ROS-responsive dimeric prodrug-based nanomedicine targeted therapy for gastric cancer

Tailored Drug Delivery Platforms: Stimulus-Responsive Core-Shell Structured Nanocarriers

Core-shell structured nanocarriers have come into the scientific spotlight in recent years due to their intriguing properties and wide applications in materials chemistry, biology, and biomedicine. Tailored core-shell structures to achieve desired performance have emerged as a research frontier in the development of smart drug delivery system. However, systematic reviews on the design and loading/release mechanisms of stimulus-responsive core-shell structured nanocarriers are uncommon. This review starts with the categories of core-shell structured nanocarriers with different means of drug payload, and then highlights the controlled release mechanism realized through stimulus-response processes triggered under different environments. Finally, some multifaceted perspectives on the design of core-shell structured materials as drug carriers are addressed. This work aims to provide new enlightenments and prospects in the drug delivery field for further developing advanced and smart nanocarriers.

A co-delivery system based on chlorin e6-loaded ROS-sensitive polymeric prodrug with self-amplified drug release to enhance the efficacy of combination therapy for breast tumor cells

Background: Recently, various combination therapies for tumors have garnered popularity because of their synergistic effects in improving therapeutic efficacy and reducing side effects. However, incomplete intracellular drug release and a single method of combining drugs are inadequate to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.

Methods: A reactive oxygen species (ROS)-sensitive co-delivery micelle (Ce6@PTP/DP). It was a photosensitizer and a ROS-sensitive paclitaxel (PTX) prodrug for synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy. Micelles size and surface potential were measured. In vitro drug release, cytotoxicity and apoptosis were investigated.

Results: Ce6@PTP/DP prodrug micelles exhibited good colloidal stability and biocompatibility, high PTX and Ce6 loading contents of 21.7% and 7.38%, respectively. Upon light irradiation, Ce6@PTP/DP micelles endocytosed by tumor cells can generate sufficient ROS, not only leading to photodynamic therapy and the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, but also triggering locoregional PTX release by cleaving the thioketal (TK) bridged bond between PTX and methoxyl poly (ethylene glycol). Furthermore, compared with single drug-loaded micelles, the light-triggered Ce6@PTP/DP micelles exhibited self-amplified drug release and significantly greater inhibition of HeLa cell growth.

Conclusion: The results support that PTX and Ce6 in Ce6@PTP/DP micelles exhibited synergistic effects on cell-growth inhibition. Thus, Ce6@PTP/DP micelles represent an alternative for realizing synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy.

Hyaluronic Acid-modified Liposomes for Ursolic Acid-targeted Delivery Treat Lung Cancer Based on p53/ARTS-mediated Mitochondrial Apoptosis

Background

Chemotherapy drugs can cause drug resistance and other problems when treating lung cancer, which leads to treatment failure. Ursolic acid (UA) is used in formulations based on traditional Chinese medicine. UA has excellent anti-tumor effects, but they are limited by solubility and non-specificity to tumor cells.

Objectives

To overcome these issues, we created a novel hyaluronic acid (HA)-targeted liposome system for delivering UA (HA-Lipo/UA) to explore the targeting and anti-tumor effects of UA.

Methods

We constructed the HA-Lipo/UA delivery system by the thin film hydration method. The uptake and localization of UA were detected by flow cytometry and microscope. Cell proliferation of A549 cells was detected by MTT assays. Apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) expression of A549 cells were also evaluated after being treated with HA-Lipo/UA. Western blot analysis evaluated the anti-tumor mechanism of HA-Lipo/UA.

Results

HA-Lipo/UA exhibited favorable targeting of the cluster of differentiation (CD)44-overexpressing A549 cells. HA-Lipo/UA exhibited significant inhibition of the proliferation of A549 cells and induced their apoptosis compared with the corresponding monotherapies. HA-Lipo/UA induced overexpression of reactive oxygen species and upregulated expression of p53 and apoptosis-related protein in the transforming growth factor-β signaling (ARTS) pathway, which induced cytochrome-c release, activation of caspase-3, and promoted mitochondrial apoptosis in A549 cells.

Conclusions

Taken together, these data suggested that HA-Lipo/UA could be used to target tumor cells.

Hybrid Gastric Cancer Exosome as Potential Drug Carrier for Targeted Gastric Cancer Therapy

Gastric cancer is among the leading lethal cancer types in the world. However, its five year survival rate is far from satisfactory. Therefore, the development of targeted cancer gastric cancer therapy is a promising way to cure gastric cancer. Gastric cancer exosome is reported to have high caner targeting efficacy, but its yield is relatively low. Herein, we proposed a facile way to construct hybrid gastric cancer exosome (HGCE) with high yield as potential drug carrier for targeted gastric cancer therapy. The doxorubicin (Dox) loaded HGCE (Dox/HGCE) was developed as drug delivery system (DDS) to treat gastric cancer. In vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that Dox/HGCE showed not only high and specific homing ability to the gastric cancer cells (SGC7901) but also good anticancer performance which can be a promising DDS for gastric cancer therapy.

Nanocarriers for Active Ingredients of Chinese Medicine (AIFCM) Used in Gastrointestinal Cancer Therapy

Active ingredients of Chinese medicine (AIFCM) are pharmacological substances taken from traditional Chinese medicine that show promise in treating gastrointestinal cancer. Compared with traditional chemotherapeutic drugs, AIFCM have advantages such as multi-target and multi-level treatment of gastrointestinal cancer. Nanocarriers have the following advantages, better bioavailability, passive or active targeting of tumor sites and responsive release of drugs. The use of nanocarriers for delivery of AIFCM in treatment of gastrointestinal cancer, can overcome the disadvantages of some AIFCM, such as insolubility and low bioavailability. In this review, we first outline the background on gastrointestinal cancer, main curative factors and conventional therapeutic approaches. Then, the mechanisms for AIFCM in gastrointestinal cancer therapy are presented in the following four aspects: gene regulation, immune modulation, cellular pathway transduction, and alteration of intestinal flora. Thirdly, preparation of various nanocarriers and results when combining AIFCM in gastrointestinal cancer are presented. Fourth, application of novel targeted nanocarriers and responsive nanocarriers in gastrointestinal tumors is further introduced. Finally, the application of AIFCM in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer is summarized and prospected, hoping to shed some light on the nanocarrier-bound AIFCM in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer.

Nanoparticles mediated tumor microenvironment modulation: current advances and applications

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a key role in cancer development and emergence of drug resistance. TME modulation has recently garnered attention as a potential approach for reprogramming the TME and resensitizing resistant neoplastic niches to existing cancer therapies such as immunotherapy or chemotherapy. Nano-based solutions have important advantages over traditional platform and can be specifically targeted and delivered to desired sites. This review explores novel nano-based approaches aimed at targeting and reprogramming aberrant TME components such as macrophages, fibroblasts, tumor vasculature, hypoxia and ROS pathways. We also discuss how nanoplatforms can be combined with existing anti-tumor regimens such as radiotherapy, immunotherapy, phototherapy or chemotherapy to enhance clinical outcomes in solid tumors.

Nanoparticles as Physically- and Biochemically-Tuned Drug Formulations for Cancers Therapy

Simple Summary

Conventional antitumor drugs have limitations, including poor water solubility and lack of targeting capability, with consequent non-specific distribution, systemic toxicity, and low therapeutic index. Nanotechnology promises to overcome these drawbacks by exploiting the physical properties of diverse nanocarriers that can be linked to moieties with binding selectivity for cancer cells. The use of nanoparticles as therapeutic formulations allows a targeted delivery and a slow, controlled release of the drug(s), making them tunable modules for applications in precision medicine. In addition, nanoparticles are also being developed as cancer vaccines, offering an opportunity to increase both cellular and humoral immunity, thus providing a new weapon to beat cancer.

Abstract

Malignant tumors originate from a combination of genetic alterations, which induce activation of oncogenes and inactivation of oncosuppressor genes, ultimately resulting in uncontrolled growth and neoplastic transformation. Chemotherapy prevents the abnormal proliferation of cancer cells, but it also affects the entire cellular network in the human body with heavy side effects. For this reason, the ultimate aim of cancer therapy remains to selectively kill cancer cells while sparing their normal counterparts. Nanoparticle formulations have the potential to achieve this aim by providing optimized drug delivery to a pathological site with minimal accumulation in healthy tissues. In this review, we will first describe the characteristics of recently developed nanoparticles and how their physical properties and targeting functionalization are exploited depending on their therapeutic payload, route of delivery, and tumor type. Second, we will analyze how nanoparticles can overcome multidrug resistance based on their ability to combine different therapies and targeting moieties within a single formulation. Finally, we will discuss how the implementation of these strategies has led to the generation of nanoparticle-based cancer vaccines as cutting-edge instruments for cancer immunotherapy.

Reactive Oxygen Species-Responsive Nanococktail With Self-Amplificated Drug Release for Efficient Co-Delivery of Paclitaxel/Cucurbitacin B and Synergistic Treatment of Gastric Cancer

Application of drug combinations is a powerful strategy for the therapy of advanced gastric cancer. However, the clinical use of such combinations is greatly limited by the occurrence of severe systemic toxicity. Although polymeric-prodrug-based nanococktails can significantly reduce toxicity of drugs, they have been shown to have low intracellular drug release. To balance between efficacy and safety during application of polymeric-prodrug-based nanococktails, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive nanococktail (PCM) with self-amplification drug release was developed in this study. In summary, PCM micelles were co-assembled from ROS-sensitive cucurbitacin B (CuB) and paclitaxel (PTX) polymeric prodrug, which were fabricated by covalently grafting PTX and CuB to dextran via an ROS-sensitive linkage. To minimize the side effects of the PCM micelles, a polymeric-prodrug strategy was employed to prevent premature leakage. Once it entered cancer cells, PCM released CuB and PTX in response to ROS. Moreover, the released CuB further promoted ROS generation, which in turn enhanced drug release for better therapeutic effects. In vivo antitumor experiments showed that the PCM-treated group had lower tumor burden (tumor weight was reduced by 92%), but bodyweight loss was not significant. These results indicate that the developed polymeric prodrug, with a self-amplification drug release nanococktail strategy, can be an effective and safe strategy for cancer management.