The efficacy of WGA modified daunorubicin anti-resistant liposomes in treatment of drug-resistant MCF-7 breast cancer

Wheat germ agglutinin conjugated chitosan nanoparticles for gemcitabine delivery in MCF-7 cells; synthesis, characterisation and in vitro cytotoxicity studies

OBJECTIVE AND AIM

Numerous clinical trials indicated combination regimens containing gemcitabine could extend progression-free survival of breast cancer patients without increasing the incidence of serious adverse effects. Orally administered gemcitabine is being metabolized by enzymes present in intestinal cells rapidly; thereupon, the current study was aimed to preparing, optimizing, and evaluating cytotoxicity of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated gemcitabine-chitosan nanoparticles (WGA-Gem-CNPs) in MCF-7 and HEK293 cells and to determining their cellular uptake by Caco-2 cells.

METHODS

Gem-CNPs were prepared by Ionic Gelation method and optimum formulation was implied for WGA conjugation optimisation. Nanoparticles formation was approved by FTIR and DSC analyses; then particles were characterized by DLS and release profile was prepared. MTT assay was performed in MCF-7 and HEK293.

RESULTS

Optimized Gem-CNPs and WGA-Gem-CNPs particle size were estimated as 126.6 ± 21.8 and 144.8 ± 36.1 nm, respectively. WGA conjugation efficacy was calculated as 50.98 ± 2.32 percent and encapsulation efficiency in WGA-Gem-CNPs was 69.44 ± 3.41 percent. Three-hour Caco-2 cellular uptake from Gem-CNPs and WGA-Gem-CNPs were estimated as averagely 3.5 and 4.5 folds higher than free drug, respectively. Gem-CNPs and WGA-Gem-CNPs reduced IC50 in MCF-7 cells by 2 and 2.5 folds, respectively; such decrease for HEK293 cells was as much as 2.4 and 6.3 folds, in same order.

CONCLUSION

Demonstrated significant in vitro uptake of WGA-Gem-CNPs and cytotoxicity might be considered for more studies as a potential carrier for oral delivery of gemcitabine.

Recent advances in the use of legume lectins for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer

Poor lifestyle choices and genetic predisposition are factors that increase the number of cancer cases, one example being breast cancer, the third most diagnosed type of malignancy. Currently, there is a demand for the development of new strategies to ensure early detection and treatment options that could contribute to the complete remission of breast tumors, which could lead to increased overall survival rates. In this context, the glycans observed at the surface of cancer cells are presented as efficient tumor cell markers. These carbohydrate structures can be recognized by lectins which can act as decoders of the glycocode. The application of plant lectins as tools for diagnosis/treatment of breast cancer encompasses the detection and sorting of glycans found in healthy and malignant cells. Here, we present an overview of the most recent studies in this field, demonstrating the potential of lectins as: mapping agents to detect differentially expressed glycans in breast cancer, as histochemistry/cytochemistry analysis agents, in lectin arrays, immobilized in chromatographic matrices, in drug delivery, and as biosensing agents. In addition, we describe lectins that present antiproliferative effects by themselves and/or in conjunction with other drugs in a synergistic effect.

Versatile ginsenoside Rg3 liposomes inhibit tumor metastasis by capturing circulating tumor cells and destroying metastatic niches

Limited circulating tumor cells (CTCs) capturing efficiency and lack of regulation capability on CTC-supportive metastatic niches (MNs) are two main obstacles hampering the clinical translation of conventional liposomes for the treatment of metastatic breast cancers. Traditional delivery strategies, such as ligand modification and immune modulator co-encapsulation for nanocarriers, are inefficient and laborious. Here, a multifunctional Rg3 liposome loading with docetaxel (Rg3-Lp/DTX) was developed, in which Rg3 was proved to intersperse in the phospholipid bilayer and exposed its glycosyl on the liposome surface. Therefore, it exhibited much higher CTC-capturing efficiency via interaction with glucose transporter 1 (Glut1) overexpressed on CTCs. After reaching the lungs with CTCs, Rg3 inhibited the formation of MNs by reversing the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Together, Rg3-Lp/DTX exhibited excellent metastasis inhibition capacity by CTC ("seeds") neutralization and MN ("soil") inhibition. The strategy has great clinical translation prospects for antimetastasis treatment with enhanced therapeutic efficacy and simple preparation process.

Recent advances in liposome formulations for breast cancer therapeutics

Among many nanoparticle-based delivery platforms, liposomes have been particularly successful with many formulations passed into clinical applications. They are well-established and effective gene and/or drug delivery systems, widely used in cancer therapy including breast cancer. In this review we discuss liposome design with the targeting feature and triggering functions. We also summarise the recent progress (since 2014) in liposome-based therapeutics for breast cancer including chemotherapy and gene therapy. We finally identify some challenges on the liposome technology development for the future clinical translation.

Anticancer Activity of Lectins from Bauhinia purpurea and Wisteria floribunda on Breast Cancer MCF-7 Cell Lines

BACKGROUND

Individual and collaborative efforts are being made worldwide in search of effective chemical or natural drugs with less severe side-effects for treatment of cancer. Due to the specificity and selectivity properties of lectins for saccharides, several plant lectins are known to induce cytotoxicity into tumor cells.

OBJECTIVE

To study the antiproliferative activity of two N-acetyl galactosamine specific plant lectins from seeds of Bauhinia purpurea and Wisteria floribunda against MCF-7 Breast cancer cell lines.

METHODS

MTT, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and caspase- 3 assays and flow cytometry for cell cycle analysis were performed.

RESULTS

The agglutinins BPL and WFL; 446 μgml-1 (2.2 μM) and 329 μgml-1 (2.8 μM), respectively caused remarkable concentration-dependent antiproliferative effect on MCF-7. The effect was seen to be a consequence of binding of the lectin to the cell surface and triggering S and G2 phase arrest. Apoptosis induced was found to be associated with LDH leakage, cell cycle arrest and ROS generation. The apoptotic signal was observed to be amplified by activation of caspase-3 resulting in cell death.

CONCLUSION

The study provides a base for detailed investigation and further use of lectins in cancer studies.

Probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii supernatant inhibits survivin gene expression and induces apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells

Natural anticancer drug and compounds with other great benefits are of interest recently due to lower side effects than chemotherapy for cancer treatment and prevention. Different natural and synthetic drugs have been suggested to be used for treatment of gastric cancers, the second deadly cancer worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate anticancer activity of SBS including inducing apoptosis and inhibition of survivin gene expression in gastric cancer cells. We evaluated cell viability, inducing apoptosis and change in survivin gene expression of EPG85-257P (EPG) and EPG85-257RDB (resistant to Daunorubicin, RDB) cell lines under exposure of SBS after 24, 48, and 72 hr. We found that SBS decreased cell viability, induced apoptosis, and reduced survivin gene expression in treated EPG and RDB cells (with the significant IC50 values of 387 and 575 µg/ml after 72 and 48 hr for EPG and RDB cells respectively). However, we observed SBS was more efficient to induce apoptosis in EPG than RDB cells. We strongly suggest SBS be considered as a prospective anticancer agent or in formulation of complementary medication to treat and prevent gastric cancers.

Prioritization of candidate cancer drugs based on a drug functional similarity network constructed by integrating pathway activities and drug activities

Due to the speed, efficiency, relative risk, and lower costs compared to traditional drug discovery, the prioritization of candidate drugs for repurposing against cancers of interest has attracted the attention of experts in recent years. Herein, we present a powerful computational approach, termed prioritization of candidate drugs (PriorCD), for the prioritization of candidate cancer drugs based on a global network propagation algorithm and a drug–drug functional similarity network constructed by integrating pathway activity profiles and drug activity profiles. This provides a new approach to drug repurposing by first considering the drug functional similarities at the pathway level. The performance of PriorCD in drug repurposing was evaluated by using drug datasets of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Cross‐validation tests on the drugs approved for the treatment of these cancers indicated that our approach can achieve area under receiver‐operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values greater than 0.82. Furthermore, literature searches validated our results, and comparison with other classical gene‐based repurposing methods indicated that our pathway‐level PriorCD is comparatively more effective at prioritizing candidate drugs with similar therapeutic effects. We hope that our study will be of benefit to the field of drug discovery. In order to expand the usage of PriorCD, a freely available R‐based package, PriorCD, has been developed to prioritize candidate anticancer drugs for drug repurposing.

Vitamin E D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate-conjugated liposomal docetaxel reverses multidrug resistance in breast cancer cells

Objectives

Multidrug resistance (MDR) remains a primary challenge in breast cancer treatment. In the present study, D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS)-coated docetaxel-loaded liposomes were developed as a novel drug delivery system to reverse MDR and enhance breast cancer therapy compared with the traditional liposomes, DSPE-mPEG-coated liposomes (stealth liposomes) and commercial Taxotere®.

Key findings

Liposomes were prepared by thin – film dispersion method. Evaluations were performed using human breast cancer MCF-7 and resistant MCF-7/ADR cells. The reversal multidrug-resistant effect was assessed by P-gp inhibition assay, cytotoxicity, cellular uptake and apoptosis assay.

Results

The TPGS-chol-liposomes were of an appropriate particle size (140.0 ± 6.0 nm), zeta potential (−0.196 ± 0.08 mv), high encapsulation efficiency (99.0 ± 0.9) and favourable in vitro sustained release. The TPGS-coated liposomes significantly improved cytotoxicity and increased the intracellular accumulation of docetaxel in both types of breast cancer cells. The TPGS-coated liposomes were confirmed to induce apoptosis via a synergistic effect between docetaxel and TPGS. It was demonstrated that TPGS enhanced the intracellular accumulation of drug by inhibiting overexpressed P-glycoprotein.

Conclusions

The TPGS-conjugated liposomes showed significant advantages in vitro compared with the PEG-conjugated liposomes. The TPGS-conjugated liposomes could reverse the MDR and enhance breast cancer therapy.

Plant lectins in cancer therapeutics: Targeting apoptosis and autophagy-dependent cell death

Plant lectins are non-immunoglobin in nature and bind to the carbohydrate moiety of the glycoconjugates without altering any of the recognized glycosyl ligands. Plant lectins have found applications as cancer biomarkers for recognizing the malignant tumor cells for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. Interestingly, plant lectins contribute to inducing cell death through autophagy and apoptosis, indicating their potential implication in cancer inhibitory mechanism. In the present review, anticancer activities of major plant lectins have been documented, with a detailed focus on the signaling circuit for the possible molecular targeted cancer therapy. In this context, several lectins have exhibited preclinical and clinical significance, driving toward therapeutic potential in cancer treatment. Moreover, several plant lectins induce immunomodulatory activities, and therefore, novel strategies have been established from preclinical and clinical investigations for the development of combinatorial treatment consisting of immunotherapy along with other anticancer therapies. Although the application of plant lectins in cancer is still in very preliminary stage, advanced high-throughput technology could pave the way for the development of lectin-based complimentary medicine for cancer treatment.

Vinorelbine cationic liposomes modified with wheat germ agglutinin for inhibiting tumor metastasis in treatment of brain glioma

Glioma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with a poor prognosis. The application of chemotherapeutic drugs is limited due to the existence of blood-brain barrier and serious side effects. Liposomes have been proven to be a stable and useful drug delivery system for tumors. In this paper, WGA (wheat germ agglutinin) modified vinorelbine cationic liposomes had been successfully constructed for treating glioma. In the liposomes, WGA was modified on the liposomal surface for crossing the blood-brain barrier and increasing the targeting effects, 3-(N-(N', N'-dimethylaminoethane) carbamoyl) cholesterol (DC-Chol) was used as cationic material and vinorelbine was encapsulated in the aqueous core of liposomes to inhibit tumor metastasis and kill tumor cells. Studies were performed on C6 cells in vitro and were verified in brain glioma-bearing mice in vivo. Results in vitro demonstrated that the targeting liposomes could induce C6 cells apoptosis, promote drugs across the blood-brain barrier, inhibit the metastasis of tumor cells and increase targeting effects to tumor cells. Meanwhile, action mechanism studies showed that the targeting liposomes could down-regulate PI3K, MMP-2, MMP-9 and FAK to inhibit tumor metastasis. Results in vivo exhibited that the targeting liposomes displayed an obvious antitumor efficacy by accumulating selectively in tumor site and exhibited low toxicity to blood system and major organs. Hence, WGA modified vinorelbine cationic liposomes might provide a safe and efficient therapy strategy for glioma.