Magnetic albumin immuno-nanospheres as an efficient gene delivery system for a potential use in lung cancer: preparation, in vitro targeting and biological effect analysis

Inorganic nanocarriers for siRNA delivery for cancer treatments

RNA interference is one of the emerging methodologies utilized in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases including cancer. This method specifically uses therapeutic RNAs (TpRNAs) like small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to regulate/silence the cancer-linked genes, thereby minimizing the distinct activities of the cancer cells while aiding in their apoptosis. But, many complications arise during the transport/delivery of these TpRNAs that include poor systemic circulation, instability/degradation inside the body environment, no targeting capacity and also low cellular internalization. These difficulties can be overcome by using nanocarriers to deliver the TpRNAs inside the cancer cells. The following are the various categories of nanocarriers-viral vectors (e.g. lentivirus and adenovirus) and non-viral nanocarriers (self-assembling nanocarriers and inorganic nanocarriers). Viral vectors suffer from disadvantages like high immunogenicity compared to the non-viral nanocarriers. Among non-viral nanocarriers, inorganic nanocarriers gained significant attention as their inherent properties (like magnetic properties) can aid in the effective cellular delivery of the TpRNAs. Most of the prior reports have discussed about the delivery of TpRNAs through self-assembling nanocarriers; however very few have reviewed about their delivery using the inorganic nanoparticles. Therefore, in this review, we have mainly focussed on the delivery of TpRNAs-i.e. siRNA, especially programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), survivin, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), vascular endothelial growth factor and other siRNAs using the inorganic nanoparticles-mainly magnetic, metal and silica nanoparticles. Moreover, we have also discussed about the combined delivery of these TpRNAs along with chemotherapeutic drugs (mainly doxorubicin) andin vitroandin vivotherapeutic effectiveness.

Monoclonal antibody as a targeting mediator for nanoparticle targeted delivery system for lung cancer

Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer after breast cancer. It ranks first in terms of mortality rate among all types of cancer. Lung cancer therapies are still being developed, one of which makes use of nanoparticle technology. However, conjugation with specific ligands capable of delivering drugs more precisely to cancer sites is still required to enhance nanoparticle targeting performance. Monoclonal antibodies are one type of mediator that can actively target nanoparticles. Due to the large number of antigens on the surface of cancer cells, monoclonal antibodies are widely used to deliver nanoparticles and improve drug targeting to cancer cells. Unfortunately, these antibodies have some drawbacks, such as rapid elimination, which results in a short half-life and ineffective dose. As a result, many of them are formulated in nanoparticles to minimize their major drawbacks and enhance drug targeting. This review summarizes and discusses articles on developing and applying various types of monoclonal antibody ligand nanoparticles as lung cancer target drugs. This review will serve as a guide for the choice of nanoparticle systems containing monoclonal antibody ligands for drug delivery in lung cancer therapy.

Targeting Pulmonary Artery Infusion of Nuclear-Targeted Plasmid-Based Short Hairpin RNA (ShRNA) to Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α3 (pshHIF-1α3) Nano-Microspheres for Treatment of Implanted Lung Cancer in Rats

The pshHIF-1α3 stealth nanospheres have been studied if they have the function of arterial targeted drug delivery to provide a new arterial targeted drug delivery method for interventional therapy of lung cancer. The study is also aimed at exploring therapeutic effect of the checked drug delivery on lung cancer. The tested groups were designed as follows: Group I: blank control group (pulmonary artery perfusion of 0.5 mL 0.9% saline); group II: tail vein injection of pshHIF-1α3 nano-microsphere; group III: pshHIF-1α3 nano-microsphere pulmonary artery perfusion group. In vitro experiment assessed the effects of pulmonary artery perfusion of pshHIF-1α3 nanospheres on proliferation, apoptosis and colony forming ability of lung cancer A549 cells, which were all evaluated by using MTT method, flow cytometry and colony formation experiments, respectively. In vivo experiment tumor xenotransplantation was used to observe the effect of pulmonary artery perfusion of pshHIF-1α3 nanospheres on treatment of lung cancer. Both the In vivo pulmonary artery perfusion experiment and In vitro experiments in A549 cells confirmed that the pulmonary artery perfusion of pshHIF-1α3 nano-microspheres can inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer tissues and cells, promoting apoptosis and inhibiting migration, leading to enhanced therapeutic effect of lung cancer. One of characteristics of nanomaterials is their large surface area, high dispersion, specific adhesion, tumor-specific affinity and adhesion, thereby prolonging their circulation time in the body. Through aggregation of nanodrug delivery system in tumor cells, the local concentration of the drug is increased, thereby improving selectivity of chemotherapeutic drugs. The results from this study therefore suggest that pulmonary artery perfusion of pshHIF-1α3 may be used in arterial targeted drug delivery for treatment of lung cancer, providing a new and efficient targeted drug delivery arterial route for interventional therapy of lung cancer.

Serum Albumin Nanoparticles: Problems and Prospects

The present paper aims to summarize the results regarding serum albumin-based nanoparticles (NPs) for drug delivery purposes. In particular, it focuses on the relationship between their preparation techniques and synthesis parameters, as well as their successful clinical application. In spite of the huge amount of consumed material and immaterial sources and promising possibilities, products made from different types of albumin NPs, with the exception of a few, still have not been invented. In the present paper, promising applications of serum albumin nanoparticles (SANPs) for different biomedical purposes, such as carriers, delivery systems and contrast agents, are also discussed. The most frequent utilization of the NPs for certain diseases, i.e., cancer therapy, and future prospects are also detailed in this study.

Albumin Nanostructures for Nucleic Acid Delivery in Cancer: Current Trend, Emerging Issues, and Possible Solutions

Cancer is one of the major health problems worldwide, and hence, suitable therapies with enhanced efficacy and reduced side effects are desired. Gene therapy, involving plasmids, small interfering RNAs, and antisense oligonucleotides have been showing promising potential in cancer therapy. In recent years, the preparation of various carriers for nucleic acid delivery to the tumor sites is gaining attention since intracellular and extracellular barriers impart major challenges in the delivery of naked nucleic acids. Albumin is a versatile protein being used widely for developing carriers for nucleic acids. It provides biocompatibility, tumor specificity, the possibility for surface modification, and reduces toxicity. In this review, the advantages of using nucleic acids in cancer therapy and the challenges associated with their delivery are presented. The focus of this article is on the different types of albumin nanocarriers, such as nanoparticles, polyplexes, and nanoconjugates, employed to overcome the limitations of the direct use of nucleic acids in vivo. This review also highlights various approaches for the modification of the surface of albumin to enhance its transfection efficiency and targeted delivery in the tumor sites.

Microfluidic Synthesis of Vinblastine-Loaded Multifunctional Particles for Magnetically Responsive Controlled Drug Release

Vinblastine (VBL) is a major chemotherapeutic drug; however, in some cases, it may cause severe side effects in patients with cancer. Designing a novel VBL pharmaceutical formulation is a crucial and emerging concern among researchers for reducing the use of VBL. This study developed a stimuli-responsive controlled VBL drug release system from magnetically sensitive chitosan capsules. A magnetically responsive controlled drug release system was designed by embedding superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles (NPs) in a chitosan matrix and an external magnet. In addition, droplet microfluidics, which is a novel technique for producing polymer spheres, was used for manufacturing monodispersed chitosan microparticles. The prepared VBL and SPIO NPs-loaded chitosan microparticles were characterized and analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, a superconducting quantum interference device, and a biocompatibility test. The drug encapsulation efficiency was 67%-69%. The in vitro drug release test indicated that the VBL could be 100% released from chitosan composite particles in 80-130 min under magnetic stimulation. The pulsatile magnetically triggered tests showed individual and distinctive controlled release patterns. Thus, the timing and dose of VBL release was controllable by an external magnet. The results presume that using a magnetically responsive controlled drug release system offers a valuable opportunity for VBL drug delivery, where the delivery system is an active participant, rather than a passive vehicle, in the optimization of cancer treatment. The proposed actively targeted magnetic drug delivery system offers many advantages over conventional drug delivery systems by improving the precision and timing of drug release, easy operation, and higher compliance for pharmaceutical applications.

Study of the combined treatment of lung cancer using gene-loaded immunomagnetic albumin nanospheres in vitro and in vivo

Combination therapy for lung cancer has garnered widespread attention. Radiation therapy, gene therapy, and molecular targeted therapy for lung cancer have certain effects, but the disadvantages of these treatment methods are evident. Combining these methods can decrease their side effects and increase their curative effects. In this study, we constructed a pYr-ads-8-5HRE-cfosp-iNOS-IFNG plasmid (a gene circuit that can express IFNγ), which is a gene circuit, and used that plasmid together with C225 (cetuximab) to prepare gene-loaded immunomagnetic albumin nanospheres (IMANS). Moreover, we investigated the therapeutic effects of gene-loaded IMANS in combination with radiation therapy on human lung cancer in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that this gene circuit was successively constructed and confirmed that the expression of INFγ was increased due to the gene circuit. Gene-loaded IMANS combined with radiation therapy demonstrated improved results in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, gene-loaded IMANS enhanced the efficacy of combination therapy, solved problems related to gene transfer, and specifically targeted lung cancer cells.