Ultrasmall AGuIX theranostic nanoparticles for vascular-targeted interstitial photodynamic therapy of glioblastoma

Quantifying gadolinium-based nanoparticle uptake distributions in brain metastases via magnetic resonance imaging

AGuIX, a novel gadolinium-based nanoparticle, has been deployed in a pioneering double-blinded Phase II clinical trial aiming to assess its efficacy in enhancing radiotherapy for tumor treatment. This paper moves towards this goal by analyzing AGuIX uptake patterns in 23 patients. A phantom was designed to establish the relationship between AGuIX concentration and longitudinal ( T 1 ) relaxation. A 3T MRI and MP2RAGE sequence were used to generate patient T 1 maps. AGuIX uptake in tumors was determined based on longitudinal relaxivity. AGuIX (or placebo) was administered to 23 patients intravenously at 100 mg/kg 1-5 hours pre-imaging. Each of 129 brain metastases across 23 patients were captured in T 1 maps and examined for AGuIX uptake and distribution. Inferred AGuIX recipients had average tumor uptakes between 0.012 and 0.17 mg/ml, with a mean of 0.055 mg/ml. Suspected placebo recipients appeared to have no appreciable uptake. Tumors presented with varying spatial AGuIX uptake distributions, suspected to be related to differences in accumulation time and patient-specific bioaccumulation factors. This research demonstrates AGuIX's ability to accumulate in brain metastases, with quantifiable uptake via T 1 mapping. Future analyses will extend these methods to complete clinical trial data (~ 134 patients) to evaluate the potential relationship between nanoparticle uptake and possible tumor response following radiotherapy.Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT04899908.Clinical Trial Registration Date: 25/05/2021.

Research Progress of Natural Product Photosensitizers in Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy is a noninvasive cancer treatment that utilizes photosensitizers to generate reactive oxygen species upon light exposure, leading to tumor cell apoptosis. Although photosensitizers have shown efficacy in clinical practice, they are associated with certain disadvantages, such as a certain degree of toxicity and limited availability. Recent studies have shown that natural product photosensitizers offer promising options due to their low toxicity and potential therapeutic effects. In this review, we provide a summary and evaluation of the current clinical photosensitizers that are commonly used and delve into the anticancer potential of natural product photosensitizers like psoralens, quinonoids, chlorophyll derivatives, curcumin, chrysophanol, doxorubicin, tetracyclines, Leguminosae extracts, and Lonicera japonica extract. The emphasis is on their phototoxicity, pharmacological benefits, and effectiveness against different types of diseases. Novel and more effective natural product photosensitizers for future clinical application are yet to be explored in further research. In conclusion, natural product photosensitizers have potential in photodynamic therapy and represent a promising area of research for cancer treatment.

Current Photodynamic Therapy for Glioma Treatment: An Update

Research on the development of photodynamic therapy for the treatment of brain tumors has shown promise in the treatment of this highly aggressive form of brain cancer. Analysis of both in vivo studies and clinical studies shows that photodynamic therapy can provide significant benefits, such as an improved median rate of survival. The use of photodynamic therapy is characterized by relatively few side effects, which is a significant advantage compared to conventional treatment methods such as often-used brain tumor surgery, advanced radiotherapy, and classic chemotherapy. Continued research in this area could bring significant advances, influencing future standards of treatment for this difficult and deadly disease.

AGuIX nanoparticle-nanobody bioconjugates to target immune checkpoint receptors

This article presents bioconjugates combining nanoparticles (AGuIX) with nanobodies (VHH) targeting Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1, A12 VHH) and Cluster of Differentiation 47 (CD47, A4 VHH) for active tumor targeting. AGuIX nanoparticles offer theranostic capabilities and an efficient biodistribution/pharmacokinetic profile (BD/PK), while VHH's reduced size (15 kDa) allows efficient tumor penetration. Site-selective sortagging and click chemistry were compared for bioconjugation. While both methods yielded bioconjugates with similar functionality, click chemistry demonstrated higher yield and could be used for the conjugation of various VHH. The specific targeting of AGuIX@VHH has been demonstrated in both in vitro and ex vivo settings, paving the way for combined targeted immunotherapies, radiotherapy, and cancer imaging.

New Crystal Form of Human Neuropilin-1 b1 Fragment with Six Electrostatic Mutations Complexed with KDKPPR Peptide Ligand

Neuropilin 1 (NRP1), a cell-surface co-receptor of a number of growth factors and other signaling molecules, has long been the focus of attention due to its association with the development and the progression of several types of cancer. For example, the KDKPPR peptide has recently been combined with a photosensitizer and a contrast agent to bind NRP1 for the detection and treatment by photodynamic therapy of glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. The main therapeutic target is a pocket of the fragment b1 of NRP1 (NRP1-b1), in which vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) bind. In the crystal packing of native human NRP1-b1, the VEGF-binding site is obstructed by a crystallographic symmetry neighbor protein, which prevents the binding of ligands. Six charged amino acids located at the protein surface were mutated to allow the protein to form a new crystal packing. The structure of the mutated fragment b1 complexed with the KDKPPR peptide was determined by X-ray crystallography. The variant crystallized in a new crystal form with the VEGF-binding cleft exposed to the solvent and, as expected, filled by the C-terminal moiety of the peptide. The atomic interactions were analyzed using new approaches based on a multipolar electron density model. Among other things, these methods indicated the role played by Asp320 and Glu348 in the electrostatic steering of the ligand in its binding site. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to further analyze the peptide binding and motion of the wild-type and mutant proteins. The simulations revealed that specific loops interacting with the peptide exhibited mobility in both the unbound and bound forms.

Targeting Glioblastoma-Associated Macrophages for Photodynamic Therapy Using AGuIX®-Design Nanoparticles

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most difficult brain cancer to treat, and photodynamic therapy (PDT) is emerging as a complementary approach to improve tumor eradication. Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) protein expression plays a critical role in GBM progression and immune response. Moreover, various clinical databases highlight a relationship between NRP-1 and M2 macrophage infiltration. In order to induce a photodynamic effect, multifunctional AGuIX^®-design nanoparticles were used in combination with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent, as well as a porphyrin as the photosensitizer molecule and KDKPPR peptide ligand for targeting the NRP-1 receptor. The main objective of this study was to characterize the impact of macrophage NRP-1 protein expression on the uptake of functionalized AGuIX^®-design nanoparticles in vitro and to describe the influence of GBM cell secretome post-PDT on the polarization of macrophages into M1 or M2 phenotypes. By using THP-1 human monocytes, successful polarization into the macrophage phenotypes was argued via specific morphological traits, discriminant nucleocytoplasmic ratio values, and different adhesion abilities based on real-time cell impedance measurements. In addition, macrophage polarization was confirmed via the transcript-level expression of TNFα, CXCL10, CD-80, CD-163, CD-206, and CCL22 markers. In relation to NRP-1 protein over-expression, we demonstrated a three-fold increase in functionalized nanoparticle uptake for the M2 macrophages compared to the M1 phenotype. The secretome of the post-PDT GBM cells led to nearly a three-fold increase in the over-expression of TNFα transcripts, confirming the polarization to the M1 phenotype. The in vivo relationship between post-PDT efficiency and the inflammatory effects points to the extensive involvement of macrophages in the tumor zone.

tLyp-1: A peptide suitable to target NRP-1 receptor

Targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEFGR) and its co-receptor neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) is an interesting vascular strategy. tLyp-1 is a tumor-homing and penetrating peptide of 7 amino acids (CGNKRTR). It is a truncated form of Lyp-1 (CGNKRTRGC), which is known to target NRP-1 receptor, with high affinity and specificity. It is mediated by endocytosis via C-end rule (CendR) internalization pathway. The aim of this study is to evaluate the importance of each amino acid in the tLyp-1 sequence through alanine-scanning (Ala-scan) technique, during which each of the amino acid in the sequence was systematically replaced by alanine to produce 7 different analogues. In silico approach through molecular docking and molecular dynamics are employed to understand the interaction between the peptide and its analogues with the NRP-1 receptor, followed by in vitro ligand binding assay study. The C-terminal Arg is crucial in the interaction of tLyp-1 with NRP-1 receptor. Substituting this residue dramatically reduces the affinity of this peptide which is clearly seen in this study. Lys-4 is also important in the interaction, which is confirmed via the in vitro study and the MM-PBSA analysis. The finding in this study supports the CendR, in which the presence of R/K-XX-R/K motif is essential in the binding of a ligand with NRP-1 receptor. This presented work will serve as a guide in the future work pertaining the development of active targeting agent towards NRP-1 receptor.

Recent development of contrast agents for magnetic resonance and multimodal imaging of glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) as the most common primary malignant brain tumor exhibits a high incidence and degree of malignancy as well as poor prognosis. Due to the existence of formidable blood–brain barrier (BBB) and the aggressive growth and infiltrating nature of GBM, timely diagnosis and treatment of GBM is still very challenging. Among different imaging modalities, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with merits including high soft tissue resolution, non-invasiveness and non-limited penetration depth has become the preferred tool for GBM diagnosis. Furthermore, multimodal imaging with combination of MRI and other imaging modalities would not only synergistically integrate the pros, but also overcome the certain limitation in each imaging modality, offering more accurate morphological and pathophysiological information of brain tumors. Since contrast agents contribute to amplify imaging signal output for unambiguous pin-pointing of tumors, tremendous efforts have been devoted to advances of contrast agents for MRI and multimodal imaging. Herein, we put special focus on summary of the most recent advances of not only MRI contrast agents including iron oxide-, manganese (Mn)-, gadolinium (Gd)-, ¹⁹F- and copper (Cu)-incorporated nanoplatforms for GBM imaging, but also dual-modal or triple-modal nanoprobes. Furthermore, potential obstacles and perspectives for future research and clinical translation of these contrast agents are discussed. We hope this review provides insights for scientists and students with interest in this area.

Bioresponsive Nanomaterials: Recent Advances in Cancer Multimodal Imaging and Imaging-Guided Therapy

Cancer is a serious health problem which increasingly causes morbidity and mortality worldwide. It causes abnormal and uncontrolled cell division. Traditional cancer treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and so on. These traditional therapies suffer from high toxicity and arouse safety concern in normal area and have difficulty in accurately targeting tumour. Recently, a variety of nanomaterials could be used for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Nanomaterials have several advantages, e.g., high concentration in tumour via targeting design, reduced toxicity in normal area and controlled drug release after various rational designs. They can combine with many types of biomaterials in order to improve biocompatibility. In this review, we outlined the latest research on the use of bioresponsive nanomaterials for various cancer imaging modalities (magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography and phototacoustic imaging) and imaging-guided therapy means (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy), followed by discussing the challenges and future perspectives of this bioresponsive nanomaterials in biomedicine.

Advances in magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents for glioblastoma-targeting theranostics

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant brain tumour, with a median survival of 3 months without treatment and 15 months with treatment. Early GBM diagnosis can significantly improve patient survival due to early treatment and management procedures. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using contrast agents is the preferred method for the preoperative detection of GBM tumours. However, commercially available clinical contrast agents do not accurately distinguish between GBM, surrounding normal tissue and other cancer types due to their limited ability to cross the blood–brain barrier, their low relaxivity and their potential toxicity. New GBM-specific contrast agents are urgently needed to overcome the limitations of current contrast agents. Recent advances in nanotechnology have produced alternative GBM-targeting contrast agents. The surfaces of nanoparticles (NPs) can be modified with multimodal contrast imaging agents and ligands that can specifically enhance the accumulation of NPs at GBM sites. Using advanced imaging technology, multimodal NP-based contrast agents have been used to obtain accurate GBM diagnoses in addition to an increased amount of clinical diagnostic information. NPs can also serve as drug delivery systems for GBM treatments. This review focuses on the research progress for GBM-targeting MRI contrast agents as well as MRI-guided GBM therapy.

Preliminary Study of New Gallium-68 Radiolabeled Peptide Targeting NRP-1 to Detect Brain Metastases by Positron Emission Tomography

Due to their very poor prognosis and a fatal outcome, secondary brain tumors are one of the biggest challenges in oncology today. From the point of view of the early diagnosis of these brain micro- and macro-tumors, the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic tools constitute an obstacle. Molecular imaging, such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET), is a promising technique but remains limited in the search for cerebral localizations, given the commercially available radiotracers. Indeed, the [18F]FDG PET remains constrained by the physiological fixation of the cerebral cortex, which hinders the visualization of cerebral metastases. Tumor angiogenesis is recognized as a crucial phenomenon in the progression of malignant tumors and is correlated with overexpression of the neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) receptor. Here, we describe the synthesis and the photophysical properties of the new gallium-68 radiolabeled peptide to target NRP-1. The KDKPPR peptide was coupled with gallium-68 anchored into a bifunctional NODAGA chelating agent, as well as Cy5 for fluorescence detection. The Cy5 absorbance spectra did not change, whereas the molar extinction coefficient (ε) decreased drastically. An enhancement of the fluorescence quantum yield (φF) could be observed due to the better water solubility of Cy5. [68Ga]Ga-NODAGA-K(Cy5)DKPPR was radiosynthesized efficiently, presented hydrophilic properties (log D = -1.86), and had high in vitro stability (>120 min). The molecular affinity and the cytotoxicity of this new chelated radiotracer were evaluated in vitro on endothelial cells (HUVEC) and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells (hormone-independent and triple-negative line) and in vivo on a brain model of metastasis in a nude rat using the MDA-MB-231 cell line. No in vitro toxicity has been observed. The in vivo preliminary experiments showed promising results, with a high contrast between the healthy brain and metastatic foci for [68Ga]Ga-NODAGA-K(Cy5)DKPPR.

Molecular Mechanisms of Treatment Resistance in Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults and is almost invariably fatal. Despite our growing understanding of the various mechanisms underlying treatment failure, the standard-of-care therapy has not changed over the last two decades, signifying a great unmet need. The challenges of treating glioblastoma are many and include inadequate drug or agent delivery across the blood-brain barrier, abundant intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity, redundant signaling pathways, and an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Here, we review the innate and adaptive molecular mechanisms underlying glioblastoma's treatment resistance, emphasizing the intrinsic challenges therapeutic interventions must overcome-namely, the blood-brain barrier, tumoral heterogeneity, and microenvironment-and the mechanisms of resistance to conventional treatments, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.

Multiscale Selectivity and in vivo Biodistribution of NRP-1-Targeted Theranostic AGuIX Nanoparticles for PDT of Glioblastoma

BACKGROUND

Local recurrences of glioblastoma (GBM) after heavy standard treatments remain frequent and lead to a poor prognostic. Major challenges are the infiltrative part of the tumor tissue which is the ultimate cause of recurrence. The therapeutic arsenal faces the difficulty of eradicating this infiltrating part of the tumor tissue while increasing the targeting of tumor and endogenous stromal cells such as angiogenic endothelial cells. In this aim, neuropilin-1 (NRP-1), a transmembrane receptor mainly overexpressed by endothelial cells of the tumor vascular system and associated with malignancy, proliferation and migration of GBM, highlighted to be a relevant molecular target to promote the anti-vascular effect of photodynamic therapy (VTP).

METHODS

The multiscale selectivity was investigated for KDKPPR peptide moiety targeting NRP-1 and a porphyrin molecule as photosensitizer (PS), both grafted onto original AGuIX design nanoparticle. AGuIX nanoparticle, currently in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of brain metastases with radiotherapy, allows to achieve a real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and an accumulation in the tumor area by EPR (enhanced permeability and retention) effect. Using surface-plasmon resonance (SPR), we evaluated the affinities of KDKPPR and scramble free peptides, and also peptides-conjugated AGuIX nanoparticles to recombinant rat and human NRP-1 proteins. For in vivo selectivity, we used a cranial window model and parametric maps obtained from T2*-weighted perfusion MRI analysis.

RESULTS

The photophysical characteristics of the PS and KDKPPR molecular affinity for recombinant human NRP-1 proteins were maintained after the functionalization of AGuIX nanoparticle with a dissociation constant of 4.7 μM determined by SPR assays. Cranial window model and parametric maps, both revealed a prolonged retention in the vascular system of human xenotransplanted GBM. Thanks to the fluorescence of porphyrin by non-invasive imaging and the concentration of gadolinium evaluated after extraction of organs, we checked the absence of nanoparticle in the brains of tumor-free animals and highlighted elimination by renal excretion and hepatic metabolism.

CONCLUSION

Post-VTP follow-ups demonstrated promising tumor responses with a prolonged delay in tumor growth accompanied by a decrease in tumor metabolism.

Radiosensitizing high-Z metal nanoparticles for enhanced radiotherapy of glioblastoma multiforme

Radiotherapy is an essential step during the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), one of the most lethal malignancies. The survival in patients with GBM was improved by the current standard of care for GBM established in 2005 but has stagnated since then. Since GBM is a radioresistant malignancy and the most of GBM recurrences occur in the radiotherapy field, increasing the effectiveness of radiotherapy using high-Z metal nanoparticles (NPs) has recently attracted attention. This review summarizes the progress in radiotherapy approaches for the current treatment of GBM, the physical and biological mechanisms of radiosensitization through high-Z metal NPs, and the results of studies on radiosensitization in the in vitro and in vivo GBM models using high-Z metal NPs to date.

Tumor-targeted pH-low insertion peptide delivery of theranostic gadolinium nanoparticles for image-guided nanoparticle-enhanced radiation therapy

Tumor targeting studies using metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have shown that the enhanced permeability and retention effect may not be sufficient to deliver the amount of intratumoral and intracellular NPs needed for effective in vivo radiosensitization. This work describes a pH-Low Insertion Peptide (pHLIP) targeted theranostic agent to enable image-guided NP-enhanced radiotherapy using a clinically feasible amount of injected NPs. Conventional gadolinium (Gd) NPs were conjugated to pHLIPs and evaluated in vitro for radiosensitivity and in vivo for mouse MRI. Cultured A549 human lung cancer cells were incubated with 0.5 mM of pHLIP-GdNP or conventional GdNP. Mass spectrometry showed 78-fold more cellular Gd uptake with pHLIP-GdNPs, and clonogenic survival assays showed 44% more enhanced radiosensitivity by 5 Gy irradiation with pHLIP-GdNPs at pH 6.2. In contrast to conventional GdNPs, MR imaging of tumor-bearing mice showed pHLIP-GdNPs had a long retention time in the tumor (>9 h), suitable for radiotherapy, and penetrated into the poorly-vascularized tumor core. The Gd-enhanced tumor corresponded with low-pH areas also independently measured by an in vivo molecular MRI technique. pHLIPs actively target cell surface acidity from tumor cell metabolism and deliver GdNPs into cells in solid tumors. Intracellular delivery enhances the effect of short-range radiosensitizing photoelectrons and Auger electrons. Because acidity is a general hallmark of tumor cells, the delivery is more general than antibody targeting. Imaging the in vivo NP biodistribution and more acidic (often more aggressive) tumors has the potential for quantitative radiotherapy treatment planning and pre-selecting patients who will likely benefit more from NP radiation enhancement.

Renal clearable nanocarriers: Overcoming the physiological barriers for precise drug delivery and clearance

Physiological barriers encountered in the clinical translation of cancer nanomedicines inspire the community to more deeply understand nano-bio interactions in not only tumor microenvironment but also entire body and develop new nanocarriers to tackle these barriers. Renal clearable nanocarriers are one kind of these newly emerged drug delivery systems (DDSs), which enable drugs to rapidly penetrate into the tumor cores with no need of long blood retention and escape macrophage uptake in the meantime they can also enhance body elimination of non-targeted anticancer drugs. As a result, they can improve therapeutic efficacies and reduce side effects of anticancer drugs. Not limited to anticancer drugs, diagnostic agents can also be achieved with these renal clearable DDSs, which might also be applied to improve the precision in the gene editing and immunotherapy in the future.

Recognition Sites for Cancer-targeting Drug Delivery Systems

BACKGROUND

Target-homing drug delivery systems are now gaining significant attention for use as novel therapeutic approaches in antitumor targeting for cancer therapy. Numerous targeted drug delivery systems have been designed to improve the targeting effects because these systems can display a range of favorable properties, thus, providing suitable characteristics for clinical applicability of anticancer drugs, such as increasing the solubility, and improving the drug distribution at target sites. The majority of these targeting systems are designed with respect to differences between cancerous and normal tissues, for instance, the low pH of tumor tissues or overexpressed receptors on tumor cell membranes. Due to the growing number of targeting possibilities, it is important to know the tumor-specific recognition strategies for designing novel, targeted, drug delivery systems. Herein, we identify and summarize literature pertaining to various recognition sites for optimizing the design of targeted drug delivery systems to augment current chemotherapeutic approaches.

OBJECTIVE

This review focuses on the identification of the recognition sites for developing targeted drug delivery systems for use in cancer therapeutics.

METHODS

We have reviewed and compiled cancer-specific recognition sites and their abnormal characteristics within tumor tissues (low pH, high glutathione, targetable receptors, etc.), tumor cells (receptor overexpression or tumor cell membrane changes) and tumor cell organelles (nuclear and endoplasmic reticular dysregulation) utilizing existing scientific literature. Moreover, we have highlighted the design of some targeted drug delivery systems that can be used as homing tools for these recognition sites.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Targeted drug delivery systems are a promising therapeutic approach for tumor chemotherapy. Additional research focused on finding novel recognition sites, and subsequent development of targeting moieties for use with drug delivery systems will aid in the evaluation and clinical application of new and improved chemotherapeutics.

Neuropilin: Handyman and Power Broker in the Tumor Microenvironment

Neuropilin-1 and neuropilin-2 form a small family of transmembrane receptors, which, due to the lack of a cytosolic protein kinase domain, act primarily as co-receptors for various ligands. Performing at the molecular level both the executive and organizing functions of a handyman as well as of a power broker, they are instrumental in controlling the signaling of various receptor tyrosine kinases, integrins, and other molecules involved in the regulation of physiological and pathological angiogenic processes. In this setting, the various neuropilin ligands and interaction partners on various cells of the tumor microenvironment, such as cancer cells, endothelial cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and immune cells, are surveyed. The suitability of various neuropilin-targeting substances and the intervention in neuropilin-mediated interactions is considered as a possible building block of tumor therapy.

Dual-Targeted Phototherapeutic Agents as Magic Bullets for Cancer

Imagine the ideal cancer drug that only kills cancer cells and does not affect nearby noncancerous cells. In the words of Paul Ehrlich, the drug acts like a magic bullet. This Topical Review summarizes an emerging new strategy to achieve this audacious goal. The central concept is a dual-targeted phototherapeutic agent for photodynamic or photothermal therapy. The dual-targeted phototherapeutic agent promotes cancer cell specificity by leveraging three levels of selectivity. Cell death will only occur in the anatomical location that is illuminated with light (Selectivity Level 1) and in cancer cells within the illumination area that have selectively accumulated the agent (Selectivity Level 2). The cancer cell killing effect is highly localized if the agent accumulates in hypersensitive intracellular organelles (Selectivity Level 3). The common targeting units for cancer cells and organelles are described, along with recent examples of dual-targeted phototherapeutic agents that incorporate these two classes of targeting units.

Application of photodynamic therapy drugs for management of glioma

Human gliomas are one of the most prevalent and challenging-to-treat adult brain tumors, and thus result in high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Current research and treatments of gliomas include surgery associated with conventional chemotherapy, use of biologicals, radiotherapy, and medical device applications. The selected treatment options are often guided by the category and aggressiveness of this deadly disease and the patient’s conditions. However, the effectiveness of these approaches is still limited due to poor drug efficacy (including delivery to desired sites), undesirable side effects, and high costs associated with therapies. In addition, the degree of leakiness of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) that regulates trafficking of molecules in and out of the brain also modulates accumulation of adequate drug levels to tumor sites. Active research is being pursued to overcome these limitations to obtain a superior therapeutic index and enhanced patient survival. One area of development in this direction focuses on the localized application of photodynamic therapy (PDT) drugs to cure brain cancers. PDT molecules potentially utilize multiple pathways based on their ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon photoactivation by a suitable light source. In this communication, we have attempted to provide a brief overview of PDT and cancer, photoactivation pathways, mechanism of tumor destruction, effect of PDT on tumor cell viability, immune activation, various research attempted by applying PDT in combination with novel strategies to treat glioma, role of BBB and clinical status of PDT therapy for glioma treatment.

New Targeted Gold Nanorods for the Treatment of Glioblastoma by Photodynamic Therapy

This study describes the employment of gold nanorods (AuNRs), known for their good reputation in hyperthermia-based cancer therapy, in a hybrid combination of photosensitizers (PS) and peptides (PP). We report here, the design and the synthesis of this nanosystem and its application as a vehicle for the selective drug delivery and the efficient photodynamic therapy (PDT). AuNRs were functionalized by polyethylene glycol, phototoxic pyropheophorbide-a (Pyro) PS, and a "KDKPPR" peptide moiety to target neuropilin-1 receptor (NRP-1). The physicochemical characteristics of AuNRs, the synthesized peptide and the intermediate PP-PS conjugates were investigated. The photophysical properties of the hybrid AuNRs revealed that upon conjugation, the AuNRs acquired the characteristic properties of Pyro concerning the extension of the absorption profile and the capability to fluoresce (Φf = 0.3) and emit singlet oxygen (ΦΔ = 0.4) when excited at 412 nm. Even after being conjugated onto the surface of the AuNRs, the molecular affinity of "KDKPPR" for NRP-1 was preserved. Under irradiation at 652 nm, in vitro assays were conducted on glioblastoma U87 cells incubated with different PS concentrations of free Pyro, intermediate PP-PS conjugate and hybrid AuNRs. The AuNRs showed no cytotoxicity in the absence of light even at high PS concentrations. However, they efficiently decreased the cell viability by 67% under light exposure. This nanosystem possesses good efficiency in PDT and an expected potential effect in a combined photodynamic/photothermal therapy guided by NIR fluorescence imaging of the tumors due to the presence of both the hyperthermic agent, AuNRs, and the fluorescent active phototoxic PS.

Vascular targeted photodynamic therapy: A review of the efforts towards molecular targeting of tumor vasculature

The therapeutic value of vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) for cancer has already been recognized in the clinic: TOOKAD® has been clinically approved in Europe and Israel for treatment of men with low-risk prostate cancer. When light is applied shortly after intravenous administration of the photosensitizer, the damage is primarily done to the vasculature. This results in vessel constriction, blood flow stasis, and thrombus formation. Subsequently, the tumor is killed due to oxygen and nutrient deprivation. To further increase treatment specificity and to reduce undesired side effects such as damaging to the surrounding healthy tissues, efforts have been made to selectively target the PS to the tumor vasculature, an approach named molecular targeted VTP (molVTP). Several receptors have already been explored for this approach, namely CD13, CD276, Extra domains of fibronectin (A, B), Integrin αvβ3, Neuropilin-1, Nucleolin, PDGFRβ, tissue factor, and VEGFR-2, which are overexpressed on tumor vasculature. Preclinical studies have shown promising results, further encouraging the investigation and future application of molVTP, to improve selectivity and efficacy of cancer treatment. This strategy will hopefully lead to even more selective treatments for many cancer patients.

Contrast Agents Delivery: An Up-to-Date Review of Nanodiagnostics in Neuroimaging

Neuroimaging is a highly important field of neuroscience, with direct implications for the early diagnosis and progression monitoring of brain-associated diseases. Neuroimaging techniques are categorized into structural, functional and molecular neuroimaging, each possessing advantages and disadvantages in terms of resolution, invasiveness, toxicity of contrast agents and costs. Nanotechnology-based approaches for neuroimaging mostly involve the development of nanocarriers for incorporating contrast agents or the use of nanomaterials as imaging agents. Inorganic and organic nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles, nanobodies and quantum dots are some of the most studied candidates for the delivery of contrast agents for neuroimaging. This paper focuses on describing the conventional modalities used for imaging and the applications of nanotechnology for developing novel strategies for neuroimaging. The aim is to highlight the roles of nanocarriers for enhancing and/or overcome the limitations associated with the most commonly utilized neuroimaging modalities. For future directions, several techniques that could benefit from the increased contrast induced by using imaging probes are presented.

Europium labeled lactosylated albumin as a model workflow for the development of biotherapeutics

Lactosylated albumin is currently used as a radiopharmaceutical agent to image the liver asialoglycoprotein receptors and quantify hepatic liver function in various diseases. A lactosylated protein (LACTAL) conjugate showed excellent liver uptake compared to non-lactosylated protein and a high signal to noise ratio, based on the biodistribution in mice using ^99mTc-scintigraphy. However, in the laboratory, it is useful to have a method that can be used in daily practice to quantify cellular targeting or biodistribution. We propose a methodology from synthesis validation to pre-clinical demonstration and introduce a new practical detector (LACTAL.Eu) of the LACTAL molecule in biological media. We confirmed the purity and colloidal stability of the sample through physical analytical techniques, then showed the absence of in vitro toxicity of the agent and demonstrated in vitro targeting. Taking advantage of the fluorescence decay of the lanthanide, we performed measurements directly on the cell media without any further treatment. Finally, biodistribution in mice was confirmed by ex vivo measurements.

Neuropilins in the Context of Tumor Vasculature

Neuropilin-1 and Neuropilin-2 form a small family of plasma membrane spanning receptors originally identified by the binding of semaphorin and vascular endothelial growth factor. Having no cytosolic protein kinase domain, they function predominantly as co-receptors of other receptors for various ligands. As such, they critically modulate the signaling of various receptor tyrosine kinases, integrins, and other molecules involved in the regulation of physiological and pathological angiogenic processes. This review highlights the diverse neuropilin ligands and interacting partners on endothelial cells, which are relevant in the context of the tumor vasculature and the tumor microenvironment. In addition to tumor cells, the latter contains cancer-associated fibroblasts, immune cells, and endothelial cells. Based on the prevalent neuropilin-mediated interactions, the suitability of various neuropilin-targeted substances for influencing tumor angiogenesis as a possible building block of a tumor therapy is discussed.

5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy for the treatment of high-grade gliomas

INTRODUCTION

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a two-step treatment involving the administration of a photosensitive agent followed by its activation at a specific light wavelength for targeting of tumor cells.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A comprehensive review of the literature was performed to analyze the indications for PDT, mechanisms of action, use of different photosensitizers, the immunomodulatory effects of PDT, and both preclinical and clinical studies for use in high-grade gliomas (HGGs).

RESULTS

PDT has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of premalignant and malignant diseases, such as actinic keratoses, Barrett's esophagus, esophageal cancers, and endobronchial non-small cell lung cancers, as well as for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization. In neuro-oncology, clinical trials are currently underway to demonstrate PDT efficacy against a number of malignancies that include HGGs and other brain tumors. Both photosensitizers and photosensitizing precursors have been used for PDT. 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), an intermediate in the heme synthesis pathway, is a photosensitizing precursor with FDA approval for PDT of actinic keratosis and as an intraoperative imaging agent for fluorescence-guided visualization of malignant tissue during glioma surgery. New trials are underway to utilize 5-ALA as a therapeutic agent for PDT of the intraoperative resection cavity and interstitial PDT for inoperable HGGs.

CONCLUSION

PDT remains a promising therapeutic approach that requires further study in HGGs. Use of 5-ALA PDT permits selective tumor targeting due to the intracellular metabolism of 5-ALA. The immunomodulatory effects of PDT further strengthen its use for treatment of HGGs and requires a better understanding. The combination of PDT with adjuvant therapies for HGGs will need to be studied in randomized, controlled studies.

Preparation of multifunctional Janus nanoparticles on the basis of SPIONs as targeted drug delivery system

Passing the Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB) is a challenging aspect in nanomedicine. Utilizing surfactant particles is reported to be a potent strategy for easier BBB penetration. On the other hand, loading different functional molecules on a single particle is therapeutically and economically beneficial. In this study, multifunctional amphiphilic Janus nanoparticles have been prepared on the basis of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. This Janus platform is armed with folic acid targeting agent and Doxorubicin (DOX) drug that have been conjugated on different sides of the nanoparticles. DOX has been conjugated via imine bond that makes these particles pH sensitive. Chemo-physical characters, in-vitro drug release pattern and toxicity of nanoparticles on rat C6 glioma cell line were studied that confirmed the preparation and pH-dependent behavior of nanoparticles. Microscopy observations showed the Janus morphology of nanoparticles and their cell penetration behavior. Prepared Janus nanoparticle can be utilized as a multifunctional nanomedicine platform for brain cancer treatment.

Approaches to physical stimulation of metallic nanoparticles for glioblastoma treatment

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant brain tumor. Despite new knowledges on the genetic characteristics, conventional therapy for GBM, tumor resection followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy using temozolomide is limited in efficacy due to high rate of recurrence. GBM is indeed one of the most complex and difficult cancer to treat mainly due to its highly invasive properties and the standard treatments are thus rarely curative. Major challenges in the treatment of GBM are the limitation of irreversible brain damage, the infiltrative part of the tumor which is the ultimate cause of recurrence, the difficulty of identifying tumor margins and disseminated tumor cells, and the transport across the blood-brain barrier in order to obtain a sufficient therapeutic effect for pharmalogical agents. Considering these limitations, this review explores the in vivo potential of metal-based nanoparticles for hyperthermia, radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy. This article describes and clearly outlines the recent in vivo advances using innovative therapeutic metallic nanoparticles such as iron oxide, silver, gadolinium and gold nanoparticles.

Utilisation of Targeted Nanoparticle Photosensitiser Drug Delivery Systems for the Enhancement of Photodynamic Therapy

The cancer incidence world-wide has caused an increase in the demand for effective forms of treatment. One unconventional form of treatment for cancer is photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT has 3 fundamental factors, namely a photosensitiser (PS) drug, light and oxygen. When a PS drug is administered to a patient, it can either passively or actively accumulate within a tumour site and once exposed to a specific wavelength of light, it is excited to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in tumour destruction. However, the efficacy of ROS generation for tumour damage is highly dependent on the uptake of the PS in tumour cells. Thus, PS selective/targeted uptake and delivery in tumour cells is a crucial factor in PDT cancer drug absorption studies. Generally, within non-targeted drug delivery mechanisms, only minor amounts of PS are able to passively accumulate in tumour sites (due to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect) and the remainder distributes into healthy tissues, causing unwanted side effects and poor treatment prognosis. Thus, to improve the efficacy of PDT cancer treatment, research is currently focused on the development of specific receptor-based PS-nanocarrier platform drugs, which promote the active uptake and absorption of PS drugs in tumour sites only, avoiding unwanted side effects, as well as treatment enhancement. Therefore, the aim of this review paper is to focus on current actively targeted or passively delivered PS nanoparticle drug delivery systems, that have been previously investigated for the PDT treatment of cancer and so to deduce their overall efficacy and recent advancements.

Targeted Theranostic Nanoparticles for Brain Tumor Treatment

The poor prognosis and rapid recurrence of glioblastoma (GB) are associated to its fast-growing process and invasive nature, which make difficult the complete removal of the cancer infiltrated tissues. Additionally, GB heterogeneity within and between patients demands a patient-focused method of treatment. Thus, the implementation of nanotechnology is an attractive approach considering all anatomic issues of GB, since it will potentially improve brain drug distribution, due to the interaction between the blood⁻brain barrier and nanoparticles (NPs). In recent years, theranostic techniques have also been proposed and regarded as promising. NPs are advantageous for this application, due to their respective size, easy surface modification and versatility to integrate multiple functional components in one system. The design of nanoparticles focused on therapeutic and diagnostic applications has increased exponentially for the treatment of cancer. This dual approach helps to understand the location of the tumor tissue, the biodistribution of nanoparticles, the progress and efficacy of the treatment, and is highly useful for personalized medicine-based therapeutic interventions. To improve theranostic approaches, different active strategies can be used to modulate the surface of the nanotheranostic particle, including surface markers, proteins, drugs or genes, and take advantage of the characteristics of the microenvironment using stimuli responsive triggers. This review focuses on the different strategies to improve the GB treatment, describing some cell surface markers and their ligands, and reports some strategies, and their efficacy, used in the current research.

Glioblastoma Chemoresistance: The Double Play by Microenvironment and Blood-Brain Barrier

For glioblastoma, the tumor microenvironment (TME) is pivotal to support tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. TME consists of several types of stromal, endothelial and immune cells, which are recruited by cancer stem cells (CSCs) to influence CSC phenotype and behavior. TME also promotes the establishment of specific conditions such as hypoxia and acidosis, which play a critical role in glioblastoma chemoresistance, interfering with angiogenesis, apoptosis, DNA repair, oxidative stress, immune escape, expression and activity of multi-drug resistance (MDR)-related genes. Finally, the blood brain barrier (BBB), which insulates the brain microenvironment from the blood, is strongly linked to the drug-resistant phenotype of glioblastoma, being a major physical and physiological hurdle for the delivery of chemotherapy agents into the brain. Here, we review the features of the glioblastoma microenvironment, focusing on their involvement in the phenomenon of chemoresistance; we also summarize recent advances in generating systems to modulate or bypass the BBB for drug delivery into the brain. Genetic aspects associated with glioblastoma chemoresistance and current immune-based strategies, such as checkpoint inhibitor therapy, are described too.

Titania and silica nanoparticles coupled to Chlorin e6 for anti-cancer photodynamic therapy

In this study, light-sensitive photosensitizers (Chlorin e6, Ce6) were linked to TiO₂ and SiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) in order to develop new kinds of NP-based drug delivery systems for cancer treatment by PDT. TiO₂ or SiO₂ NPs were modified either by the growth of a polysiloxane layer constituted of two silane reagents ((3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)) around the core (PEGylated NPs: TiO₂@4Si-Ce6-PEG, SiO₂@4Si-Ce6-PEG) or simply modified by APTES alone (APTES-modified NPs: TiO₂-APTES-Ce6, SiO₂-APTES-Ce6). Ce6 was covalently attached onto the modified TiO₂ and SiO₂ NPs via an amide bond. The absorption profile of the hybridized NPs was extended to the visible region of the light. The physicochemical properties of these NPs were explored by TEM, HR-TEM, XRD, FTIR and zeta potential. The photophysical characteristics including the light absorption, the fluorescence properties and the production reactive oxygen species (¹O₂ and HO) were also addressed. In vitro experiments on glioblastoma U87 cells were performed to evaluate the photodynamic efficiency of the new hybridized NPs. The cells were exposed to different concentrations of NPs and illuminated (λ_exc = 652 nm, fluence rate 10 J/cm²). In contrast to the PEGylated NPs, the APTES-modified nanosystems were found to be more efficient for PDT. An interesting photodynamic effect was observed in the case of TiO₂-APTES-Ce6 NPs. After illumination, the viability of U87 was decreased by 89% when they were exposed to 200 μg/mL of TiO₂-APTES-Ce6 NPs, which corresponds to 0.22 μM of Ce6. The same effect can be obtained with free photosensitizer but using a higher concentration of 10 μM of Ce6.

Using X-rays in photodynamic therapy: an overview

Photodynamic therapy is a therapeutic option to treat cancer and other diseases.