Lymph cancer chemotherapy: delivery of doxorubicin-gemcitabine prodrug and vincristine by nanostructured lipid carriers

Vincristine-based nanoformulations: a preclinical and clinical studies overview

Vincristine (VCR) is a chemotherapeutic agent obtained from natural alkaloid plant source Catharanthus roseus. VCR has been significantly useful in treatments of lung cancer, lymphocyte-based leukaemia, glioblastomas and acute myeloid leukaemia. VCR attaches to tubulin fibrils and prevents filament polymerization that permanently led to mitosis inhibition in cancer cells. Clinically, VCR is administered to patients in multidrug combination to reduce adverse drug effects and potential blockage of bone marrow inhibition due to prescribed monotherapy. However, VCR possesses low cancer tissue affinity and at higher dose often led to irreversible neurotoxicity. Conventional VCR injectables are successfully used in clinics, but lack of controlled release, non-specific biodistribution and consequent off-target side effects are still major challenges. Currently, nanotechnological drug delivery systems are being explored for improvement of VCR pharmacokinetic profile and tumour-specific targeting. Various nanomedicine formulations such as liposomes, lipid nanoparticles, and polymeric nanocarriers of VCR have been studied under various in vitro and in vivo models. In this review, we have summarised the chemotherapeutic role of VCR, evaluated the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics and challenges associated with VCR delivery. Moreover, application of VCR in nanomedicine and effect on anticancer efficacy in preclinical and clinical setting are also being discussed.

Nanotechnology in drug and gene delivery

Over the last decade, nanotechnology has widely addressed many nanomaterials in the biomedical area with an opportunity to achieve better-targeted delivery, effective treatment, and an improved safety profile. Nanocarriers have the potential property to protect the active molecule during drug delivery. Depending on the employing nanosystem, the delivery of drugs and genes has enhanced the bioavailability of the molecule at the disease site and exercised an excellent control of the molecule release. Herein, the chapter discusses various advanced nanomaterials designed to develop better nanocarrier systems used to face different diseases such as cancer, heart failure, and malaria. Furthermore, we demonstrate the great attention to the promising role of nanocarriers in ease diagnostic and biodistribution for successful clinical cancer therapy.

pH-sensitive doxorubicin-tocopherol succinate prodrug encapsulated in docosahexaenoic acid-based nanostructured lipid carriers: An effective strategy to improve pharmacokinetics and reduce toxic effects

Side effects often limit the use of doxorubicin (DOX) in cancer treatment. We have recently developed a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) formulation for synergistic chemotherapy, encapsulating DOX and the anticancer adjuvants docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and α-tocopherol succinate (TS). Hydrophobic ion-pairing with TS allowed a high DOX entrapment in the nanocarrier. In this work, we investigated the pharmacokinetics of this formulation after intravenous administration in mice. The first data obtained led us to propose synthesizing covalent DOX-TS conjugates to increase DOX retention in the NLC. We successfully conjugated DOX to TS via an amide or hydrazone bond. In vitro studies in 4T1 tumor cells indicated low cytotoxicity of the amide derivative, while the hydrazone conjugate was effective in killing cancer cells. We encapsulated the hydrazone derivative in a DHA-based nanocarrier (DOX-hyd-TS/NLC), which had reduced particle size and high drug encapsulation efficiency. The pH-sensitive hydrazone bond allowed controlled DOX release from the NLC, with increased drug release at acidic conditions. In vivo studies revealed that DOX-hyd-TS/NLC had a better pharmacokinetic profile than free DOX and attenuated the short-term cardiotoxic effects caused by DOX, such as QT prolongation and impaired left ventricular systolic function. Moreover, this formulation showed excellent therapeutic performance by reducing tumor growth in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice and decreasing DOX-induced toxicity to the heart and liver, demonstrated by hematologic, biochemical, and histologic analyses. These results indicate that DOX-hyd-TS/NLC may be a promising nanocarrier for breast cancer treatment.

Antineoplastics Encapsulated in Nanostructured Lipid Carriers

Ideally, antineoplastic treatment aims to selectively eradicate cancer cells without causing systemic toxicity. A great number of antineoplastic agents (AAs) are available nowadays, with well-defined therapeutic protocols. The poor bioavailability, non-selective action, high systemic toxicity, and lack of effectiveness of most AAs have stimulated the search for novel chemotherapy protocols, including technological approaches that provide drug delivery systems (DDS) for gold standard medicines. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) are DDS that contain a core of solid and lipid liquids stabilised by surfactants. NLC have high upload capacity for lipophilic drugs, such as the majority of AAs. These nanoparticles can be prepared with a diversity of biocompatible (synthetic or natural) lipid blends, administered by different routes and functionalised for targeting purposes. This review focused on the research carried out from 2000 to now, regarding NLC formulations for AAs (antimetabolites, antimitotics, alkylating agents, and antibiotics) encapsulation, with special emphasis on studies carried out in vivo. NLC systems for codelivery of AAs were also considered, as well as those for non-classical drugs and therapies (natural products and photosensitisers). NLC have emerged as powerful DDS to improve the bioavailability, targeting and efficacy of antineoplastics, while decreasing their toxic effect in the treatment of different types of cancer.

Nanoencapsulated Doxorubicin Prevents Mucositis Development in Mice

Doxorubicin (DOX), a chemotherapy drug successfully used in the therapy of various types of cancer, is currently associated with the mucositis development, an inflammation that can cause ulcerative lesions in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract, abdominal pain and secondary infections. To increase the safety of the chemotherapy, we loaded DOX into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). The NLC-DOX was characterized by HPLC, DLS, NTA, Zeta potential, FTIR, DSC, TEM and cryogenic-TEM. The ability of NLC-DOX to control the DOX release was evaluated through in vitro release studies. Moreover, the effect of NLC-DOX on intestinal mucosa was compared to a free DOX solution in C57BL/6 mice. The NLC-DOX showed spherical shape, high drug encapsulation efficiency (84.8 ± 4.6%), high drug loading (55.2 ± 3.4 mg/g) and low average diameter (66.0-78.8 nm). The DSC and FTIR analyses showed high interaction between the NLC components, resulting in controlled drug release. Treatment with NLC-DOX attenuated DOX-induced mucositis in mice, improving shortening on villus height and crypt depth, decreased inflammatory parameters, preserved intestinal permeability and increased expression of tight junctions (ZO-1 and Ocludin). These results indicated that encapsulation of DOX in NLCs is viable and reduces the drug toxicity to mucosal structures.

Recent Advances in Lipid-Based Nanosystems for Gemcitabine and Gemcitabine-Combination Therapy

The anti-metabolite drug gemcitabine is widely used for the treatment of a variety of cancers. At present, gemcitabine is administered as a hydrochloride salt that is delivered by slow intravenous injection in cycles of three or four weeks. Although regarded as a 'front-line' chemotherapeutic agent, its efficacy is hampered by poor target cell specificity, sub-optimal cellular uptake, rapid clearance from circulation, the development of chemoresistance, and undesirable side-effects. The use of organic, inorganic, and metal-based nanoparticles as delivery agents presents an opportunity to overcome these limitations and safely harness optimal drug efficacy and enhance their therapeutic indices. Among the many and varied nano delivery agents explored, the greatest body of knowledge has been generated in the field of lipid-mediated delivery. We review here the liposomes, niosomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, exosomes, lipid-polymer hybrids, and other novel lipid-based agents that have been developed within the past six years for the delivery of gemcitabine and its co-drugs.

Cancer treatment in the lymphatic system: A prospective targeting employing nanostructured systems

Cancer related to lymphangiogenesis has gained a great deal of attention in recent decades ever since specific markers of this intriguing system were discovered. Unlike the blood system, the lymphatic system has unique features that can advance cancer in future metastasis, or, conversely, can provide an opportunity to prevent or treat this disease that affects people worldwide. The aim of this review is to show the recent research of cancer treatment associated with the lymphatic system, considered one of the main gateways for disseminating metastatic cells to distant organs. Nanostructured systems based on theranostics and immunotherapies can offer several options for this complex disease. Precision targeting and accumulation of nanomaterials into the tumor sites and their elimination, or targeting the specific immune defense cells to promote optimal regression of cancer cells are highlighted in this paper. Moreover, therapies based on nanostructured systems through lymphatic systems may reduce the side effects and toxicity, avoid first pass hepatic metabolism, and improve patient recovery. We emphasize the general understanding of the association between the immune and lymphatic systems, their interaction with tumor cells, the mechanisms involved and the recent developments in several nanotechnology treatments related to this disease.

Inhibition of cell migration and induction of apoptosis by a novel class II histone deacetylase inhibitor, MCC2344

Epigenetic modifiers provide a new target for the development of anti-cancer drugs. The eraser histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a class IIb histone deacetylase that targets various non-histone proteins such as transcription factors, nuclear receptors, cytoskeletal proteins, DNA repair proteins, and molecular chaperones. Therefore, it became an attractive target for cancer treatment. In this study, virtual screening was applied to the MicroCombiChem database with 1162 drug-like compounds to identify new HDAC6 inhibitors. Five compounds were tested in silico and in vitro as HDAC6 inhibitors. Both analyses revealed 1-cyclohexene-1-carboxamide, 2-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-N-1-naphthalenyl-6-oxo- (MCC2344) as the best HDAC6 inhibitor among the five ligands. The binding affinity of MCC2344 to HDAC6 was further confirmed by microscale thermophoresis. Additionally, the anti-cancer activity of MCC2344 was tested in several tumor cell lines. Leukemia cells were the most sensitive cells towards MCC2344, particularly the P-glycoprotein-overexpressing multidrug-resistant cell line CEM/ADR5000 exhibited remarkable collateral sensitivity towards MCC2344. Transcriptome analysis using microarray hybridization was performed for investigating downstream mechanisms of action of MCC2344 in leukemia cells. MCC2344 affected microtubule dynamics and suppressed cell migration in the wound healing assay as well as in a spheroid model by hyper-acetylation of tubulin and HSP-90. MCC2344 induced cell death in CEM/ADR5000 cells by activation of PARP, caspase-3, and p21 in addition to the downregulation of p62. MCC2344 significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo in zebrafish larvae without mortality until 20 pM. We propose MCC2344 as a novel HDAC6 inhibitor for cancer treatment.

Meta-Analysis of Nanoparticle Delivery to Tumors Using a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling and Simulation Approach

Numerous studies have engineered nanoparticles with different physicochemical properties to enhance the delivery efficiency to solid tumors, yet the mean and median delivery efficiencies are only 1.48% and 0.70% of the injected dose (%ID), respectively, according to a study using a nonphysiologically based modeling approach based on published data from 2005 to 2015. In this study, we used physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models to analyze 376 data sets covering a wide range of nanomedicines published from 2005 to 2018 and found mean and median delivery efficiencies at the last sampling time point of 2.23% and 0.76%ID, respectively. Also, the mean and median delivery efficiencies were 2.24% and 0.76%ID at 24 h and were decreased to 1.23% and 0.35%ID at 168 h, respectively, after intravenous administration. While these delivery efficiencies appear to be higher than previous findings, they are still quite low and represent a critical barrier in the clinical translation of nanomedicines. We explored the potential causes of this poor delivery efficiency using the more mechanistic PBPK perspective applied to a subset of gold nanoparticles and found that low delivery efficiency was associated with low distribution and permeability coefficients at the tumor site (P < 0.01). We also demonstrate how PBPK modeling and simulation can be used as an effective tool to investigate tumor delivery efficiency of nanomedicines.

Overcoming the delivery barrier of oligonucleotide drugs and enhancing nucleoside drug efficiency: The use of nucleolipids

With the rapid development of synthetic technology and biological technology, many nucleic acid-based drugs have entered the clinical trials. However, their inherent disabilities in actively and efficiently penetrating cell membranes still severely restrict their further application. The main drawback of cationic lipids, which have been widely used as nonviral vectors of nucleic acids, is their high cytotoxicity. A series of nucleoside-based or nucleotide-based nucleolipids have been reported in recent years, due to their oligonucleotide delivery capacity and low toxicity in comparison with cationic lipids. Lipophilic prodrugs of nucleoside analogs have extremely similar structures with nucleolipid vectors and are thus helpful for improving the transmembrane ability. This review introduces the progress of nucleolipids and provides new strategies for improving the delivery efficiency of nucleic acid-based drugs, as well as lipophilic prodrugs of nucleosides or nucleotides for antiviral or anticancer therapies.

In vitro compatibility and stability of admixtures containing etoposide, epirubicin hydrochloride and vindesine sulphate in a single infusion bag

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVES

The etoposide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine sulphate, cyclophosphamide and prednisone (EPOCH) chemotherapy regimen is effective in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, vincristine and doxorubicin hydrochloride are relatively toxic, leading to neurovirulence and cardiotoxicity, respectively. In this study, we replaced these drugs with vindesine and epirubicin hydrochloride to reduce the cardiotoxicity and evaluated admixtures containing these drugs along with etoposide in a single infusion bag in vitro.

METHODS

The appearance and pH of the admixtures were evaluated, and the number of particles was detected. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure the concentration and degradation rates of etoposide, epirubicin hydrochloride and vindesine sulphate in each admixture.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

No precipitation occurred when mixing clinically relevant concentrations of etoposide, epirubicin hydrochloride and vindesine sulphate in a 0.9% NaCl injection solution. Furthermore, the delta pH of the admixtures was ≤0.12 throughout the experiment, and the number of particles (≥10 and ≥25 μm) in the solutions over the 24 hours post-preparation period met USP standards. Etoposide, epirubicin hydrochloride and vindesine sulphate were retained at >96% of their initial concentrations in the admixtures at 25°C over the course of the experiment. Etoposide, epirubicin hydrochloride and vindesine sulphate are compatible when mixed in a 0.9% NaCl injection solution, and the admixtures are stable for at least 24 hours when stored in infusion bags.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

This in vitro analysis indicates the suitability of our novel admixtures containing less toxic drug equivalents in a single infusion bag for clinical application.

Therapy for myocardial infarction: In vitro and in vivo evaluation of puerarin-prodrug and tanshinone co-loaded lipid nanoparticulate system

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Nanoparticle systems carrying drugs have already been developed to treat MI. To improve the efficiency of tanshinone (TAN), and to achieve the synergistic effect of TAN and puerarin (PUE), PUE-prodrug and TAN co-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) was structured and utilized for MI treatment in the present research. PUE-prodrug was synthesized by an esterification reaction. PUE-prodrug and TAN co-loaded SLN (PUEp/TAN-SLN) were prepared by a single emulsification followed by a solvent evaporation method. The physicochemical properties of SLN were characterized and the in vivo infarct therapy effects were evaluated in MI rats. PUE-prodrug and TAN contained SLN showed a size of 112.6 ± 3.1 nm. The SLN encapsulation reduced the cytotoxicity of drugs and was a safer system. PUEp-SLN exhibited a 1.7-fold increase in comparison to PUE-SLN (21.2 ± 2.1 versus 12.5 ± 1.5 mg/L), in the mean time a 3.4-fold increase compared with free PUE in heart drug concentration (21.2 ± 2.1 versus 6.3 ± 0.9 mg/L). In vivo infarct therapy efficiency of double drugs loaded PUEp/TAN-SLN (17 ± 1.9%) was significantly better than the single drug loaded PUEp-SLN (31 ± 1.6%) and TAN-SLN (40 ± 2.2%). PUE-prodrug contained, double drugs co-loaded SLN can be utilized as promising candidate delivery system for cardioprotective drugs in treatment of myocardial infarction.

Irisin Enhances Doxorubicin-Induced Cell Apoptosis in Pancreatic Cancer by Inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB Pathway

Background

Irisin, a myokine released from skeletal muscle following exercise, has been shown to affect the proliferation of some cancer cells and chemosensitivity of anticancer drugs like doxorubicin (DOX). However, the effects of irisin on chemosensitivity in pancreatic cancer (PC) cells have not been studied.

Material/Methods

In this study, the effects of irisin co-treatment with DOX or gemcitabine (GEM) on MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 PC cells, and H9c2 cardiomyocytes were investigated. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, flow cytometry, and TUNEL (TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling) assays were conducted to evaluate cytotoxicity induced by DOX or GEM. Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry experiments were performed to assess the intracellular accumulation of DOX. Cellular levels of apoptosis-related protein expression and protein phosphorylation were determined by Western blot analyses.

Results

The results showed that irisin can increase the chemosensitivity of PC cells to DOX or GEM. The analyses of apoptosis indicated that irisin enhances DOX-induced cellular apoptosis by increasing the expression of cleaved PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) and cleaved caspase-3, and reducing the expression of B cell lymphoma/lewkmia-2 (BCL-2) and B cell lymphoma-extra large (BCL-xL) in PC cells but not in H9c2 cells. Irisin attenuated serine/threonine kinase AKT (protein kinase B/PKB) phosphorylation and inhibited the activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling in PC cells.

Conclusions

Irisin can potentiate the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin in PC cells without increasing cardiotoxicity, possibly through inactivating the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Tailoring the Chemical Modification of Chitosan Hydrogels to Fine-Tune the Release of a Synergistic Combination of Chemotherapeutics

Combination chemotherapy with a defined ratio and sequence of drug release is a clinically established and effective route to treat advanced solid tumors. In this context, a growing body of literature demonstrates the potential of hydrogels constructed with chemically modified polysaccharides as depots for controlled release of chemotherapeutics. Identifying the appropriate modification in terms of physicochemical properties of the functional group and its degree of substitution (χ) to achieve the desired release profile for multiple drugs is, however, a complex multivariate problem. To address this issue, we have developed a computational toolbox that models the migration of a drug pair through a hydrated network of polysaccharide chains modified with hydrophobic moieties. In this study, we chose doxorubicin (DOX) and Gemcitabine (GEM) as model drugs, as their synergistic effect against breast cancer has been thoroughly investigated, and chitosan as the model polymer. Our model describes how the modification of chitosan chains with acetyl, butanoyl, and heptanoyl moieties at different values χ governs both the structure of the hydrogel network and drug migration through it. Our experimental data confirm the in silico predictions for both single- and dual-drug release and, most notably, the counterintuitive inversion of release vs χ that occurs when switching from a single- to a dual-drug system. Consensus between predicted and experimental data indicates that acetyl modifications (χ = 32-42%) and butanoyl modifications (χ = 19-24%) provide synergistic GEM/DOX release molar ratios (i.e., 5-10). Collectively, these results demonstrate the potential of this model in guiding the design of chemotherapeutic hydrogels to combat cancer.

Sclareol is a potent enhancer of doxorubicin: Evaluation of the free combination and co-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers against breast cancer

AIMS

In this work, it was sought to determine if there was synergism between doxorubicin (DOX), a well-known antineoplastic, and sclareol (SC), a diterpene from natural origin, in breast cancer treatment. Moreover, it was investigated if their co-loading in the same nanocarrier would result in a gain of activity and/or a toxicity diminishment.

MAIN METHODS

The synergism of the DOX:SC combination was evaluated in MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells. A nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) co-encapsulating DOX and SC in their synergistic molar ratio was prepared and characterised, in terms of mean diameter, zeta potential, DOX encapsulation efficiency, small angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarised light microscopy for further intravenous administration. The anticancer activity of the combination, free and encapsulated, was evaluated in 4T1-tumour bearing mice.

KEY FINDINGS

It was determined that DOX:SC combination at the molar ratio 1:1.9 presents better synergistic anticancer activity than the molar ratio 1:7.5 in vitro. DOX:SC-loaded NLC (NLC-DOX-SC) improved in vitro cytotoxic and in vivo antitumour activity compared to free DOX. Although NLC-DOX-SC and free DOX:SC, at the synergistic molar ratio, showed similar activity in the in vivo study, the free combination provoked body weight loss, behaviour alterations and haematological toxicity in the animals, while this was not observed for NLC-DOX-SC.

SIGNIFICANCE

This work shows that SC and DOX present synergistic anticancer activity for breast cancer treatment whereas NLC-DOX-SC was a feasible alternative to attain the benefits posed by DOX:SC combination but with none to fewer side effects.

Drug formulation and nanomedicine approaches to targeting lymphatic cancer metastases

Lymphatic metastasis plays an important role in cancer progression and prognosis. However, conventional small-molecule chemotherapy drugs inefficiently access the lymphatic system, making the effective eradication of lymphatic metastases difficult without dose-limiting toxicity. Various formulation and nanomedicine-based approaches can be used to significantly enhance the trafficking of small-molecule, peptide and protein drugs toward the lymphatic system to enhance drug exposure at sites of lymphatic cancer growth. However, a number of obstacles exist in translating improved lymphatic exposure into improved chemotherapeutic outcomes. This review highlights the opportunities and challenges inherent in employing formulation and nanomedicinal approaches to improve chemotherapeutic drug activity within the lymphatic system and, importantly, at sites of lymphatic cancer metastasis.

Nasopharyngeal cancer combination chemoradiation therapy based on folic acid modified, gefitinib and yttrium 90 co-loaded, core-shell structured lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles

Current treatment of advanced-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is not satisfactory. Here, we developed a folic acid (FA) modified, gefitinib (GEF) and yttrium 90 (Y90) co-loaded, core-shell structured lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (FA-GEF-Y90-LPNP). The size and zeta potential, drug release behavior, and uptake by tumor cells were investigated. The antitumor efficiency and toxicity of LPNP were evaluated in cancer cells and in tumor bearing mice. FA-GEF-Y90-LPNP with a mean size of 150 nm and zeta potential of -40 mV was able to enhance the accumulation in the NPC cells and exhibited the highest cytotoxicity. The AUC and T_1/2 of FA-GEF-Y90-LPNP group was 217.62 ± 10.32 mg/L.h and 12.09 ± 0.43 h, respectively. FA-GEF-Y90-LPNP exhibited the best in vivo tumor inhibition ability, leading to a 221.2 ± 13.5 mm³ of tumor volume at day 21. FA-GEF-Y90-LPNP treatment resulted in almost no difference in the body weight. This may be the evidence that the systemic toxicity of FA-GEF-Y90-LPNP is low and may be used as safety system for the treatment of NPC.

Nanostructured lipid carriers: A potential use for skin drug delivery systems

Skin application of pharmaceutical products is one of the methods used for drug administration. The problem of limited drug penetration via topical application makes searching for safe drug carriers that will provide an expected therapeutic effect of utmost importance. Research into safe drug carriers began with liposome structures, paving the way for work with nanocarriers, which currently play a large role as drug vehicles. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) consist of blended solid and liquid lipids (oils) dispersed in an aqueous solution containing a surfactant. These carriers have many advantages: good biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, high drug content; they enhance a drug's stability and have many possibilities of application (oral, intravenous, pulmonary, ocular, dermal). The following article presents properties, methods of preparation and tests to assess the quality and toxicity of NLC. This analysis indicates the possibility of using NLC for dermal and transdermal drug application.

Current and Future Approaches for Effective Cancer Imaging and Treatment

Cancer poses a major health problem, not only due to cancer-related deaths but also because of treatment toxicities. This review discusses early diagnosis and strategies to overcome treatment difficulties, to facilitate recovery, and prevent deaths. Generally, noninvasive techniques such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission computed tomography (PET), and their hybrid systems, including SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and PET/MRI, are used in diagnosis of cancer. Cancer treatment in clinics still comprises conventional methods such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. However, these techniques and methods are often inadequate. Therefore, new approaches, including the formulation of actively and/or passively targeted nanosized drug delivery systems and combined treatment protocols, are being investigated. In this article, conventional cancer imaging and treatment are reviewed. In addition, the formulation of nanosized systems and their use in cancer treatment are discussed and combined diagnostic and therapeutic (theranostic) approach are proposed as additional cancer therapies.

Lymphoma-targeted treatment using a folic acid-decorated vincristine-loaded drug delivery system

Purpose

B-cell lymphoma is the most frequently diagnosed lymphoid tumor. Folic acid (FA)-decorated systems were found to be preferentially internalized on the B-cell lymphoma cell line which is reported to express the folate receptor. This study was designed to develop an FA-decorated vincristine (VCR)-loaded system for targeted lymphoma treatment.

Methods

FA-decorated lipid was synthesized. VCR-loaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs) were fabricated. In vitro cell lines and an in vivo lymphoma animal model was used to evaluate the anti B-cell lymphoma effect.

Results

FA-decorated, VCR-loaded LPNs (FA-VCR/LPNs) have shown a targeted effect in delivery to B-cell lymphoma cells. FA-VCR/LPNs also showed the highest anti-tumor effect in murine-bearing lymphoma xenografts.

Conclusion

FA-VCR/LPNs can achieve targeted delivery of VCR, bring about an outstanding therapeutic effect to treat lymphoma, and also reduce the systemic toxicity. FA-VCR/LPNs could be an excellent system for lymphoma therapy.

Redox-responsive and pH-sensitive nanoparticles enhanced stability and anticancer ability of erlotinib to treat lung cancer in vivo

Purpose

Erlotinib (ETB) is a well-established therapeutic for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To overcome drug resistance and severe toxicities in the clinical application, redox-responsive and pH-sensitive nanoparticle drug delivery systems were designed for the encapsulation of ETB.

Methods

Poly(acrylic acid)-cystamine-oleic acid (PAA-ss-OA) was synthesized. PAA-ss-OA-modified ETB-loaded lipid nanoparticles (PAA-ETB-NPs) were prepared using the emulsification and solvent evaporation method. The tumor inhibition efficacy of PAA-ETB-NPs was compared with that of ETB-loaded lipid nanoparticles (ETB-NPs) and free ETB anticancer drugs in tumor-bearing mice.

Results

PAA-ETB-NPs had a size of 170 nm, with a zeta potential of −32 mV. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading capacity of PAA-ETB-NPs were over 85% and 2.6%, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity of ETB-NPs were higher than that of ETB solution. The cytotoxicity of PAA-ETB-NPs was the highest. The in vivo tumor growth inhibition by PAA-ETB-NP treatment was significantly higher than that by ETB-NPs and ETB solution. No obvious weight loss was observed in any of the treatment groups, indicating that all the treatments were well tolerated.

Conclusion

PAA-ETB-NPs could enhance the stability and anti-cancer ability of ETB to treat lung cancer and are a promising drug delivery system for lung cancer treatment.

Design and evaluation of lidocaine- and prilocaine-coloaded nanoparticulate drug delivery systems for topical anesthetic analgesic therapy: a comparison between solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers

Purpose

Topical anesthesia analgesic therapy has diverse applicability in solving the barrier properties of skin and unfavorable physicochemical properties of drugs. Lidocaine (LID) combined with prilocaine (PRI) has been used as a topical preparation for dermal anesthesia for treatment of conditions such as paresthesia.

Materials and methods

In this study, for combination anesthesia and overcoming the drawbacks of LID and PRI, respectively, LID- and PRI-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) were prepared and characterized by determination of their particle size, drug loading capacity, stability, in vitro drug release behavior and in vitro cellular viability. Ex vivo skin permeation and in vivo anesthesia analgesic efficiency of these two systems were also evaluated and compared.

Results

Results revealed that combination delivery of the dual drugs exhibited more remarkable efficiency than signal drug-loaded systems. SLN systems have better ex vivo skin permeation ability than NLCs. NLC systems revealed a stronger in vivo anesthesia analgesic effect than SLN systems.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that SLNs and NLCs have different advantages, and that both carriers are promising dual drug delivery systems for topical anesthetic analgesic therapy.

Layer-by-layer nanoparticles co-loading gemcitabine and platinum (IV) prodrugs for synergistic combination therapy of lung cancer

Purpose

Cisplatin plus gemcitabine (GEM) is a standard regimen for the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The aim of this study was to prepare biocompatible and biodegradable polymeric prodrugs and construct nanoparticles (NPs) with layer-by-layer (LbL) technique.

Methods

Platinum (Pt) (IV) complex with a carboxyl group was conjugated to the amino group of chitosan (CH), resulting in a CH-Pt conjugation with positive charge. GEM with amino group was conjugated to the carboxyl group of hyaluronic acid (HA), resulting in a HA-GEM conjugation with negative charge. Novel LbL NPs consisting of the CH-Pt core and the HA-GEM layer, named as HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs, were constructed. The physicochemical properties of the HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs were investigated. In vitro cytotoxicity against human non-small lung cancer cells (NCl-H460 cells) was investigated, and in vivo antitumor efficiency was evaluated on mice bearing NCl-H460 cells xenografts.

Results

HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs have a size of about 187 nm, a zeta potential value of −21 mV and high drug encapsulation efficiency of 90%. The drug release of HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs exhibited a sustained behavior. HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs could significantly enhance in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor effect against lung cancer animal model compared to the single-drug-loaded NPs and free drug solutions.

Conclusion

The results demonstrated that the HA-GEM/CH-Pt NPs might be a promising system for the synergetic treatment of lung carcinoma.