Novel luminescent silica nanoparticles (LSN): p53 gene delivery system in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo

Ginsenoside Rg5 attenuates hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via regulating the Akt pathway

Ginsenoside Rg5 has been implicated in a variety of diseases. However, it is unknown whether Ginsenoside Rg5 can protect against hypoxia-induced neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRMs). The purpose of this study was to look into the effect of Ginsenoside Rg5 on hypoxia-induced NRMs apoptosis as well as the underlying molecular mechanism. In this study, following isolation and culture of ventricular myocardial cells from neonatal rats, the appropriate concentration of Rg5 was determined using the MTT assay, the effect of Rg5 on apoptosis was assessed employing TUNEL staining and flow cytometry assays. Levels of apoptosis-related proteins and phosphorylated level of Akt (ser 473 and ser 308) were analyzed using the western blot analysis. Finally, the experimental results shown that Ginsenoside Rg5 significantly inhibited hypoxia-induced NRMs apoptosis, decreased the expression pro-apoptotic protein Bax, increased the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 ratio and the level of cleaved caspase 3. Akt signaling activation was found to be the mechanism of Ginsenoside Rg5s protective effect on hypoxia-induced NRMs apoptosis, as an Akt inhibitor eliminated the anti-apoptotic effects of Ginsenoside Rg5. Various analyses were performed and verified, ginsenoside Rg5 suppressed hypoxia-induced apoptosis in NRMs via activation of the Akt signaling.

In vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors for cancer therapy

Gene therapy by expression constructs or down-regulation of certain genes has shown great potential for the treatment of various diseases. The wide clinical application of nucleic acid materials dependents on the development of biocompatible gene carriers. There are enormous various compounds widely investigated to be used as non-viral gene carriers including lipids, polymers, carbon materials, and inorganic structures. In this review, we will discuss the recent discoveries on non-viral gene delivery systems. We will also highlight the in vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors to treat cancer in different tissue and organs including brain, breast, lung, liver, stomach, and prostate. Finally, we will delineate the state-of-the-art and promising perspective of in vivo gene editing using non-viral nano-vectors.

Silica-Based Gene Delivery Systems: From Design to Therapeutic Applications

Advances in gene therapy have been foreshadowing its potential for the treatment of a vast range of diseases involving genetic malfunctioning. However, its therapeutic efficiency and successful outcome are highly dependent on the development of the ideal gene delivery system. On that matter, silica-based vectors have diverted some attention from viral and other types of non-viral vectors due to their increased safety, easily modifiable structure and surface, high stability, and cost-effectiveness. The versatility of silane chemistry and the combination of silica with other materials, such as polymers, lipids, or inorganic particles, has resulted in the development of carriers with great loading capacities, ability to effectively protect and bind genetic material, targeted delivery, and stimuli-responsive release of cargos. Promising results have been obtained both in vitro and in vivo using these nanosystems as multifunctional platforms in different potential therapeutic areas, such as cancer or brain therapies, sometimes combined with imaging functions. Herein, the current advances in silica-based systems designed for gene therapy are reviewed, including their main properties, fabrication methods, surface modifications, and potential therapeutic applications.

Highly specific colon-targeted transformable capsules containing indomethacin immediate-release pellets for colon cancers therapy

Generally, definite intestine targeting and immediate drug releasing are both important for the treatment of colon cancer via oral administration of anti-cancer drugs. We developed a highly specific oral colon-targeted pulsatile capsule, based on the effective enzyme-responsive 'pulse plug', which can be degraded under mannanase abundant in colon. Indomethacin (IN) solid dispersion immediate-release pellets were filled in an insoluble capsule body, a guar gum-lactose-hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) composed tablet was embedded on the top of capsule as the 'pulse plug', and then covered by enteric soluble cap. In this study, the influence of the proportion of guar gum/lactose/HPMC, the viscosity of HPMC, and the tablet weight on the degradation behaviour of the plug tablet was investigated. The drug-releasing profiles of those pulsatile capsules in different simulated colon medium verified the 'pulse plug' could realise the colon-targeted pulsatile drug-releasing. Furthermore, the rabbit pharmacokinetic experiments showed that the in vivo time lag of drug loaded pulsatile capsules was significantly extended to 5.61 ± 0.08 h (p<.01), compared with that (0.33 ± 0.47 h) of the marketed tablets (YUNPENG^®). These results indicated that colon-targeted pulsatile capsules would be effective oral delivering system for colon cancers therapy.

Nanoparticles as Theranostic Vehicles in Experimental and Clinical Applications-Focus on Prostate and Breast Cancer

Prostate and breast cancer are the second most and most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women worldwide, respectively. The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2016 in the USA around 430,000 individuals were diagnosed with one of these two types of cancers, and approximately 15% of them will die from the disease. In Europe, the rate of incidences and deaths are similar to those in the USA. Several different more or less successful diagnostic and therapeutic approaches have been developed and evaluated in order to tackle this issue and thereby decrease the death rates. By using nanoparticles as vehicles carrying both diagnostic and therapeutic molecular entities, individualized targeted theranostic nanomedicine has emerged as a promising option to increase the sensitivity and the specificity during diagnosis, as well as the likelihood of survival or prolonged survival after therapy. This article presents and discusses important and promising different kinds of nanoparticles, as well as imaging and therapy options, suitable for theranostic applications. The presentation of different nanoparticles and theranostic applications is quite general, but there is a special focus on prostate cancer. Some references and aspects regarding breast cancer are however also presented and discussed. Finally, the prostate cancer case is presented in more detail regarding diagnosis, staging, recurrence, metastases, and treatment options available today, followed by possible ways to move forward applying theranostics for both prostate and breast cancer based on promising experiments performed until today.

Comparison of two silica based nonviral gene therapy vectors for breast carcinoma: evaluation of the p53 delivery system in Balb/c mice

Silica nanoparticles as a nonviral vector for in vivo gene therapy neither surface functionalized SiNp1 is neither "a cationic ion" nor a surface (encapsulation) nor SiNp2 (adsorption). p53 gene expression in the breast upon (i.v) administration. SiNp1 showed a 50- and 100-fold transfection activity, tumor growth inhibition, animal survival (80%), and high levels of p53 and Bax were detected in the sera of treated animals compared to SiNp2 or naked pCMV/p53, respectively. These results demonstrate for improvements in the both systems. This study suggests that nonviral vector systems will have important roles in achieving the impermanent gene transfer in vivo.

Cisplatin-functionalized silica nanoparticles for cancer chemotherapy

Cisplatin is used to treat a variety of tumors, but dose-limiting toxicities or intrinsic and acquired resistance limit its application in many types of cancer including breast. Cisplatin was attached to silica nanoparticles using aminopropyltriethoxy silane as a linker molecule and characterized in terms of size, shape, as well as the dissolution of cisplatin from the silica surface. The primary particle diameter of the as received silica nanoparticles ranged from 20 to 90 nm. The results show that adverse effects on cell function, as evidenced by reduced metabolic activity measured by the MTT assay and increased membrane permeability observed using the live/dead stain, can be correlated with surface area of the silica. Cisplatin-functionalized silica nanoparticles with the highest surface area incited the greatest response, which was almost equivalent to that induced by free cisplatin. Moreover, if verified by further studies, would indicate that cisplatin was attached to silica nanoparticles might prove to be useful in site-specific drug delivery.