Hyaluronic acid-modified zirconium phosphate nanoparticles for potential lung cancer therapy

Nanocarriers for anticancer drugs: challenges and perspectives

Cancer is the second most common cause of death globally, surpassed only by cardiovascular disease. One of the hallmarks of cancer is uncontrolled cell division and resistance to cell death. Multiple approaches have been developed to tackle this disease, including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Although chemotherapy is used primarily to control cell division and induce cell death, some cancer cells are able to resist apoptosis and develop tolerance to these drugs. The side effects of chemotherapy are often overwhelming, and patients can experience more adverse effects than benefits. Furthermore, the bioavailability and stability of drugs used for chemotherapy are crucial issues that must be addressed, and there is therefore a high demand for a reliable delivery system that ensures fast and accurate targeting of treatment. In this review, we discuss the different types of nanocarriers, their properties and recent advances in formulations, with respect to relevant advantages and disadvantages of each.

Quercetin and doxorubicin co-delivery using mesoporous silica nanoparticles enhance the efficacy of gastric carcinoma chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Effective gastric carcinoma (GC) chemotherapy is subject to many in vitro and in vivo barriers, such as tumor microenvironment and multidrug resistance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Herein, we developed a hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified silica nanoparticle (HA-SiLN/QD) co-delivering quercetin and doxorubicin (DOX) to enhance the efficacy of GC therapy (HA-SiLN/QD). The HA modification was done to recognize overexpressed CD44 receptors on GC cells and mediate selective tumor targeting. In parallel, quercetin delivery decreased the expression of Wnt16 and P-glycoprotein, thus remodeling the tumor microenvironment and reversed multidrug resistance to facilitate DOX activity.

RESULTS

Experimental results demonstrated that HA-SiLN/QD was nanoscaled particles with preferable stability and sustained release property. In vitro cell experiments on SGC7901/ADR cells showed selective uptake and increased DOX retention as compared to the DOX mono-delivery system (HA-SiLN/D).

CONCLUSION

In vivo anticancer assays on the SGC7901/ADR tumor-bearing mice model also revealed significantly enhanced efficacy of HA-SiLN/QD than mono-delivery systems (HA-SiLN/Q and HA-SiLN/D).

Hyaluronic Acid Decorated Naringenin Nanoparticles: Appraisal of Chemopreventive and Curative Potential for Lung Cancer

Lung carcinoma is the most common cancer in men and second in women (preceded by breast cancer) worldwide. Around 1 in 10 of all cancers diagnosed in men, lung cancer contributed to a total fraction of 20% cancer deaths. Naringenin (NAR) is well known for its chemopreventive properties since ancient times but lacks an appropriate delivery carrier. The objective of present study was to expand the functionality of naringenin loaded poly caprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles in terms of release, chemoprevention and therapeutics. Polymeric nanoparticles such as PCL lack target specificity; hence, surface modification was attempted using layer by layer technique (LBL) to achieve improved and desired delivery as well as target specificity. The designing of Hyaluronic acid (HA) decorated PCL nanoparticles were prepared by utilizing self-assembling LBL technique, where a polycationic layer of a polymer was used as a linker for modification between two polyanionic layers. Additionally, an attempt has been made to strengthen the therapeutic efficacy of PCL nanocarriers by active targeting and overcoming the extracellular matrix associated barriers of tumors using HA targeting cluster determinant 44 receptor (CD44). Cell cytotoxicity study on A549 cells and J774 macrophage cells depicted enhanced anticancer effect of NAR-HA@CH-PCL-NP with safe profile on macrophages. Uptake study on A549 cells advocated enhanced drug uptake by cancer cells. Cell cycle arrest analysis (A549 cell lines) demonstrated the superior cytotoxic effect and active targeting of NAR-HA@CH-PCL-NP. Further chemopreventive treatment with NAR-HA@CH-PCL-NP was found effective in tumor growth inhibitory effect against urethane-induced lung cancer in rat. In conclusion, developed formulation possesses a promising potential as a therapeutic and chemopreventive agent against urethane-induced lung carcinoma in albino wistar rats.