Near-Infrared Light-Triggered Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species and Induction of Local Hyperthermia from Indocyanine Green Encapsulated Mesoporous Silica-Coated Graphene Oxide for Colorectal Cancer Therapy

High Carbonyl Graphene Oxide Suppresses Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration by Inducing Ferroptosis via the System Xc-/GSH/GPX4 Axis

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is characterized by a high rate of both incidence and mortality, and its treatment outcomes are often affected by recurrence and drug resistance. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent programmed cell death mechanism triggered by lipid peroxidation, has recently gained attention as a potential therapeutic target. Graphene oxide (GO), known for its oxygen-containing functional groups, biocompatibility, and potential for functionalization, holds promise in cancer treatment. However, its role in ferroptosis induction in CRC remains underexplored. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of High Carbonyl Graphene Oxide (HC-GO) on ferroptosis in CRC and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

In vitro assays were conducted to evaluate the impact of HC-GO on CRC cell proliferation, mitochondrial function, iron accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1 was used to confirm the role of ferroptosis in HC-GO's anti-tumor effects. In vivo, the anti-tumor activity of HC-GO was assessed in a CRC xenograft model, with organ toxicity evaluated.

RESULTS

HC-GO significantly inhibited CRC cell proliferation, induced mitochondrial damage, and enhanced iron accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and ROS production. It also downregulated the ferroptosis-inhibiting proteins GPX4 and SLC7A11, which were reversed by Fer-1, confirming the involvement of ferroptosis in HC-GO's anti-cancer effects. In vivo, HC-GO significantly suppressed tumor growth without noticeable toxicity to vital organs.

CONCLUSIONS

HC-GO triggered ferroptosis in CRC cells by suppressing the System Xc-/GSH/GPX4 pathway, providing a novel therapeutic strategy for CRC treatment. These findings suggest HC-GO as a promising nanomedicine for clinical application, warranting further investigation to explore its potential in CRC therapy.

Prussian blue-decorated indocyanine green-loaded mesoporous silica nanohybrid for synergistic photothermal-photodynamic-chemodynamic therapy against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Nanomaterial-based synergistic antibacterial agents are considered as promising tools to combat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Herein, multifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN)-based nanocomposites were fabricated for synergistic photothermal/photodynamic/chemodynamic therapy against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MSN loaded with indocyanine green (ICG) as a core, while Prussian blue (PB) nanostructure was decorated on MSN surface via in situ growth method to form a core-shell nanohybrid (MSN-ICG@PB). Upon a near infrared (NIR) laser excitation, MSN-ICG@PB (200 μg mL-1) exhibited highly efficient singlet oxygen (1O2) generation and hyperthermia effect (48.7℃). In the presence of exogenous H2O2, PB with peroxidase-like activity promoted the generation of toxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH) to achieve chemodynamic therapy (CDT). PTT can greatly increase the permeability of bacterial lipid membrane, facilitating the generated 1O2 and •OH to kill bacteria more efficiently. Under NIR irradiation and exogenous H2O2, MSN-ICG@PB (200 μg mL-1) with good biocompatibility exhibited a synergistic antibacterial effect against MRSA with high bacterial killing efficiency (>98 %). Moreover, due to the synergistic bactericidal mechanism, MSN-ICG@PB with satisfactory biosafety makes it a promising antimicrobial agent to fight against MRSA.

The application of graphene oxide and ferroptosis in the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer: a narrative review

Background and Objective

Colorectal cancer (CRC), a leading global malignancy, continues to challenge the medical community. Despite advancements in surgical, chemotherapeutic, radiation, targeted, and immunotherapeutic strategies, issues like resistance and side effects persist. This review illuminates the potential of ferroptosis, an emerging non-apoptotic cell death form, and graphene oxide (GO), with its distinctive physicochemical properties, in CRC therapy.

Methods

The databases search included PubMed, Medline and Web of Science. Search terms focused on CRC, graphene, GO, ferroptosis, and related aspects in therapy and drug delivery. The time frame for literature retrieval was up to April 2024. Studies in languages other than English were excluded.

Key Content and Findings

Ferroptosis has been recognized for its role in addressing treatment resistance, a notable hurdle in effective CRC management. This form of cell death offers a promising avenue for enhancing the effectiveness of existing treatments. However, understanding its mechanisms and clinical implications in CRC remains an area of active research, with significant progress required for its practical application. Simultaneously, GO, a versatile two-dimensional material, has demonstrated substantial potential in biomedical applications, especially in cancer therapy. Its high specific surface area and unique π-electron domains facilitate the effective binding of chemotherapy drugs, target genes, and photosensitizers. This makes GO a promising candidate in cancer diagnosis and treatment, particularly through tumor photothermal and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Despite these advancements, GO's clinical application faces challenges, including in vitro cytotoxicity and decreased biodegradability, necessitating further research.

Conclusions

This review focuses on the characteristics of GO and ferroptosis, as well as their applications in tumor diagnosis and treatment, with a particular emphasis on their potential in CRC.

Graphene-Based Nanomaterials for Photothermal Therapy in Cancer Treatment

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNMs), specifically graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), have shown great potential in cancer therapy owing to their physicochemical properties. As GO and rGO strongly absorb light in the near-infrared (NIR) region, they are useful in photothermal therapy (PTT) for cancer treatment. However, despite the structural similarities of GO and rGO, they exhibit different influences on anticancer treatment due to their different photothermal capacities. In this review, various characterization techniques used to compare the structural features of GO and rGO are first outlined. Then, a comprehensive summary and discussion of the applicability of GBNMs in the context of PTT for diverse cancer types are presented. This discussion includes the integration of PTT with secondary therapeutic strategies, with a particular focus on the photothermal capacity achieved through near-infrared irradiation parameters and the modifications implemented. Furthermore, a dedicated section is devoted to studies on hybrid magnetic-GBNMs. Finally, the challenges and prospects associated with the utilization of GBNM in PTT, with a primary emphasis on the potential for clinical translation, are addressed.

Indocyanine Green (ICG) and Colorectal Surgery: A Literature Review on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods of Usage

Background: Due to its many benefits, indocyanine green (ICG) has gained progressive popularity in operating rooms (ORs) globally. This literature review examines its qualitative and quantitative usage in surgical treatment. Method: Relevant terms were searched in five international databases (1. Pubmed, 2. Sciencedirect, 3. Scopus, 4. Oxfordjournals, 5. Reaxys) for a comprehensive literature review. The main benefits of using ICG in colorectal surgery are: intraoperative fluorescence angiography; fluorescence-guided lymph node involvement detection and the sentinel technique; the fluorescent emphasis of a minute liver tumour, counting just 200 tumour cells; facilitation of fistula diagnosis; and tumour tattooing. This methodology can also be used with quantitative characteristics such as maximum intensity, relative maximum intensity, and in-flow parameters such as time-to-peak, slope, and t1/2max. This article concludes that fluorescence surgery with ICG and near-infrared (NIR) light is a relatively new technology that improves anatomical and functional information, allowing more comprehensive and safer tumour removal and the preservation of important structures.

Injectable Nano Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed type of cancer, with 2.26 million cases and 685,000 deaths recorded in 2020. If left untreated, this deadly disease can metastasize to distant organs, which is the reason behind its incurability and related deaths. Currently, conventional therapies are used to treat breast cancer, but they have numerous shortcomings such as low bioavailability, short circulation time, and off-target toxicity. To address these challenges, nanomedicines are preferred and are being extensively investigated for breast cancer treatment. Nanomedicines are novel drug delivery systems that can improve drug stability, aqueous solubility, blood circulation time, controlled release, and targeted delivery at the tumoral site and enhance therapeutic safety and effectiveness. Nanoparticles (NPs) can be administered through different routes. Although the injectable route is less preferred than the oral route for drug administration, it has its advantages: it helps tailor drugs with targeted moiety, boosts payload, avoids first-pass metabolism, and improves the pharmacokinetic parameters of the active pharmaceutical ingredients. Targeted delivery of nanomedicine, closer to organelles such as the mitochondria and nuclei in breast cancer, reduces the dosage requirements and the toxic effects of chemotherapeutics. This review aims to provide the current status of the recent advances in various injectable nanomedicines for targeted treatment of breast cancer.

Antioxidant, Enzyme, and H2O2-Triggered Melanoma Targeted Mesoporous Organo-Silica Nanocomposites for Synergistic Cancer Therapy

The multi-stimuli responsive drug delivery system has recently attracted attention in cancer treatments, since it can reduce several side effects and enhance cancer therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we present the intracellular antioxidant (glutathione, GSH), enzyme (hyaluronidase, HAase), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) triggered mesoporous organo-silica (MOS) nanocomposites for multi-modal treatments via chemo-, photothermal, and photodynamic cancer therapies. A MOS nanoparticle was synthesized by two-types of precursors, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and bis[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl] tetrasulfide (BTES), providing large-sized mesopores and disulfide bonds cleavable by GSH. Additionally, we introduced a new β-cyclodextrin-hyaluronic acid (CDHA) gatekeeper system, enabling nanocomposites to form the specific interaction with the ferrocene (Fc) molecule, control the drug release by the HAase and H2O2 environment, as well as provide the targeting ability against the CD44-overexpressing melanoma (B16F10) cells. Indocyanine green (ICG) and doxorubicin (Dox) were loaded in the MOS-Fc-CDHA (ID@MOS-Fc-CDHA) nanocomposites, allowing for hyperthermia and cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) under an 808 nm NIR laser irradiation. Therefore, we demonstrated that the ID@MOS-Fc-CDHA nanocomposites were internalized to the B16F10 cells via the CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis, showing the controlled drug release by GSH, HAase, and H2O2 to enhance the cancer therapeutic efficacy via the synergistic chemo-, photothermal, and photodynamic therapy effect.

Multimodal Imaging and Phototherapy of Cancer and Bacterial Infection by Graphene and Related Nanocomposites

The advancements in nanotechnology and nanomedicine are projected to solve many glitches in medicine, especially in the fields of cancer and infectious diseases, which are ranked in the top five most dangerous deadly diseases worldwide by the WHO. There is great concern to eradicate these problems with accurate diagnosis and therapies. Among many developed therapeutic models, near infra-red mediated phototherapy is a non-invasive technique used to invade many persistent tumors and bacterial infections with less inflammation compared with traditional therapeutic models such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgeries. Herein, we firstly summarize the up-to-date research on graphene phototheranostics for a better understanding of this field of research. We discuss the preparation and functionalization of graphene nanomaterials with various biocompatible components, such as metals, metal oxides, polymers, photosensitizers, and drugs, through covalent and noncovalent approaches. The multifunctional nanographene is used to diagnose the disease with confocal laser scanning microscopy, magnetic resonance imaging computed tomography, positron emission tomography, photoacoustic imaging, Raman, and ToF-SMIS to visualize inside the biological system for imaging-guided therapy are discussed. Further, treatment of disease by photothermal and photodynamic therapies against different cancers and bacterial infections are carefully conferred herein along with challenges and future perspectives.

Smart Nanoparticles for Breast Cancer Treatment Based on the Tumor Microenvironment

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in women. There are different risk characteristics and treatment strategies for different subtypes of BC. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is of great significance for understanding the occurrence, development, and metastasis of tumors. The TME plays an important role in all stages of BC metastasis, immune monitoring, immune response avoidance, and drug resistance, and also plays an important role in the diagnosis, prevention, and prognosis of BC. Smart nanosystems have broad development prospect in the regulation of the BC drug delivery based on the response of the TME. In particular, TME-responsive nanoparticles cleverly utilize the abnormal features of BC tissues and cells to achieve targeted transport, stable release, and improved efficacy. We here present a review of the mechanisms underlying the response of the TME to BC to provide potential nanostrategies for future BC treatment.