variant seems a promising candidate for a selective antitumor oxidative therapy: under anoxic-like conditions, this novel drug delivery system showed a remarkable cytotoxic effect controlled by the substrate addition, against different tumor cell lines, and a bio-corona composition devoted to prolong its blood circulation time, thus improving the drug's biodistribution.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03568-1.

The interaction mechanism of plasma iron transport protein transferrin with nanoparticles

In the biological systems, exposure to nanoparticles (NPs) can cause complicated interactions with proteins, the formation of protein corona and structural changes to proteins. These changes depend not only on NP physicochemical properties, but also on the intrinsic stability of protein molecules. Although, the formation of protein corona on the surface of NPs and the underlying mechanisms have been fully explored in various studies, no comprehensive review has discussed the direct biochemical and biophysical interactions between NPs and blood proteins, particularly transferrin. In this review, we first discussed the interaction of NPs with proteins to comprehend the effects of physicochemical properties of NPs on protein structure. We then overviewed the transferrin structure and its direct interaction with NPs to explore transferrin stability and its iron ion (Fe³⁺) release behavior. Afterwards, we surveyed the various biological functions of transferrin, such as Fe³⁺ binding, receptor binding, antibacterial activity, growth, differentiation, and coagulation, followed by the application of transferrin-modified NPs in the development of drug delivery systems for cancer therapy. We believe that this study can provide useful insight into the design and development of bioconjugates containing NP-transferrin for potential biomedical applications.

Nanoparticle protein corona: from structure and function to therapeutic targeting

Nanoparticle (NP)-based therapeutics have ushered in a new era in translational medicine. However, despite the clinical success of NP technology, it is not well-understood how NPs fundamentally change in biological environments. When introduced into physiological fluids, NPs are coated by proteins, forming a protein corona (PC). The PC has the potential to endow NPs with a new identity and alter their bioactivity, stability, and destination. Additionally, the conformation of proteins is sensitive to their physical and chemical surroundings. Therefore, biological factors and protein-NP-interactions can induce changes in the conformation and orientation of proteins in vivo. Since the function of a protein is closely connected to its folded structure, slight differences in the surrounding environment as well as the surface characteristics of the NP materials may cause proteins to lose or gain a function. As a result, this can alter the downstream functionality of the NPs. This review introduces the main biological factors affecting the conformation of proteins associated with the PC. Then, four types of NPs with extensive utility in biomedical applications are described in greater detail, focusing on the conformation and orientation of adsorbed proteins. This is followed by a discussion on the instances in which the conformation of adsorbed proteins can be leveraged for therapeutic purposes, such as controlling protein conformation in assembled matrices in tissue, as well as controlling the PC conformation for modulating immune responses. The review concludes with a perspective on the remaining challenges and unexplored areas at the interface of PC and NP research.

Protein corona: Friend or foe? Co-opting serum proteins for nanoparticle delivery

For systemically delivered nanoparticles to reach target tissues, they must first circulate long enough to reach the target and extravasate there. A challenge is that the particles end up engaging with serum proteins and undergo immune cell recognition and premature clearance. The serum protein binding, also known as protein corona formation, is difficult to prevent, even with artificial protection via "stealth" coating. Protein corona may be problematic as it can interfere with the interaction of targeting ligands with tissue-specific receptors and abrogate the so-called active targeting process, hence, the efficiency of drug delivery. However, recent studies show that serum protein binding to circulating nanoparticles may be actively exploited to enhance their downstream delivery. This review summarizes known issues of protein corona and traditional strategies to control the corona, such as avoiding or overriding its formation, as well as emerging efforts to enhance drug delivery to target organs via nanoparticles. It concludes with a discussion of prevailing challenges in exploiting protein corona for nanoparticle development.

Protein corona: challenges and opportunities for targeted delivery of nanomedicines

INTRODUCTION

Targeted drug delivery has been widely explored as a promising way to improve the performance of nanomedicines. However, protein corona formed on the nano-surface represents a major issue that has great impacts on the in vivo fate of targeting nanomedicines, which has been overlooked in the past. With the increasing understanding of protein corona in the recent decade, many efforts have been made to improve targeting efficacy.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we briefly summarize insights of targeted delivery systems inspired by protein corona, and discuss the promising strategies to regulate protein corona for better targeting.

EXPERT OPINION

The interaction between nanomedicines and endogenous proteins brings great uncertainty and challenges, but it also provides great opportunities for the development of targeting nanomedicines at the same time. With increasing understanding of protein corona, the strategies to regulate protein corona pave new avenues for the development of targeting nanomedicines.

Long-Term Immunity and Antibody Response: Challenges for Developing Efficient COVID-19 Vaccines

Questions and concerns regarding the efficacy and immunogenicity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have plagued scientists since the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine was introduced in late 2020. As a result, decisions about vaccine boosters based on breakthrough infection rates and the decline of antibody titers have commanded worldwide attention and research. COVID-19 patients have displayed continued severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-spike-protein-specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies in longitudinal studies; in addition, cytokine activation has been detected at early steps following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Epitopes that are highly reactive and can mediate long-term antibody responses have been identified at the spike and ORF1ab proteins. The N-terminal domain of the S1 and S2 subunits is the location of important SARS-CoV-2 spike protein epitopes. High sequence identity between earlier and newer variants of SARS-CoV-2 and different degrees of sequence homology among endemic human coronaviruses have been observed. Understanding the extent and duration of protective immunity is consequential for determining the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further knowledge of memory responses to different variants of SARS-CoV-2 is needed to improve the design of the vaccine.

Nanoparticle protein corona evolution: from biological impact to biomarker discovery

Nanoparticles exposed to biological fluids such as blood, quickly interact with their surrounding milieu resulting in a biological coating that results in large part as a function of the physicochemical properties of the nanomaterial. The large nanoparticle surface area-to-volume ratio further augments binding of biological molecules and the resulting biomolecular or protein corona, once thought of as problematic biofouling, is now viewed as a rich source of biological information that can guide the development of nanomedicines. This review gives an overview of the utility of the protein corona in proteomic profiling and discusses how a better understanding of nano-bio interactions can accelerate the clinical translation of nanomedicines and facilitate the identification of disease-specific biomarkers. With the FDA requirement of the protein corona analysis of nanoparticles in place, it is envisaged that analyzing the protein corona of nanoparticles on a case-by-case basis can provide highly valuable nano-bio interface information that can aid and improve their clinical translation.

Titanium and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy: Surface Chemistry and Biological Implications

Currently, cancer is among the most challenging diseases due to its ability to continuously evolve into a more complex muldimentional system, in addition to its high capability to spread to other organs and tissues. In this context, the relevance of nanobiomaterials (NBMs) for the development of new more effective and less harmful treatments is increasing. NBMs provide the possibility of combining several functionalities on a single system, expectedly in a synergic way, to better perform the treatment and cure. However, the control of properties such as colloidal stability, circulation time, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution, assuring the concentration in specific target tissues and organs, while keeping all desired properties, tends to be dependent on subtle changes in surface chemistry. Hence, the behavior of such materials in different media/environments is of uttermost relevance and concern since it can compromise their efficiency and safety on application. Given the bright perspectives, many efforts have been focused on the development of nanomaterials fulfilling the requirements for real application. These include robust and reproducible preparation methods to avoid aggregation while preserving the interaction properties. The possible impact of nanomaterials in different forms of diagnosis and therapy has been demonstrated in the past few years, given the perspectives on how revolutionary they can be in medicine and health. Considering the high biocompatibility and suitability, this review is focused on titanium dioxide– and iron oxide–based nanoagents highlighting the current trends and main advancements in the research for cancer therapies. The effects of phenomena, such as aggregation and agglomeration, the formation of the corona layer, and how they can compromise relevant properties of nanomaterials and their potential applicability, are also addressed. In short, this review summarizes the current understanding and perspectives on such smart nanobiomaterials for diagnostics, treatment, and theranostics of diseases.

Cigarette smoke-induced toxicity consequences of intracellular iron dysregulation and ferroptosis

Despite numerous studies on the mechanisms of cigarette smoking toxicity over the past three decades, some aspects remain obscure. Recent developments have drawn attention to some hopeful indicators that allow us to advance our awareness of cigarette-induced cell death. Ferroptosis is considered a type of governed death of cells distinguished by the iron-dependent lipid hydroperoxide deposition to fatal concentrations. Ferroptosis has been linked with pathological settings such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, heart attack, hemorrhagic stroke, traumatic brain injury, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and renal dysfunction. This review tries to explain the causal role of ferroptosis cascade in cigarette smoke-mediated toxicity and cell death, highlighting associations on potential action mechanisms and proposing suggestions for its detoxifying and therapeutic interventions.

The role of macrophage polarization and function in environmental toxicant-induced cancers

Macrophages are a critical member of the innate immune system and can intensify tumor invasiveness and assist the growth of neoplastic cells. Moreover, they have the capability to reinforce immunosuppression and angiogenesis. Various investigations suggest that health-related issues, including inflammatory disorders and neoplastic diseases may be caused by environmental toxicant exposure. However, it is still unclear what role these environmental toxicants play in causing carcinogenesis by disturbing the mechanisms of migration, polarization, differentiation, and immune-stimulatory functions of macrophages. Accordingly, in this article, we will explore the interaction between environmental chemicals and inflammatory macrophage processes at the molecular level and their association with tumor progression and carcinogenesis.

Unmasking CSF protein corona: Effect on targeting capacity of nanoparticles

Among biological fluids, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) not only protects and support brain, but also plays a pivotal role in intracerebral interaction of various nano-drug carriers. However, it is still uncertain how protein corona from CSF affects the targeting capability of functionalized nanoparticles (NPs). So, two types of polystyrene NPs, including PEGylated polystyrene NPs (PN) and transferrin (Tf)-modified PN (PT), were used to obtain protein corona-coated NPs, by incubating with CSF in vivo and in vitro. Strikingly, both the corona-coated NPs recovered in vivo and in vitro completely lost their active targeting characteristics towards bEnd.3 and C6 cells. Charge-, clathrin- and energy-mediated endocytosis contributed to the improved uptake efficiency of PT, whereas this enhancement in uptake of PT was disappeared after the formation of CSF protein corona. Moreover, serum albumin, which were found both in vivo and in vitro CSF corona, could mediate and facilitate the internalization of corona-coated NPs. Overall, these results have distinctly confirmed that the formation of CSF protein corona could cause the loss of active targeting specificity by shielding the targeting groups on the surface of polystyrene NPs and alter their cellular uptake by other non-specific internalization pathways.

Emerging Biomolecular Testing to Assess the Risk of Mortality from COVID-19 Infection

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19) has produced an unprecedented global pandemic. Though the death rate from COVID-19 infection is ∼2%, many infected people recover at home. Among patients for whom COVID-19 is deadly are those with pre-existing comorbidities. Therefore, identification of populations at highest risk of COVID-19 mortality could significantly improve the capacity of healthcare providers to take early action and minimize the possibility of overwhelming care centers, which in turn would save many lives. Although several approaches have been used/developed (or are being developed/suggested) to diagnose COVID-19 infection, no approach is available/proposed for fast diagnosis of COVID-19 infections likely to be fatal. The central aim of this short perspective is to suggest a few possible nanobased technologies (i.e., protein corona sensor array and magnetic levitation) that could discriminate COVID-19-infected people while still in the early stages of infection who are at high risk of death. Such discrimination technologies would not only be useful in protecting health care centers from becoming overwhelmed but would also provide a powerful tool to better control possible future pandemics with a less social and economic burden.

Analysis of the Human Plasma Proteome Using Multi-Nanoparticle Protein Corona for Detection of Alzheimer's Disease

As the population affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) grows, so does the need for a noninvasive and accurate diagnostic tool. Current research reveals that AD pathogenesis begins as early as decades before clinical symptoms. The unique properties of nanoparticles (NPs) may be exploited to develop noninvasive diagnostics for early detection of AD. After exposure of NPs to biological fluids, the NP surface is altered by an unbiased but selective and reproducible adsorption of biomolecules commonly referred to as the biomolecular corona or protein corona (PC). The discovery that the plasma proteome may be differentially altered during health and disease leads to the concept of disease-specific PCs. Herein, the disease-specific PCs formed around NPs in a multi-NPs platform are employed to successfully identify subtle changes in plasma protein patterns and detect AD (>92% specificity and ≈100% sensitivity). Similar discrimination power is achieved using banked plasma samples from a cohort of patients several years prior to their diagnosis with AD. With the nanoplatform's analytic ability to analyze pathological proteomic changes into a disease-specific identifier, this promising, noninvasive technology with implications for early detection and intervention could benefit not only patients with AD but other diseases as well.

Mechanisms and pathogenesis underlying environmental chemical-induced necroptosis

Necroptosis is a regulated cell death that is governed by mixed lineage kinase domain-like, receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase 3 and commonly displays with necrosis morphological characteristics. This study examined the molecular mechanisms involved in the chemical-induced necroptosis where a systematic evaluation of experimental studies addressing this issue is missing. We strictly reviewed all scientific reports related to our search terms including "necroptosis" or "programmed necrosis", "environmental chemicals" or "air pollutants" or "pesticides" or "nanoparticles" and "Medicines" from 2009 to 2019. Manuscripts that met the objective of this study were included for further evaluations. Studies showed that several pathological contexts like cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and inflammatory diseases were related to necroptosis. Furthermore, multiple chemical-induced cytotoxic effects, such as DNA damage, mitochondrial dysregulation, oxidative damage, lipid peroxidation, endoplasmic reticulum disruption, and inflammation are also associated with necroptosis. The main environmental exposures that are related to necroptosis are air pollutants (airborne particulate matter, cadmium, and hydrogen sulfide), nanoparticles (gold, silver, and silica), pesticides (endosulfan, cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, and paraquat), and tobacco smoke. To sum up, air pollutants, pesticides, and nanoparticles could potentially affect human health via disruption of cell growth and induction of necroptosis. Understanding the exact molecular pathogenesis of these environmental chemicals needs further comprehensive research to provide innovative concepts for the prevention approaches and introduce novel targets for the amelioration of a range of human health problems.

Engineering at the nano-bio interface: harnessing the protein corona towards nanoparticle design and function

Unpredictable and uncontrollable protein adsorption on nanoparticles remains a considerable challenge to achieving effective application of nanotechnologies within biological environments. Nevertheless, engineered nanoparticles offer unprecedented functionality and control in probing and altering biological systems. In this review, we highlight recent advances in harnessing the "protein corona" formed on nanoparticles as a handle to tune functional properties of the protein-nanoparticle complex. Towards this end, we first review nanoparticle properties that influence protein adsorption and design strategies to facilitate selective corona formation, with the corresponding characterization techniques. We next focus on literature detailing corona-mediated functionalities, including stealth to avoid recognition and sequestration while in circulation, targeting of predetermined in vivo locations, and controlled activation once localized to the intended biological compartment. We conclude with a discussion of biocompatibility outcomes for these protein-nanoparticle complexes applied in vivo. While formation of the nanoparticle-corona complex may impede our control over its use for the projected nanobiotechnology application, it concurrently presents an opportunity to create improved protein-nanoparticle architectures by exploiting natural or guiding selective protein adsorption to the nanoparticle surface.

Targeting non-apoptotic cell death in cancer treatment by nanomaterials: Recent advances and future outlook

Many tumors develop resistance to most of the apoptosis-based cancer therapies. In this sense targeting non-apoptotic forms of cell death including necroptosis, autophagy and ferroptosis may have therapeutic benefits in apoptosis-defective cancer cells. Nanomaterials have shown great advantages in cancer treatment owing to their unique characteristics. Besides, the capability of nanomaterials to induce different forms of cell death has gained widespread attention in cancer treatment. Reports in this field reflect the therapeutic potential of necroptotic cell death induced by nanomaterials in cancer. Also, autophagic cell death induced by nanomaterials alone and as a part of chemo-, radio- and photothermal therapy holds great promise as anticancer therapeutic option. Besides, ferroptosis induction by iron-based nanomaterials in drug delivery, immunotherapy, hyperthermia and imaging systems shows promising results in malignancies. Hence, this review is devoted to the latest efforts and the challenges in this field of research and its clinical merits.