Iron oxide and gold bimetallic radiosensitizers for synchronous tumor chemoradiation therapy in 4T1 breast cancer murine model

Biocompatibility and potential anticancer activity of gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) nanoparticles against nasal squamous cell carcinoma

Chemotherapy as a cornerstone of cancer treatment is slowly being edged aside owing to its severe side effects and systemic toxicity. In this case, nanomedicine has emerged as an effective tool to address these drawbacks. Herein, a biocompatible carrier based on bovine serum albumin (BSA) coated gadolinium oxide nanoparticles (Gd2O3@BSA) was fabricated for curcumin (CUR) delivery and its physicochemical features along with its potential anticancer activity against nasal squamous cell carcinoma were also investigated. It was found that the fabricated Gd2O3@BSA containing CUR (Gd2O3@BSA-CUR) had spherical morphology with hydrodynamic size of nearly 26 nm, zeta-potential of -36 mV and high drug (CUR) loading capacity. Drug release profile disclosed that the release of CUR from the prepared Gd2O3@BSA-CUR nanoparticles occurred in a sustained- and pH-dependent manner. Also, in vitro cytotoxicity analysis revealed that the fabricated Gd2O3@BSA nanoparticles possessed excellent biosafety toward HFF2 normal cells, while Gd2O3@BSA-CUR appeared to display the greatest anticancer potential against RPMI 2650 and CNE-1 cancer cell lines. The results also show that the Gd2O3@BSA nanoparticles were compatible with the blood cells with minor hemolytic effect (< 3%). The manufactured NPs were found to be completely safe for biological applications in an in vivo subacute toxicity study. Taken together, these finding substantiate the potential anticancer activity of Gd2O3@BSA-CUR nanoparticles against nasal squamous cell carcinoma, but the results obtained demand further studies to assess their full potential.

Enhancing X-Ray Sensitization with Multifunctional Nanoparticles

In the progression of X-ray-based radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer, the incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) has a transformative impact. This study investigates the potential of NPs, particularly those comprised of high atomic number elements, as radiosensitizers. This aims to optimize localized radiation doses within tumors, thereby maximizing therapeutic efficacy while preserving surrounding tissues. The multifaceted applications of NPs in radiotherapy encompass collaborative interactions with chemotherapeutic, immunotherapeutic, and targeted pharmaceuticals, along with contributions to photodynamic/photothermal therapy, imaging enhancement, and the integration of artificial intelligence technology. Despite promising preclinical outcomes, the paper acknowledges challenges in the clinical translation of these findings. The conclusion maintains an optimistic stance, emphasizing ongoing trials and technological advancements that bolster personalized treatment approaches. The paper advocates for continuous research and clinical validation, envisioning the integration of NPs as a revolutionary paradigm in cancer therapy, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes.

Approaches for reducing chemo/radiation-induced cardiotoxicity by nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are fascinating and encouraging carriers for cancer treatment due to their extraordinary properties and potential applications in targeted drug delivery, treatment, and diagnosis. Experimental studies including in vitro and in vivo examinations show that nanoparticles can cause a revolution in different aspects of cancer therapy. Normal tissue toxicity and early and late consequences are the major limitations of cancer therapy by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, the delivery of drugs into tumors or reducing the accumulation of drugs in normal tissues can permit a more satisfactory response of malignancies to therapy with more inferior side effects. Cardiac toxicity is one of the major problems for chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Therefore, several experimental studies have been performed to minimize the degenerative impacts of cancer treatment on the heart and also enhance the influences of radiotherapy and chemotherapy agents in cancers. This review article emphasizes the benefits of nanoparticle-based drug delivery techniques, including minimizing the exposure of the heart to anticancer drugs, enhancing the accumulation of drugs in cancers, and expanding the effectiveness of radiotherapy. The article also discusses the challenges and problems accompanied with nanoparticle-based drug delivery techniques such as toxicity, which need to be addressed through further research. Moreover, the article emphasizes the importance of developing safe and effective nanoparticle-based therapies that can be translated into clinical practice.

A comparative study between conventional chemotherapy and photothermal activated nano-sized targeted drug delivery to solid tumor

Delivery of chemotherapeutic medicines to solid tumors is critical for optimal therapeutic success and minimal adverse effects. We mathematically developed a delivery method using thermosensitive nanocarriers activated by light irradiation. To assess its efficacy and identify critical events and parameters affecting therapeutic response, we compared this method to bolus and continuous infusions of doxorubicin for both single and multiple administrations. A hybrid sprouting angiogenesis approach generates a semi-realistic microvascular network to evaluate therapeutic drug distribution and microvascular heterogeneity. A pharmacodynamics model evaluates treatment success based on tumor survival cell percentage. The study found that whereas bolus injection boosted extracellular drug concentration levels by 90%, continuous infusion improved therapeutic response due to improved bioavailability. Cancer cell death increases by 6% with several injections compared to single injections due to prolonged chemotherapeutic medication exposure. However, responsive nanocarriers supply more than 2.1 times more drug than traditional chemotherapy in extracellular space, suppressing tumor development longer. Also, controlled drug release decreases systemic side effects substantial through diminishing the concentration of free drug in the circulation. The primary finding of this work highlights the significance of high bioavailability in treatment response. The results indicate that responsive nanocarriers contribute to increased bioavailability, leading to improved therapeutic benefits. By including drug delivery features in a semi-realistic model, this numerical study sought to improve drug-bio interaction comprehension. The model provides a good framework for understanding preclinical and clinical targeted oncology study outcomes.

Facile One-Pot Green Synthesis of Magneto-Luminescent Bimetallic Nanocomposites with Potential as Dual Imaging Agent

Nanocomposites serving as dual (bimodal) probes have great potential in the field of bio-imaging. Here, we developed a simple one-pot synthesis for the reproducible generation of new luminescent and magnetically active bimetallic nanocomposites. The developed one-pot synthesis was performed in a sequential manner and obeys the principles of green chemistry. Briefly, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was exploited to uptake Au (III) and Fe (II)/Fe (III) ions simultaneously. Then, Au (III) ions were transformed to luminescent Au nanoclusters embedded in BSA (AuNCs-BSA) and majority of Fe ions were bio-embedded into superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) by the alkalization of the reaction medium. The resulting nanocomposites, AuNCs-BSA-SPIONs, represent a bimodal nanoprobe. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging visualized nanostructures with sizes in units of nanometres that were arranged into aggregates. Mössbauer spectroscopy gave direct evidence regarding SPION presence. The potential applicability of these bimodal nanoprobes was verified by the measurement of their luminescent features as well as magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and relaxometry. It appears that these magneto-luminescent nanocomposites were able to compete with commercial MRI contrast agents as MR displays the beneficial property of bright luminescence of around 656 nm (fluorescence quantum yield of 6.2 ± 0.2%). The biocompatibility of the AuNCs-BSA-SPIONs nanocomposite has been tested and its long-term stability validated.

Synthesis of Fe3O4-Gold hybrid nanoparticles coated by bovine serum albumin as a contrast agent in MR imaging

Despite the over spatial separation and the ability to determine soft tissues, insufficient contrast is the shortcoming of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that could be circumvented by the use of contrast agents. The use of MRI contrast agents are widely applied to enhance the vision of internal body structures. Nano-sized contrast materials have unique application advantages compared to other contrast agents due to their size and shape. However, for contrast agents such as bare iron (II, III) oxide (Fe₃O₄) magnetic nanoparticles (NPs), aggregation and accumulation are the main shortcomings. Thus, surface modifications are necessary for their use in biopharmaceutical applications. Gold, Au, nanoparticles are of big interesting for use in biomedical purposes due to their chemical stability and oxidation resistance. In this study, we synthesized magnetic Fe₃O₄-Au hybrid NPs with a facile method and coated them with bovine serum albumin (BSA) to increase their chemical stability and biocompatibility. Afterwards, the hybrid nanosystem was characterized by some methods, and their potential to increase MRI contrast was investigated by the phantom MRI experiments. Our data showed that the signal intensity on MR images was significantly reduced, thus confirming the contrast ability of the formulated Fe₃O₄-Au-BSA NPs.

Folic acid-modified biocompatible Pullulan/poly(acrylic acid) nanogels for targeted delivery to MCF-7 cancer cells

We prepared a novel nanogel consisting of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and pullulan (Pull) via a facile and green irradiation protocol. Synthesized nanogels were modified with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and folic acid (FA) and then loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) to obtain a delivery system with tumor-specific targeting ability and enhanced biocompatibility. In-vitro DOX release was investigated at different pH values, and it was found that DOX release was higher in acidic media, which is an advantage for the internalization of nanoparticles in acidic tumor environment. MTT assay and DAPI staining were performed to evaluate the effects of nanogels on L929 and MCF-7 cells. Based on the results of in vitro studies, DOX-loaded nanogels were found to be effective on cancer cells, while the neat ones were nondestructive in both lines. Overall, we envision that the biocompatible and tumor-specific nanogels could be a promising safe drug carrier system for cancer therapy.

Protective effect of the newly synthesized and characterized charge transfer (CT) complex against arecoline induced toxicity in third-instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ)Bg9: experimental and theoretical mechanistic insights

Agents that suppress the toxic effect of arecoline (a chemical present in the Areca nut fruit) have become a need of the hour owing to its several harmful effects on human beings. Although some drug molecules have been developed for this purpose, yet, simple, easy to prepare, and economical molecules with remarkable potency are still a challenge to design. The present work thus becomes important as it involves the synthesis of a new charge transfer complex (CTC) material, which has, for the first time, been screened to investigate its effect on the toxic effects of arecoline. The newly designed material (CL), which is generated from the reaction between 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) and pyrazole (PYZ), has been crystallized by a slow evaporation method and characterized by employing spectral studies including single crystal X-ray crystallography. Spectrophotometry studies with the inclusion of the Benesi-Hildebrand equation reveal 1 : 1 stoichiometry and physical parameters of CL. Assays were used for determining the protective effect of CL against arecoline. CL was found to (dose-dependently) decrease β-galactosidase activity, damage in tissue and DNA damage caused by arecoline (80 μM) in the third-instar larvae of the transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ)Bg⁹. The possible mechanism of this effect was explored through fluorescence and UV-vis spectroscopy. The possibility of suppression of arecoline action on the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 1-G11 protein complex (found in the cell membrane) in the presence of CL was studied theoretically by molecular docking. Density functional theory (DFT) also theoretically supported various aspects of the designed material concerning the energy profile of the orbitals (HOMO-LUMO) as well as the energy minimized structure. Furthermore, time dependent (TD) DFT corroborated the electronic properties of the designed material.

Multifunctional nanoparticle for cancer therapy

Cancer is a complex disease associated with a combination of abnormal physiological process and exhibiting dysfunctions in multiple systems. To provide effective treatment and diagnosis for cancer, current treatment strategies simultaneously focus on various tumor targets. Based on the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanocarriers have been shown to exhibit excellent potential for cancer therapy. Compared with nanoparticles with single functions, multifunctional nanoparticles are believed to be more aggressive and potent in the context of tumor targeting. However, the development of multifunctional nanoparticles is not simply an upgraded version of the original function, but involves a sophisticated system with a proper backbone, optimized modification sites, simple preparation method, and efficient function integration. Despite this, many well-designed multifunctional nanoparticles with promising therapeutic potential have emerged recently. Here, to give a detailed understanding and analyzation of the currently developed multifunctional nanoparticles, their platform structures with organic or inorganic backbones were systemically generalized. We emphasized on the functionalization and modification strategies, which provide additional functions to the nanoparticle. We also discussed the application combination strategies that were involved in the development of nanoformulations with functional crosstalk. This review thus provides an overview of the construction strategies and application advances of multifunctional nanoparticles.

Advances in the Mechanistic Understanding of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles' Radiosensitizing Properties

Among the plethora of nanosystems used in the field of theranostics, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) occupy a central place because of their biocompatibility and magnetic properties. In this study, we highlight the radiosensitizing effect of two IONPs formulations (namely 7 nm carboxylated IONPs and PEG₅₀₀₀-IONPs) on A549 lung carcinoma cells when exposed to 225 kV X-rays after 6 h, 24 h and 48 h incubation. The hypothesis that nanoparticles exhibit their radiosensitizing effect by weakening cells through the inhibition of detoxification enzymes was evidenced by thioredoxin reductase activity monitoring. In particular, a good correlation between the amplification effect at 2 Gy and the residual activity of thioredoxin reductase was observed, which is consistent with previous observations made for gold nanoparticles (NPs). This emphasizes that NP-induced radiosensitization does not result solely from physical phenomena but also results from biological events.

Targeted CuFe2O4 hybrid nanoradiosensitizers for synchronous chemoradiotherapy

Multifunctional nanoplatforms based on novel bimetallic nanoparticles have emerged as effective radiosensitizers owing to their potential capability in cancer cells radiosensitization. Implementation of chemotherapy along with radiotherapy, known as synchronous chemoradiotherapy, can augment the treatment efficacy. Herein, a tumor targeted nanoradiosensitizer with synchronous chemoradiotion properties, termed as CuFe₂O₄@BSA-FA-CUR, loaded with curcumin (CUR) and modified by bovine serum albumin (BSA) and folic acid (FA) was developed to enhance tumor accumulation and promote the anti-cancer activity while attenuating adverse effects. Both copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) were utilized in the construction of these submicron scale entities, therefore strong radiosensitization effect is anticipated by implementation of these two metals. The structure-function relationships between constituents of nanomaterials and their function led to the development of nanoscale materials with great radiosensitizing capacity and biosafety. BSA was used to anchor Fe and Cu ions but also to improve colloidal stability, blood circulation time, biocompatibility, and further functionalization. Moreover, to specifically target tumor sites and enhance cellular uptake, FA was conjugated onto the surface of hybrid bimetallic nanoparticles. Finally, CUR as a natural chemotherapeutic agent was encapsulated into the developed bimetallic nanoparticles. With incorporation of all abovementioned stages into one multifunctional nanoplatform, CuFe₂O₄@BSA-FA-CUR is produced for synergistic chemoradiotherapy with positive outcomes. In vitro investigation revealed that these nanoplatforms bear excellent biosafety, great tumor cell killing ability and radiosensitizing capacity. In addition, high cancer-suppression efficiency was observed through in vivo studies. It is worth mentioning that co-use of CuFe₂O₄@BSA-FA-CUR nanoplatforms and X-ray radiation led to complete tumor ablation in almost all of the treated mice. No mortality or radiation-induced normal tissue toxicity were observed following administration of CuFe₂O₄@BSA-FA-CUR nanoparticles which highlights the biosafety of these submicron scale entities. These results offer powerful evidence for the potential capability of CuFe₂O₄@BSA-FA-CUR in radiosensitization of malignant tumors and opens up a new avenue of research in this area.

Bimetallic Nanomaterials: A Promising Nanoplatform for Multimodal Cancer Therapy

Bimetallic nanomaterials (BMNs) composed of two different metal elements have certain mixing patterns and geometric structures, and they often have superior properties than monometallic nanomaterials. Bimetallic-based nanomaterials have been widely investigated and extensively used in many biomedical fields especially cancer therapy because of their unique morphology and structure, special physicochemical properties, excellent biocompatibility, and synergistic effect. However, most reviews focused on the application of BMNs in cancer diagnoses (sensing, and imaging) and rarely mentioned the application of the treatment of cancer. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive perspective on the recent progress of BNMs as therapeutic agents. We first introduce and discuss the synthesis methods, intrinsic properties (size, morphology, and structure), and optical and catalytic properties relevant to cancer therapy. Then, we highlight the application of BMNs in cancer therapy (e.g., drug/gene delivery, radiotherapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, enzyme-mediated tumor therapy, and multifunctional synergistic therapy). Finally, we put forward insights for the forthcoming in order to make more comprehensive use of BMNs and improve the medical system of cancer treatment.

Improve the cytotoxic effects of megavoltage radiation treatment by Fe3O4@Cus–PEG nanoparticles as a novel radiosensitizer in colorectal cancer cells

Background

To enhance the performance of radiotherapy, emerging nanoparticles that can professionally enhance X-ray irradiation to destruct cancer cells are extremely necessary. Here, we examined the potential of PEG-coated magnetite copper sulfide hetero-nanoparticles (Fe3O4@Cus–PEG) as a radiosensitizer agent.

Methods

Fe3O4@Cus–PEG nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized. The toxicity of nanoparticles on HT-29 colorectal cancer cells was assessed by the MTT assay. The radio-sensitizing effects of Fe3O4@Cus–PEG nanoparticles on HT-29 cancer cells were investigated by the MTT and colony formation assays. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms for Fe3O4@Cus–PEG nanoparticles to improve the radiation sensitivity of cells were evaluated.

Results

The results demonstrated that nanoparticles enhanced the effects of X-ray irradiation in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of combined treatments (nanoparticles and X-ray radiation) were strongly synergistic. The sensitizing enhancement ratio (SER) of nanoparticles was 2.02. Our in vitro assays demonstrated that the nitric oxide production, the intracellular hydrogen peroxide concentration, and the expression level of Bax and Caspase-3 genes significantly increased in the cells treated with the combination of nanoparticles and radiation. Whereas, the Glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity and the expression level of the Bcl-2 gene in the combined treatment significantly decreased compared to the radiation alone.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that Fe3O4@Cus–PEG nanoparticles are the promising nano radio-sensitizing agents for the treatment of cancer cells to enhance the efficacy of radiation therapy through increasing the reactive oxygen species generation, nitric oxide production, and inducing apoptosis.

Graphical Abstract

New Insight into Assembled Fe3O4@PEI@Ag Structure as Acceptable Agent with Enzymatic and Photothermal Properties

Metal-based enzyme mimics are considered to be acceptable agents in terms of their biomedical and biological properties; among them, iron oxides (Fe₃O₄) are treated as basement in fabricating heterogeneous composites through variable valency integrations. In this work, we have established a facile approach for constructing Fe₃O₄@Ag composite through assembling Fe₃O₄ and Ag together via polyethyleneimine ethylenediamine (PEI) linkages. The obtained Fe₃O₄@PEI@Ag structure conveys several hundred nanometers (~150 nm). The absorption peak at 652 nm is utilized for confirming the peroxidase-like activity of Fe₃O₄@PEI@Ag structure by catalyzing 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H₂O₂. The Michaelis–Menten parameters (K_m) of 1.192 mM and 0.302 mM show the higher catalytic activity and strong affinity toward H₂O₂ and TMB, respectively. The maximum velocity (V_max) value of 1.299 × 10⁻⁷ M∙s⁻¹ and 1.163 × 10⁻⁷ M∙s⁻¹ confirm the efficiency of Fe₃O₄@PEI@Ag structure. The biocompatibility illustrates almost 100% cell viability. Being treated as one simple colorimetric sensor, it shows relative selectivity and sensitivity toward the detection of glucose based on glucose oxidase. By using indocyanine green (ICG) molecule as an additional factor, a remarkable temperature elevation is observed in Fe₃O₄@PEI@Ag@ICG with increments of 21.6 °C, and the absorption peak is nearby 870 nm. This implies that the multifunctional Fe₃O₄@PEI@Ag structure could be an alternative substrate for formatting acceptable agents in biomedicine and biotechnology with enzymatic and photothermal properties.

Magnetite and bismuth sulfide Janus heterostructures as radiosensitizers for in vivo enhanced radiotherapy in breast cancer

Janus heterostructures based on bimetallic nanoparticles have emerged as effective radiosensitizers owing to their radiosensitization capabilities in cancer cells. In this context, this study aims at developing a novel bimetallic nanoradiosensitizer, Bi₂S₃-Fe₃O₄, to enhance tumor accumulation and promote radiation-induced DNA damage while reducing adverse effects. Due to the presence of both iron oxide and bismuth sulfide metallic nanoparticles in these newly developed nanoparticle, strong radiosensitizing capacity is anticipated through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to induce DNA damage under X-Ray irradiation. To improve blood circulation time, biocompatibility, colloidal stability, and tuning surface functionalization, the surface of Bi₂S₃-Fe₃O₄ bimetallic nanoparticles was coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Moreover, to achieve higher cellular uptake and efficient tumor site specificity, folic acid (FA) as a targeting moiety was conjugated onto the bimetallic nanoparticles, termed Bi₂S₃@BSA-Fe₃O₄-FA. Biocompatibility, safety, radiation-induced DNA damage by ROS activation and generation, and radiosensitizing ability were confirmed via in vitro and in vivo assays. The administration of Bi₂S₃@BSA-Fe₃O₄-FA in 4T1 breast cancer murine model upon X-ray radiation revealed highly effective tumor eradication without causing any mortality or severe toxicity in healthy tissues. These findings offer compelling evidence for the potential capability of Bi₂S₃@BSA-Fe₃O₄-FA as an ideal nanoparticle for radiation-induced cancer therapy and open interesting avenues of future research in this area.

Prodrug Polymeric Nanoconjugates Encapsulating Gold Nanoparticles for Enhanced X-Ray Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer

An optimal radiosensitizer with improved tumor retention has an important effect on tumor radiation therapy. Herein, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and drug-containing, mPEG-conjugated CUR (mPEG-CUR), self-assembled NPs (mPEG-CUR@Au) are developed and evaluated as a drug carrier and radiosensitizer in a breast cancer mice model. As a result, cancer therapy efficacy is improved significantly by applying all-in-one NPs to achieve synchronous chemoradiotherapy, as evidenced by studies evaluating cell viability, proliferation, and ROS production. In vivo anticancer experiments show that the mPEG-CUR@Au system improves the radiation sensitivity of 4T1 mammary carcinoma and completely abrogates breast cancer.

Development of nanotechnology-mediated precision radiotherapy for anti-metastasis and radioprotection

Radiotherapy (RT), including external beam RT and internal radiation therapy, uses high-energy ionizing radiation to kill tumor cells.