Multifunctional Nanoparticles Encapsulating Astragalus Polysaccharide and Gold Nanorods in Combination with Focused Ultrasound for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Advances in herbal polysaccharides-based nano-drug delivery systems for cancer immunotherapy

The boom in cancer immunotherapy has provided many patients with a better chance of survival, but opportunities often come with challenges. Single immunotherapy is not good enough to eradicate tumours, and often fails to achieve the desired therapeutic effect because of the low targeting of immunotherapy drugs, and causes more side effects. As a solution to this problem, researchers have developed several nano Drug Delivery Systems (NDDS) to deliver immunotherapeutic agents to achieve good therapeutic outcomes. However, traditional drug delivery systems (DDS) have disadvantages such as poor bioavailability, high cytotoxicity, and difficulty in synthesis, etc. Herbal Polysaccharides (HPS), derived from natural Chinese herbs, inherently possess low toxicity. Furthermore, the biocompatibility, biodegradability, hydrophilicity, ease of modification, and immunomodulatory activities of HPS offer unique advantages in substituting traditional DDS. This review initially addresses the current developments and challenges in immunotherapy. Subsequently, it focuses on the immunomodulatory mechanisms of HPS and their design as nanomedicines for targeted drug delivery in tumour immunotherapy. Our findings reveal that HPS-based nanomedicines exhibit significant potential in enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, providing crucial theoretical foundations and practical guidelines for future clinical applications.

Astragalus Polysaccharide improves immunogenicity of influenza vaccine as well as modulate gut microbiota in BALB/c mice

BACKGROUND

Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza virus infection, and insufficient antibodies make it difficult to resist influenza virus invasion. Astragalus Polysaccharide (APS) has a boosting effect on immunity, so we evaluate the effect of APS as an immune adjuvant for H1N1 influenza vaccines in this study.

METHODS

The mice were immunized twice with influenza A (H1N1) vaccine and APS. Subsequently, the serum antibody levels were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The frequency of peripheral immune T cells was determined by flow cytometry. Following this, the immunized mice were exposed to a lethal dose of the virus, and changes in body weight and survival rates were recorded. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was employed to observe pathological alterations in lung and intestinal tissues. Western blot analysis was conducted to detect the expression of intestinal barrier function proteins (Occludin and Claudin-1). ELISA was utilized to measure the expression level of serum inflammatory cytokine TNF-α. Fresh mouse feces were collected after the initial immunization as well as after viral infection for 16S rRNA analysis aimed at detecting alterations in gut microbiota.

RESULTS

Compared to the Hemagglutinin (HA) group, the APS group demonstrated higher levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG1, and IgG3, as well as neutralizing antibody levels. Additionally, it increased the frequency of CD8+ cells to enhance resistance against lethal infection. On day 14 post-infection, the high-dose APS group exhibited a higher survival rate (71.40 %) compared to the HA group (14.28 %), along with faster weight recovery. Furthermore, APS was found to ameliorate alveolar damage in lung tissue and rectify intestinal structural disorder. It also upregulated the expression levels of tight junction proteins Occludin and Claudin-1 in intestinal tissue while reducing serum TNF-α expression levels. In addition, populations of Colidextribacter, Peptococcaceae, and Ruminococcaceae were the dominant gut microbiota in the APS group after viral infection.

CONCLUSION

APS has an immune-enhancing effect and is expected to be a novel adjuvant in the H1N1 influenza vaccine.

Novel Strategies for Tumor Treatment: Harnessing ROS-Inducing Active Ingredients from Traditional Chinese Medicine Through Multifunctional Nanoformulations

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) encompass a diverse group of chemically reactive molecules or ions distinguished by their substantial oxidative potential. Empirical studies have shown that the targeted administration of high toxic concentrations of ROS can effectively induce tumor cell death in various types. Numerous bioactive ingredients derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), recognized for their ROS-inducing properties, have demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity. Nonetheless, their clinical application has been hindered by challenges such as low solubility, limited bioavailability, and poor selectivity. Multifunctional nanoformulations possess the potential to overcome these challenges and enhance the anticancer efficacy of ROS-inducing active compounds. Through extensive searches of various academic databases and a thorough review and screening of relevant literature, this study aims to systematically summarize and generalize multiple active ingredients in TCM that induce ROS generation, along with their multifunctional nanoformulations, from various perspectives. The objective is to provide new insights and references for fundamental cancer research and clinical treatments. Furthermore, we acknowledge that although numerous active ingredients and their nanoformulations in TCM have demonstrated ROS-inducing and anti-tumor potentials, potentially offering novel strategies for tumor therapy, the underlying mechanisms require further comprehensive investigation.

Silver and gold nanoparticles as a novel approach to fight Sarcoptic mange in rabbits

Various kinds of pets have been known to contract the ectoparasite Sarcoptes scabiei. Current acaricides are becoming less effective because of the resistance developed by the mite besides their adverse effects on the general activity and reproductive performance of domestic pets. For this reason, the present study aims to discover a novel and safe approach using silver and gold nanoparticles to fight Sarcoptic mange in rabbits as well as to explain their mechanism of action. 15 pet rabbits with clinical signs of Sarcoptic mange that were confirmed by the microscopic examination were used in our study. All rabbits used in this study were assessed positive for the presence of different developing stages of S. scabiei. Three groups of rabbits (n = 5) were used as follows: group (1) didn't receive any treatment, and group (2 and 3) was treated with either AgNPs or GNPs, respectively. Both nanoparticles were applied daily on the affected skin areas via a dressing and injected subcutaneously once a week for 2 weeks at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg bwt. Our results revealed that all rabbits were severely infested and took a mean score = 3. The skin lesions in rabbits that didn't receive any treatments progressed extensively and took a mean score = of 4. On the other hand, all nanoparticle-treated groups displayed marked improvement in the skin lesion and took an average score of 0-1. All NPs treated groups showed remarkable improvement in the microscopic pictures along with mild iNOS, TNF-α, and Cox-2 expression. Both nanoparticles could downregulate the m-RNA levels of IL-6 and IFγ and upregulate IL-10 and TGF-1β genes to promote skin healing. Dressing rabbits with both NPs didn't affect either liver and kidney biomarkers or serum Ig levels indicating their safety. Our residual analysis detected AgNPs in the liver of rabbits but did not detect any residues of GNPs in such organs. We recommend using GNPs as an alternative acaricide to fight rabbit mange.

Nano-formulated delivery of active ingredients from traditional Chinese herbal medicines for cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy has garnered promise in tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis through establishing durable and memorable immunological activity. However, low response rates, adverse side effects, and high costs compromise the additional benefits for patients treated with current chemical and biological agents. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are a potential treasure trove of natural medicines and are gaining momentum in cancer immunomodulation with multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics. The active ingredient extracted from CHMs benefit generalized patients through modulating immune response mechanisms. Additionally, the introduction of nanotechnology has greatly improved the pharmacological qualities of active ingredients through increasing the hydrophilicity, stability, permeability, and targeting characteristics, further enhancing anti-cancer immunity. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of active ingredients for cancer immunomodulation, highlight nano-formulated deliveries of active ingredients for cancer immunotherapy, and provide insights into the future applications in the emerging field of nano-formulated active ingredients of CHMs.

Ultrasound combined with microbubble mediated immunotherapy for tumor microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in dynamically regulating the progress of cancer and influencing the therapeutic results. Targeting the tumor microenvironment is a promising cancer treatment method in recent years. The importance of tumor immune microenvironment regulation by ultrasound combined with microbubbles is now widely recognized. Ultrasound and microbubbles work together to induce antigen release of tumor cell through mechanical or thermal effects, promoting antigen presentation and T cells' recognition and killing of tumor cells, and improve tumor immunosuppression microenvironment, which will be a breakthrough in improving traditional treatment problems such as immune checkpoint blocking (ICB) and himeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy. In order to improve the therapeutic effect and immune regulation of TME targeted tumor therapy, it is necessary to develop and optimize the application system of microbubble ultrasound for organs or diseases. Therefore, the combination of ultrasound and microbubbles in the field of TME will continue to focus on developing more effective strategies to regulate the immunosuppression mechanisms, so as to activate anti-tumor immunity and/or improve the efficacy of immune-targeted drugs, At present, the potential value of ultrasound combined with microbubbles in TME targeted therapy tumor microenvironment targeted therapy has great potential, which has been confirmed in the experimental research and application of breast cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer, which provides a new alternative idea for clinical tumor treatment. This article reviews the research progress of ultrasound combined with microbubbles in the treatment of tumors and their application in the tumor microenvironment.

Gold nanorod-chitosan based nanocomposites for photothermal and chemoembolization therapy of breast cancer

Gold nanorods (AuNR) have received significant attention in tumor thermo-chemotherapy. However, insufficient thermal availability limits the in vivo highly efficient applications of AuNR in photothermal therapy. In this study, we have fabricated N-isopropylacrylamide grafted O-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (NCMC NPs) with thermo-responsive properties for co-encapsulating AuNR and doxorubicin (DOX), forming AuNR@NCMC/DOX nanocomposites (NCs). As a result of the thermo- and photothermal-responsiveness, AuNR@NCMC/DOX NCs exhibited irreversible aggregation at high temperature and under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation with an increase of size to 3 μm. When AuNR@NCMC/DOX NCs reached tumor sites following intravenous administration, they were located in the tumor vessels under NIR irradiation due to an embolization effect. This response enhanced tumor targeting, on-demand release, and the thermal performance of AuNR@NCMC/DOX NCs. We have observed higher tumor accumulation of DOX and AuNR with subsequent stronger inhibition of tumor growth than that achieved without NIR irradiation. The development of AuNR-based NCs with multiple smart responsivenesses at tumors can provide a promising paradigm for solid tumor treatment via the cooperative effects of photothermal therapy and chemoembolization.

Engineering Versatile Nanomedicines for Ultrasonic Tumor Immunotherapy

Due to the specific advantages of ultrasound (US) in therapeutic disease treatments, the unique therapeutic US technology has emerged. In addition to featuring a low-invasive targeted cancer-cell killing effect, the therapeutic US technology has been demonstrated to modulate the tumor immune landscape, amplify the therapeutic effect of other antitumor therapies, and induce immunosensitization of tumors to immunotherapy, shedding new light on the cancer treatment. Tremendous advances in nanotechnology are also expected to bring unprecedented benefits to enhancing the antitumor efficiency and immunological effects of therapeutic US, as well as therapeutic US-derived bimodal and multimodal synergistic therapies. This comprehensive review summarizes the immunological effects induced by different therapeutic US technologies, including ultrasound-mediated micro-/nanobubble destruction (UTMD/UTND), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and focused ultrasound (FUS), as well as the main underlying mechanisms involved. It is also discussed that the recent research progress of engineering intelligent nanoplatform in improving the antitumor efficiency of therapeutic US technologies. Finally, focusing on clinical translation, the key issues and challenges currently faced are summarized, and the prospects for promoting the clinical translation of these emerging nanomaterials and ultrasonic immunotherapy in the future are proposed.

Preparation and photothermal therapy of gold nanorods modified by Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC polysaccharide

In recent years, the application of nanoparticles formed by coupling metal nanomaterials of photothermal therapy with polysaccharides as modified carriers in the targeted treatment of liver cancer has attracted extensive attention. In the present work, an undescribed homogeneous polysaccharide BCP50-2 was obtained from Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC. The structural analysis displayed that BCP50-2 contained galactose and a small amount of arabinose, and was mainly composed of six monosaccharide residues: →3,5)-α-l-Araf-(1→, →4)-β-d-Galp-(1→, →4,6)-β-d-Galp-(1→, →3)-α-l-Galp-(1→, terminal α-l-Araf, and terminal β-d-Galp. To enhance the antitumor activity of BCP50-2, BCP50-2-AuNRs were prepared by coupling BCP50-2 with gold nanorods for the treatment of liver cancer. BCP50-2-AuNRs were rod-shaped with a long diameter of 26.8 nm and had good photothermal conversion effects. Under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation, BCP50-2-AuNRs possessed photothermal effects and suppressed the growth of HepG2, A549, and MCF-7 cells. In addition, BCP50-2-AuNRs inhibited the development of liver cancer by inducing cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle in G2/M phases, and inhibiting cell migration. Moreover, BCP50-2-AuNRs inhibited tumor proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in zebrafish. In summary, BCP50-2-AuNRs may be potentially useful for cancer treatment.

A Multi-Component Nano-Co-Delivery System Utilizing Astragalus Polysaccharides as Carriers for Improving Biopharmaceutical Properties of Astragalus Flavonoids

Purpose

Enhancing the dissolution, permeation and absorption of active components with low solubility and poor permeability is crucial for maximizing therapeutic efficacy and optimizing functionality. The objective of this study is to investigate the potential of natural polysaccharides as carriers to improve the biopharmaceutical properties of active components.

Methods

In this study, we employed four representative flavonoids in Astragali Radix, namely Calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside (CAG), Ononin (ON), Calycosin (CA) and Formononetin (FMN), as a demonstration to evaluate the potential of Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) as carriers to improve the biopharmaceutical properties, sush as solubility, permeability, and absorption in vivo. In addition, the microstructure of the flavonoids-APS complexes was characterized, and the interaction mechanism between APS and flavonoids was investigated using multispectral technique and molecular dynamics simulation.

Results

The results showed that APS can self-assemble into aggregates with a porous structure and large surface area in aqueous solutions. These aggregates can be loaded with flavonoids through weak intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, thereby improving their gastrointestinal stability, solubility, permeability and absorption in vivo.

Conclusion

We discovered the self-assembly properties of APS and its potential as carriers. Compared with introducing external excipients, the utilization of natural polysaccharides in plants as carriers may have a unique advantage in enhancing dissolution, permeation and absorption.

The Mechanisms of Polysaccharides from Tonic Chinese Herbal Medicine on the Enhancement Immune Function: A Review

Tonic Chinese herbal medicine is a type of traditional Chinese medicine, and its primary function is to restore the body's lost nutrients, improve activity levels, increase disease resistance, and alleviate physical exhaustion. The body's immunity can be strengthened by its polysaccharide components, which also have a potent immune-system-protecting effect. Several studies have demonstrated that tonic Chinese herbal medicine polysaccharides can improve the body's immune response to tumor cells, viruses, bacteria, and other harmful substances. However, the regulatory mechanisms by which various polysaccharides used in tonic Chinese herbal medicine enhance immune function vary. This study examines the regulatory effects of different tonic Chinese herbal medicine polysaccharides on immune organs, immune cells, and immune-related cytokines. It explores the immune response mechanism to understand the similarities and differences in the effects of tonic Chinese herbal medicine polysaccharides on immune function and to lay the foundation for the future development of tonic Chinese herbal medicine polysaccharide products.

Natural polysaccharides exert anti-tumor effects as dendritic cell immune enhancers

With the development of immunotherapy, the process of tumor treatment is also moving forward. Polysaccharides are biological response modifiers widely found in plants, animals, fungi, and algae and are mainly composed of monosaccharides covalently linked by glycosidic bonds. For a long time, polysaccharides have been widely used clinically to enhance the body's immunity. However, their mechanisms of action in tumor immunotherapy have not been thoroughly explored. Dendritic cells (DCs) are a heterogeneous population of antigen presenting cells (APCs) that play a crucial role in the regulation and maintenance of the immune response. There is growing evidence that polysaccharides can enhance the essential functions of DCs to intervene the immune response. This paper describes the research progress on the anti-tumor immune effects of natural polysaccharides on DCs. These studies show that polysaccharides can act on pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on the surface of DCs and activate phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), Dectin-1/Syk, and other signalling pathways, thereby promoting the main functions of DCs such as maturation, metabolism, antigen uptake and presentation, and activation of T cells, and then play an anti-tumor role. In addition, the application of polysaccharides as adjuvants for DC vaccines, in combination with adoptive immunotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), as well as their co-assembly with nanoparticles (NPs) into nano drug delivery systems is also introduced. These results reveal the biological effects of polysaccharides, provide a new perspective for the anti-tumor immunopharmacological research of natural polysaccharides, and provide helpful information for guiding polysaccharides as complementary medicines in cancer immunotherapy.

Polysaccharides from Astragalus membranaceus elicit T cell immunity by activation of human peripheral blood dendritic cells

Astragalus membranaceus is a widely used herbal medicine in Asia. It has been recognized as possessing various biological properties, however, studies on the activity of the A. membranaceus polysaccharide (AMP), a major component of A. membranaceus, on human peripheral blood dendritic cells (PBDCs) have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we found that AMP induced changes in dendritic morphology and the upregulation of activation marker expression and inflammatory cytokine production in human blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs). The AMP promoted the activation of both blood dendritic cell antigen 1⁺ (BDCA1⁺) and BDCA3⁺ PBDCs. AMP-induced secretion of cytokines in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was mainly due to PBDCs. Finally, activated BDCA1⁺ and BDCA3⁺ PBDCs by AMP elicited proliferation and activation of autologous T cells, respectively. Hence, these data demonstrated that AMPs could activate dendritic and T cells in human blood, and may provide a new direction for the application of AMPs in the regulation of human immunity.

Combined Chemo-Immuno-Photothermal Therapy for Effective Cancer Treatment via an All-in-One and One-for-All Nanoplatform

Tumor metastasis and recurrence are recognized to be the main causes of failure in cancer treatment. To address these issues, an "all in one" and "one for all" nanoplatform was established for combined "chemo-immuno-photothermal" therapy with the expectation to improve the antitumor efficacy. Herein, Docetaxel (DTX, a chemo-agent) and cynomorium songaricum polysaccharide (CSP, an immunomodulator) were loaded into zein nanoparticles coated by a green tea polyphenols/iron coordination complex (GTP/Fe^III, a photothermal agent). From the result, the obtained nanoplatform denoted as DTX-loaded Zein/CSP-GTP/Fe^III NPs was spherical in morphology with an average particle size of 274 nm, and achieved pH-responsive drug release. Moreover, the nanoplatform exhibited excellent photothermal effect both in vitro and in vivo. It was also observed that the nanoparticles could be effectively up take by tumor cells and inhibited their migration. From the results of the in vivo experiment, this nanoplatform could completely eliminate the primary tumors, prevent tumor relapses on LLC (Lewis lung cancer) tumor models, and significantly inhibit metastasis on 4T1 (murine breast cancer) tumor models. The underlying mechanism was also explored. It was discovered that this nanoplatform could induce a strong ICD effect and promote the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) including CRT, ATP, and HMGB1 by the dying tumor cells. And the CSP could assist the DAMPs in inducing the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and facilitate the intratumoral infiltration of T lymphocytes to clear up the residual or disseminated tumor cells. In summary, this study demonstrated that the DTX-loaded Zein/CSP-GTP/Fe^III is a promising nanoplatform to completely inhibit tumor metastasis and recurrence.

The crosstalk between sonodynamic therapy and autophagy in cancer

As a noninvasive treatment approach for cancer and other diseases, sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has attracted extensive attention due to the deep penetration of ultrasound, good focusing, and selective irradiation sites. However, intrinsic limitations of traditional sonosensitizers hinder the widespread application of SDT. With the development of nanotechnology, nanoparticles as sonosensitizers or as a vehicle to deliver sonosensitizers have been designed and used to target tissues or tumor cells with high specificity and accuracy. Autophagy is a common metabolic alteration in both normal cells and tumor cells. When autophagy happens, a double-membrane autophagosome with sequestrated intracellular components is delivered and fused with lysosomes for degradation. Recycling these cell materials can promote survival under a variety of stress conditions. Numerous studies have revealed that both apoptosis and autophagy occur after SDT. This review summarizes recent progress in autophagy activation by SDT through multiple mechanisms in tumor therapies, drug resistance, and lipid catabolism. A promising tumor therapy, which combines SDT with autophagy inhibition using a nanoparticle delivering system, is presented and investigated.

Naturally Equipped Urinary Exosomes Coated Poly (2−ethyl−2−oxazoline)−Poly (D, L−lactide) Nanocarriers for the Pre−Clinical Translation of Breast Cancer

Recently, biomimetic nanoparticles for tumor−targeted therapy have attracted intensifying interest. Although exosomes are an excellent biomimetic material, numerous challenges are still hindering its clinical applications, such as low yield, insufficient targeting efficiency, and high cost. In this work, urinary exosomes (UEs) with high expression of CD9 and CD47 were extracted from breast cancer patients by a non−invasive method. Here, a nanotechnology approach is reported for tumor homologous targeting via CD9 and phagocytosis escape via CD47 through UE−coated poly (2−ethyl−2−oxazoline)−poly (D, L−lactide) (PEOz−PLA) nanoparticles (UEPP NPs). The cytotoxic agent doxorubicin (DOX)−loaded UEPP (UEPP−D) NPs with an initial particle size of 61.5 nm showed a burst release under acidic condition mimicking the tumor microenvironment. In vitro experiments revealed that UEPP−D NPs exhibited significantly improved cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis in MCF−7 cell lines as compared to DOX−loaded PEOz−PLA nanoparticles (PP−D NPs) and free DOX. More importantly, anti−phagocytosis and pharmacokinetic studies confirmed that UEPP−D NPs had superior immune escape ability and significantly prolonged the drug’s bloodstream circulation in vivo. Finally, UEPP−D NPs showed a markedly higher antitumor efficacy and lower side−toxicity in MCF−7 tumor bearing nude mice model. Thus, this versatile nano−system with immune escape, homologous targeting, and rapid response release characteristics could be a promising tool for breast cancer treatment.

Astragalus polysaccharide: a review of its immunomodulatory effect

The Astragalus polysaccharide is an important bioactive component derived from the dry root of Astragalus membranaceus. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the research progress on the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide and provide valuable reference information. We review the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide on central and peripheral immune organs, including bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, and mucosal tissues. Furthermore, the immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide on a variety of immune cells is summarized. Studies have shown that Astragalus polysaccharide can promote the activities of macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and microglia and induce the expression of a variety of cytokines and chemokines. The immunomodulatory effect of Astragalus polysaccharide makes it promising for the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, infection, type 1 diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease. Among them, the anticancer effect is the most prominent. In short, Astragalus polysaccharide is a valuable immunomodulatory medicine, but further high-quality studies are warranted to corroborate its clinical efficacy.

Green synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles from Pholiota adiposa and their anticancer effects on hepatic carcinoma

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were successfully fabricated by Pholiota adiposa polysaccharide (PAP-1a) without employing any other chemicals. The physical and chemical properties of PAP-AuNPs were determined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In an attempt to analyze the immune regulation, antitumor effect, and biological safety, the production of NO and TNF-α, IL-12p70, and IL-1β from RAW264.7 as well as the proliferation of RAW264.7 were detected in vitro. Flow cytometry was conducted to determine the ratio of the CD4⁺/CD8⁺ cell in peripheral blood and immunohistochemical analysis involving hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) staining were conducted in vivo. The results of this study showed that PAP-AuNPs had a significantly improved immune regulation and anti-tumor effect in comparison to PAP-1a alone. PAP-AuNPs showed no toxicity both in vivo and in vitro. This study demonstrates a useful application of PAP-AuNPs as a novel nanomedicine for hepatic carcinoma.

Current Perspective in Cancer Theranostics Based on Gold Nanoparticles

The growth of nanotechnology has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, with high precision and effectiveness. Nanoparticles (NPs) represent a major point of attention in the scientific field, with an increasing number of studies revealing promising results. The unique physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and highly developed chemical properties of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have promoted breakthroughs in the cancer community, focusing on the therapeutic and diagnostic applications of cancer diagnosis and treatment. This perspective aims to summarize the latest research on multifunctional AuNPs as therapeutic diagnostic agents in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Several nanostructured hybrid AuNPs have been reviewed and their applications in imaging, targeting, therapy, and delivery have been discussed.

Metallic Nanoparticles for the Modulation of Tumor Microenvironment; A New Horizon

Cancer is one of the most critical human challenges which endangers many people’s lives every year with enormous direct and indirect costs worldwide. Unfortunately, despite many advanced treatments used in cancer clinics today, the treatments are deficiently encumbered with many side effects often encountered by clinicians while deploying general methods such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, or a combination thereof. Due to their low clinical efficacy, numerous side effects, higher economic costs, and relatively poor acceptance by patients, researchers are striving to find better alternatives for treating this life-threatening complication. As a result, Metal nanoparticles (Metal NPs) have been developed for nearly 2 decades due to their important therapeutic properties. Nanoparticles are quite close in size to biological molecules and can easily penetrate into the cell, so one of the goals of nanotechnology is to mount molecules and drugs on nanoparticles and transfer them to the cell. These NPs are effective as multifunctional nanoplatforms for cancer treatment. They have an advantage over routine drugs in delivering anticancer drugs to a specific location. However, targeting cancer sites while performing anti-cancer treatment can be effective in improving the disease and reducing its complications. Among these, the usage of these nanoparticles (NPs) in photodynamic therapy and sonodynamic therapy are notable. Herein, this review is aimed at investigating the effect and appliances of Metal NPs in the modulation tumor microenvironment which bodes well for the utilization of vast and emerging nanomaterial resources.

The anti-cancerous activity of adaptogenic herb Astragalus membranaceus

BACKGROUND

Cancer is the most dreadful disease increasing rapidly causing an economic burden globally. A standardized chemotherapy regimen planned with curative intent weakens the immune system and damages healthy cells making the patient prone to infections and severe side effects with pain and fatigue.

PURPOSE

Astragalus membranaceus (AM) has a long history of use in the treatment of severe adverse diseases. For thousands of years, it has been used in mixed herbal decoctions for the treatment of cancer. Due to growing interest in this plant root for its application to treat various types of cancers and tumors, has attracted researcher's interest.

METHOD

The literature search was done from core collections of electronic databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct using keywords given below and terms like pharmacological and phytochemical details of this plant.

OUTCOME

Astragalus membranaceus has demonstrated the ability to modulate the immune system during drug therapy making the patient physically fit and prolonged life. It has become a buzzword of herbalists as it is one of the best of seven important adaptogenic herbs with a protective effect against chronic stress and cancer. It demonstrated significant amelioration of the perilous toxic effects induced by concurrently administered chemo onco-drugs.

CONCLUSION

The natural phytoconstituents of this plant formononetin, astragalus polysaccharide, and astragalosides which show high potential anti-cancerous activity are studied and discussed in detail. One of them are used in clinical trials to overcome cancer related fatigue. Overall, this review aims to provide an insight into Astragalus membranaceus status in cancer therapy.

Cellular Uptake Pathways of Nanoparticles: Process of Endocytosis and Factors Affecting Their Fate

BACKGROUND

Efficient and controlled internalization of NPs into the cells depends on their physicochemical properties and dynamics of the plasma membrane. NPs-cell interaction is a complex process that decides the fate of NPs internalization through different endocytosis pathways.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to highlight the physicochemical properties of synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) and their interaction with the cellular-dynamics and pathways like phagocytosis, pinocytosis, macropinocytosis, clathrin, and caveolae-mediated endocytosis and the involvement of effector proteins domain such as clathrin, AP2, caveolin, Arf6, Cdc42, dynamin and cell surface receptors during the endocytosis process of NPs.

METHOD

An electronic search was performed to explore the focused reviews and research articles on types of endocytosis and physicochemical properties of nanoparticles and their impact on cellular internalizations. The search was limited to peer-reviewed journals in the PubMed database.

RESULTS

This article discusses in detail how different types of NPs and their physicochemical properties such as size, shape, aspect ratio, surface charge, hydrophobicity, elasticity, stiffness, corona formation, surface functionalization changes the pattern of endocytosis in the presence of different pharmacological blockers. Some external forces like a magnetic field, electric field, and ultrasound exploit the cell membrane dynamics to permeabilize them for efficient internalization with respect to fundamental principles of membrane bending and pore formation.

CONCLUSION

This review will be useful to attract and guide the audience to understand the endocytosis mechanism and their pattern with respect to physicochemical properties of NPs to improve their efficacy and targeting to achieve the impactful outcome in drug-delivery and theranostics applications.

Nanobiotechnology-enabled energy utilization elevation for augmenting minimally-invasive and noninvasive oncology thermal ablation

Depending on the local or targeted treatment, independence on tumor type and minimally-invasive and noninvasive feature, various thermal ablation technologies have been established, but they still suffer from the intractable paradox between safety and efficacy. It has been extensively accepted that improving energy utilization efficiency is the primary means of decreasing thermal ablation power and shortening ablation time, which is beneficial for concurrently improving both treatment safety and treatment efficiency. Recent efforts have been made to receive a significant advance in various thermal methods including non-invasive high-intensity focused ultrasound, minimally-invasive radiofrequency and microwave, and non-invasive and minimally-invasive photothermal ablation, and so on. Especially, various nanobiotechnologies and design methodologies were employed to elevate the energy utilization efficiency for acquiring unexpected ablation outcomes accompanied with tremendously reduced power and time. More significantly, some combined technologies, for example, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), gaseous therapy, sonodynamic therapy (SDT), immunotherapy, chemodynamic therapy (CDT), or catalytic nanomedicine, were used to assist these ablation means to repress or completely remove tumors. We discussed and summarized the ablation principles and energy transformation pathways of the four ablation means, and reviewed and commented the progress in this field including newly developed technology or new material types with a highlight on nanobiotechnology-inspired design principles, and provided the deep insights into the existing problems and development direction. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies.

Cytotoxicity and growth-inhibiting activity of Astragalus polysaccharides against breast cancer via the regulation of EGFR and ANXA1

Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) has been frequently used as an adjuvant agent responsible for its immunoregulatory activity to enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity of chemotherapy used in the management of breast cancer. However, the other synergism mechanism of APS remains unclear. This study was performed to evaluate the potential targets and possible mechanism behind APS in vivo direct anti-tumor activity on breast cancer. Multiple biological detections were conducted to investigate the protein and mRNA expression levels of key targets. In total, 116 down-regulated and 73 up-regulated differential expressed genes (DEGs) were examined from 7 gene expression datasets. Top ten hub genes were obtained in four typical protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs involved in each specific biological process (BP, cell cycle, cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and death) that was related to inhibitory activity of APS in vitro against breast cancer cell lines. Four common DEGs (EGFR, ANXA1, KIF14 and IGF1) were further identified in the above four BP-PPI networks, among which EGFR and ANXA1 were the hub genes that were potentially linked to the progression of breast cancer. The results of biological detections indicated that the expression of EGFR in breast cancer cells was down-regulated, while the expression of ANXA1 was markedly increased in response to APS. In conclusion, the present study may provide potential molecular therapeutic targets and a new insight into the mechanism of APS against breast cancer.

Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of gold nanorods assisted photothermal therapy against Ehrlich carcinoma in-vivo

AIM

Preparation of pegylated gold nanorods (PEG-AuNRs) that are capable of converting near infrared (NIR) light into heat. Evaluation of cancer therapeutic efficacy and long-term toxicity of the proposed photothermal therapy in comparison with other conventional modalities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Prepared PEG-AuNRs were characterized by measuring their absorption spectra, zeta potential, and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Cancer therapeutic efficacy was assessed by monitoring tumor growth, measuring DNA damage and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in addition to examining tumor histopathology. Further analysis concerning the toxicity of all the proposed treatment modalities was also assessed by evaluating the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in liver and kidney tissues.

KEY FINDINGS

The results demonstrated that both photothermal therapy (PEG-AuNRs + NIR laser) and chemotherapy (cisplatin) have higher efficacy in diminishing Ehrlich tumor growth with significance DNA damage over the other treatment modalities. Concerning the biosafety issue, mice treated photothermally exhibited lower MDA level and higher SOD activity in liver and kidney tissues compared with other treated groups. DNA damage represented by tail moment and olive moment of kidney tissues exhibited lower values for photothermal treated group and higher values for cisplatin treated group.

SIGNIFICANCE

Photothermal therapy (PEG-AuNRs + NIR laser) potentiates higher efficacy in treating Ehrlich tumor with minimum toxicity in comparison with other conventional treatment modalities.