Fabrication of doxorubicin conjugated methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles and study on their in vitro antitumor activities

Nanomotor-based H2S donor with mitochondrial targeting function for treatment of Parkinson's disease

Reduction of endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is considered to have an important impact on the progress of Parkinson's disease (PD), thus exogenous H2S supplementation is expected to become one of the key means to treat PD. However, at present, it is difficult for H2S donors to effectively penetrate the blood brain barrier (BBB), selectively release H2S in brain, and effectively target the mitochondria of neuron cells. Herein, we report a kind of nanomotor-based H2S donor, which is obtained by free radical polymerization reaction between l-cysteine derivative modified-polyethylene glycol (PEG-Cys) and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC). This kind of H2S donor can not only effectively break through BBB, but also be specifically catalyzed by cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) in neurons of PD site in brain and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3-MST) in mitochondria to produce H2S, endowing it with chemotaxis/motion ability. Moreover, the unique chemotaxis effect of nanomotor can realize the purpose of precisely targeting brain and the mitochondria of damaged neuron cytopathic diseases. This kind of nanomotor-based H2S donor is expected to enrich the current types of H2S donors and provide new ideas for the treatment of PD.

Biodegradable polyester-based nano drug delivery system in cancer chemotherapy: a review of recent progress (2021-2023)

Cancer presents a formidable threat to human health, with the majority of cases currently lacking a complete cure. Frequently, chemotherapy drugs are required to impede its progression. However, these drugs frequently suffer from drawbacks such as poor selectivity, limited water solubility, low bioavailability, and a propensity for causing organ toxicity. Consequently, a concerted effort has been made to seek improved drug delivery systems. Nano-drug delivery systems based on biodegradable polyesters have emerged as a subject of widespread interest in this pursuit. Extensive research has demonstrated their potential for offering high bioavailability, effective encapsulation, controlled release, and minimal toxicity. Notably, poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and polylactic acid (PLA) have gained prominence as the most widely utilized options as carriers of the nano drug delivery system. This paper comprehensively reviews recent research on these materials as nano-carriers for delivering chemotherapeutic drugs, summarizing their latest advancements, acknowledging their limitations, and forecasting future research directions.

Doxorubicin Conjugates: An Efficient Approach for Enhanced Therapeutic Efficacy with Reduced Side Effects

Continuous drug delivery modification is the scientific approach and is a basic need for the efficient therapeutic efficacy of active drug molecules. Polymer-drug conjugates have long been a hallmark of the drug delivery sector, with various conjugates on the market or in clinical trials. Improved drug solubilization, extended blood circulation, decreased immunogenicity, controlled release behavior, and increased safety are the advantages of conjugating drugs to the polymeric carrier like polyethylene glycol (PEG). Polymer therapies have evolved over the last decade, resulting in polymer-drug conjugates with diverse topologies and chemical properties. Traditional nondegradable polymeric carriers like PEG and hydroxy propyl methacrylate have been clinically employed to fabricate polymer-drug conjugates. Still, functionalized polymer-drug conjugates are increasingly being used to increase localized drug delivery and ease of removal. Researchers have developed multifunctional carriers that can "see and treat" patients using medicinal and diagnostic chemicals. This review focused on the various conjugation approaches for attaching the doxorubicin to different polymers to achieve enhanced therapeutic efficacy, that is, increased bioavailability and reduced adverse effects.

Engineering Chemotherapeutic-Augmented Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles for Treatment of Intraperitoneal Disseminated Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is a common gynecologic malignancy with a high fatality rate. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy has been proved as an efficient clinical treatment for disseminated ovarian cancer. However, there are limitations for conventional small molecule drugs to achieve an ideal therapeutic effect. Herein, a synergistic treatment for intraperitoneally disseminated ovarian cancer was achieved by Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-modified amorphous calcium phosphate loading with doxorubicin (designated as RGD-CaPO/DOX). The engineered calcium-involved nanomedicine augmented the therapeutic effect of DOX by aggravating endoplasmic reticulum stress, calcium overload, and mitochondrial dysfunction, ultimately triggering mitochondrial apoptosis in the SKOV3 (human ovarian cancer) cell line. In an intraperitoneally disseminated tumor model, RGD modification and the weak negative surface potential of the NPs were beneficial for intraperitoneal retention and tumor targeting. Moreover, intraperitoneal injection of RGD-CaPO/DOX NPs resulted in a favorable antitumor effect. The mean survival time of SKOV3-bearing mice was significantly extended from 29 to 59 days with negligible toxicity. Therefore, this study has been designed to provide an effective chemotherapeutic-augmented treatment for intraperitoneally disseminated ovarian cancer.

Recent Advances in Poly(α-L-glutamic acid)-Based Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery

Poly(α-L-glutamic acid) (PGA) is a class of synthetic polypeptides composed of the monomeric unit α-L-glutamic acid. Owing to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-immunogenicity, PGA-based nanomaterials have been elaborately designed for drug delivery systems. Relevant studies including the latest research results on PGA-based nanomaterials for drug delivery have been discussed in this work. The following related topics are summarized as: (1) a brief description of the synthetic strategies of PGAs; (2) an elaborated presentation of the evolving applications of PGA in the areas of drug delivery, including the rational design, precise fabrication, and biological evaluation; (3) a profound discussion on the further development of PGA-based nanomaterials in drug delivery. In summary, the unique structures and superior properties enables PGA-based nanomaterials to represent as an enormous potential in biomaterials-related drug delivery areas.