Efficacy, biocompatibility and degradability of carbon nanoparticles for photothermal therapy of lung cancer

Tetherless Optical Neuromodulation: Wavelength from Orange-red to Mid-infrared

Optogenetics, a technique that employs light for neuromodulation, has revolutionized the study of neural mechanisms and the treatment of neurological disorders due to its high spatiotemporal resolution and cell-type specificity. However, visible light, particularly blue and green light, commonly used in conventional optogenetics, has limited penetration in biological tissue. This limitation necessitates the implantation of optical fibers for light delivery, especially in deep brain regions, leading to tissue damage and experimental constraints. To overcome these challenges, the use of orange-red and infrared light with greater tissue penetration has emerged as a promising approach for tetherless optical neuromodulation. In this review, we provide an overview of the development and applications of tetherless optical neuromodulation methods with long wavelengths. We first discuss the exploration of orange-red wavelength-responsive rhodopsins and their performance in tetherless optical neuromodulation. Then, we summarize two novel tetherless neuromodulation methods using near-infrared light: upconversion nanoparticle-mediated optogenetics and photothermal neuromodulation. In addition, we discuss recent advances in mid-infrared optical neuromodulation.

Strategies and Recent Advances on Improving Efficient Antitumor of Lenvatinib Based on Nanoparticle Delivery System

Lenvatinib (LVN) is a potentially effective multiple-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for treating hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic renal cell carcinoma and thyroid cancer. Nonetheless, poor pharmacokinetic properties including poor water solubility and rapid metabolic, complex tumor microenvironment, and drug resistance have impeded its satisfactory therapeutic efficacy. This article comprehensively reviews the uses of nanotechnology in LVN to improve antitumor effects. With the characteristic of high modifiability and loading capacity of the nano-drug delivery system, an active targeting approach, controllable drug release, and biomimetic strategies have been devised to deliver LVN to target tumors in sequence, compensating for the lack of passive targeting. The existing applications and advances of LVN in improving therapeutic efficacy include improving longer-term efficiency, achieving higher efficiency, combination therapy, tracking and diagnosing application and reducing toxicity. Therefore, using multiple strategies combined with photothermal, photodynamic, and immunoregulatory therapies potentially overcomes multi-drug resistance, regulates unfavorable tumor microenvironment, and yields higher synergistic antitumor effects. In brief, the nano-LVN delivery system has brought light to the war against cancer while at the same time improving the antitumor effect. More intelligent and multifunctional nanoparticles should be investigated and further converted into clinical applications in the future.

Nanotechnology-empowered lung cancer therapy: From EMT role in cancer metastasis to application of nanoengineered structures for modulating growth and metastasis

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in both males and females, and it is the first causes of cancer-related deaths. Chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy are conventional treatment of lung cancer and recently, immunotherapy has been also appeared as another therapeutic strategy for lung tumor. However, since previous treatments have not been successful in cancer therapy and improving prognosis and survival rate of lung tumor patients, new studies have focused on gene therapy and targeting underlying molecular pathways involved in lung cancer progression. Nanoparticles have been emerged in treatment of lung cancer that can mediate targeted delivery of drugs and genes. Nanoparticles protect drugs and genes against unexpected interactions in blood circulation and improve their circulation time. Nanoparticles can induce phototherapy in lung cancer ablation and mediating cell death. Nanoparticles can induce photothermal and photodynamic therapy in lung cancer. The nanostructures can impair metastasis of lung cancer and suppress EMT in improving drug sensitivity. Metastasis is one of the drawbacks observed in lung cancer that promotes migration of tumor cells and allows them to establish new colony in secondary site. EMT can occur in lung cancer and promotes tumor invasion. EMT is not certain to lung cancer and it can be observed in other human cancers, but since lung cancer has highest incidence rate, understanding EMT function in lung cancer is beneficial in improving prognosis of patients. EMT induction in lung cancer promotes tumor invasion and it can also lead to drug resistance and radio-resistance. Moreover, non-coding RNAs and pharmacological compounds can regulate EMT in lung cancer and EMT-TFs such as Twist and Slug are important modulators of lung cancer invasion that are discussed in current review.

Biological interactions of ferromagnetic iron oxide-carbon nanohybrids with alveolar epithelial cells

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have been largely investigated in a plethora of biological fields for their interesting physical-chemical properties, which make them suitable for application in cancer therapy, neuroscience, and imaging. Several encouraging results have been reported in these contexts. However, the possible toxic effects of some IONP formulations can limit their applicability. In this work, IONPs were synthesized with a carbon shell (IONP@C), providing enhanced stability both as colloidal dispersion and in the biological environment. We conducted a careful multiparametric evaluation of IONP@C biological interactions in vitro, providing them with an in vivo-like biological identity. Our hybrid nanoformulation showed no cytotoxic effects on a widely employed model of alveolar epithelial cells for a variety of concentrations and exposure times. The IONP@C were efficiently internalized and TEM analysis allowed the protective role of the carbon shell against intracellular degradation to be assessed. Intracellular redistribution of the IONP@C from the lysosomes to the lamellar bodies was also observed after 72 hours.

Molecular Aspects of the Interaction with Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteria of Hydrothermal Carbon Nanoparticles Associated with Bac8c2,5Leu Antimicrobial Peptide

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are widely studied as therapeutic agents due to their broad-spectrum efficacy against infections. However, their clinical use is hampered by the low in vivo bioavailability and systemic toxicity. Such limitations might be overcome by using appropriate drug delivery systems. Here, the preparation of a drug delivery system (DDS) by physical conjugation of an arginine-rich peptide and hydrothermal carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) has been explored, and its antimicrobial efficacy against Eschericia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus investigated in comparison with the unloaded carrier and the free peptide. The mechanism of interaction between CNPs and the bacteria was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and a combined dielectrophoresis-Raman spectroscopy method for real-time analysis. In view of a possible systemic administration, the effect of proteins on the stability of the DDS was investigated by using albumin as a model protein. The peptide was bounded electrostatically to the CNPs surface, establishing an equilibrium modulated by pH and albumin. The DDS exhibited antimicrobial activity toward the two bacterial strains, albeit lower as compared to the free peptide. The decrease in effectiveness toward E. coli was likely due to the rapid formation of a particle-induced extracellular matrix. The present results are relevant for the future development of hydrothermal CNPs as drug delivery agents of AMPs.