Gold Nanoparticles for Targeting Varlitinib to Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Prospect of Gold Nanoparticles in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is characterized by its notably poor prognosis and high mortality rate, underscoring the critical need for advancements in its diagnosis and therapy. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), with their distinctive physicochemical characteristics, demonstrate significant application potential in cancer therapy. For example, upon exposure to lasers of certain wavelengths, they facilitate localized heating, rendering them extremely effective in photothermal therapy. Additionally, their extensive surface area enables the conjugation of therapeutic agents or targeting molecules, increasing the accuracy of drug delivery systems. Moreover, AuNPs can serve as radiosensitizers, enhancing the efficacy of radiotherapy by boosting the radiation absorption in tumor cells. Here, we systematically reviewed the application and future directions of AuNPs in the diagnosis and treatment of PC. Although AuNPs have advantages in improving diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy, as well as minimizing damage to normal tissues, concerns about their potential toxicity and safety need to be comprehensively evaluated.

Exploration of inorganic nanoparticles for revolutionary drug delivery applications: a critical review

The nanosystems for delivering drugs which have evolved with time, are being designed for greater drug efficiency and lesser side-effects, and are also complemented by the advancement of numerous innovative materials. In comparison to the organic nanoparticles, the inorganic nanoparticles are stable, have a wide range of physicochemical, mechanical, magnetic, and optical characteristics, and also have the capability to get modified using some ligands to enrich their attraction towards the molecules at the target site, which makes them appealing for bio-imaging and drug delivery applications. One of the strong benefits of using the inorganic nanoparticles-drug conjugate is the possibility of delivering the drugs to the affected cells locally, thus reducing the side-effects like cytotoxicity, and facilitating a higher efficacy of the therapeutic drug. This review features the direct and indirect effects of such inorganic nanoparticles like gold, silver, graphene-based, hydroxyapatite, iron oxide, ZnO, and CeO2 nanoparticles in developing effective drug carrier systems. This article has remarked the peculiarities of these nanoparticle-based systems in pulmonary, ocular, wound healing, and antibacterial drug deliveries as well as in delivering drugs across Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB) and acting as agents for cancer theranostics. Additionally, the article sheds light on the plausible modifications that can be carried out on the inorganic nanoparticles, from a researcher's perspective, which could open a new pathway.

Advances and Prospects in the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant and incurable disease, characterized by its aggressive nature and high fatality rate. The most common type is pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which has poor prognosis and high mortality rate. Current treatments for pancreatic cancer mainly encompass surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and combination regimens. However, despite efforts to improve prognosis, and the 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer remains very low. Therefore, it's urgent to explore novel therapeutic approaches. With the rapid development of therapeutic strategies in recent years, new ideas have been provided for treating pancreatic cancer. This review expositions the advancements in nano drug delivery system, molecular targeted drugs, and photo-thermal treatment combined with nanotechnology for pancreatic cancer. It comprehensively analyzes the prospects of combined drug delivery strategies for treating pancreatic cancer, aiming at a deeper understanding of the existing drugs and therapeutic approaches, promoting the development of new therapeutic drugs, and attempting to enhance the therapeutic effect for patients with this disease.

Activities against Lung Cancer of Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles: A Review

Nanomedicine is an interdisciplinary field where nanostructured objects are applied to treat or diagnose disease. Nanoparticles (NPs) are a special class of materials at nanometric scale that can be prepared from lipids, polymers, or noble metals through bottom-up approaches. Biological synthesis is a reliable, sustainable, and non-toxic bottom-up method that uses phytochemicals, microorganisms, and enzymes to induce the reduction of metal ions into NPs. Silver (Ag) NPs exhibit potent therapeutic properties that can be exploited to overcome the limitations of current treatment modalities for human health issues such as lung cancer (LC). Here, we review the preparation of AgNPs using biological synthesis and their application against LC using in vitro and in vivo models. An overview of the staging, diagnosis, genetic mutations, and treatment of LC, as well as its main subtypes, is presented. A summary of the reaction mechanisms of AgNPs using microbial cell cultures, plant extracts, phytochemicals, and amino acids is included. The use of capping agents in the biosynthesis of AgNPs with anticancer activity is also detailed. The history and biological activities of metal-based nanostructures synthesized with gold, copper, palladium, and platinum are considered. The possible anticancer mechanisms of AgNPs against LC models are covered. Our perspective about the future of AgNPs in LC treatment and nanomedicine is added.

Synthesis of Small Peptide Nanogels Using Radiation Crosslinking as a Platform for Nano-Imaging Agents for Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems (DDS) have been developed as effective diagnostic and low-dose imaging agents. Nano-imaging agents with particles greater than 100 nm are difficult to accumulate in pancreatic cancer cells, making high-intensity imaging of pancreatic cancer challenging. Peptides composed of histidine and glycine were designed and synthesized. Additionally, aqueous peptide solutions were irradiated with γ-rays to produce peptide nanogels with an average size of 25-53 nm. The mechanisms underlying radiation-mediated peptide crosslinking were investigated by simulating peptide particle formation based on rate constants. The rate constants for reactions between peptides and reactive species produced by water radiolysis were measured using pulse radiolysis. HGGGHGGGH (H9, H-histidine; G-glycine) particles exhibited a smaller size, as well as high formation yield, stability, and biodegradability. These particles were labeled with fluorescent dye to change their negative surface potential and enhance their accumulation in pancreatic cancer cells. Fluorescent-labeled H9 particles accumulated in PANC1 human pancreatic cancer cells, demonstrating that these particles are effective nano-imaging agents for intractable cancers.

Nanocarriers Based on Gold Nanoparticles for Epigallocatechin Gallate Delivery in Cancer Cells

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are inorganic and biocompatible nanovehicles capable of conjugating biomolecules to enhance their efficacy in cancer treatment. The high and reactive surface area provides good advantages for conjugating active compounds. Two approaches were developed in this work to improve the Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) antioxidant efficacy. AuNPs were synthesized by reducing gold salt with chitosan. One other nanosystem was developed by functionalizing AuNPs with cysteamine using the Turkevitch method. The physico-chemical characterization of EGCG conjugated in the two nanosystems-based gold nanoparticles was achieved. The in vitro toxic effect induced by the nanoconjugates was evaluated in pancreatic cancer cells, showing that encapsulated EGCG keeps its antioxidant activity and decreasing the BxPC3 cell growth. A significant cell growth inhibition was observed in 50% with EGCG concentrations in the range of 2.2 and 3.7 μM in EGCG-ChAuNPs and EGCG-Cyst-AuNPs nanoconjugates, respectively. The EGCG alone had to be present at 23 μM to induce the same cytotoxicity response. Caspase-3 activity assay demonstrated that the conjugation of EGCG induces an enhancement of BxPC3 apoptosis compared with EGCG alone. In conclusion, AuNPs complexes can be used as delivery carriers to increase EGCG antioxidant activity in cancer tissues.

Ligand Ratio Plays a Critical Role in the Design of Optimal Multifunctional Gold Nanoclusters for Targeted Gastric Cancer Therapy

Nanodrug delivery systems (NDDSs) based on water-soluble and atomically precise gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are under the spotlight due to their great potential in cancer theranostics. Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most aggressive cancers with a low early diagnosis rate, with drug therapy being the primary means to overcome its increasing incidence. In this work, we designed and characterized a set of 28 targeted nanosystems based on Au₁₄₄(p-MBA)₆₀ (p-MBA = para-mercaptobenzoic acid) nanocluster to be potentially employed as combination therapy in GC treatment. The proposed multifunctional AuNCs are functionalized with cytotoxic drugs (5-fluorouracil and epirubicin) or inhibitors of different signaling pathways (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)) and RGD peptides as targeting ligands, and we studied the role of ligand ratio in their optimal structural conformation using peptide-protein docking and all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results reveal that the peptide/drug ratio is a crucial factor influencing the potential targeting ability of the nanosystem. The most convenient features were observed when the peptide amount was favored over the drug in most cases; however, we demonstrated that the system composition and the intermolecular interactions on the ligand shell are crucial for achieving the desired effect. This approach helps guide the experimental stage, providing essential information on the size and composition of the nanosystem at the atomic level for ligand tuning in order to increase the desired properties.

Recent Advances in Nanoparticle-Mediated Diagnosis and the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC), one of the most lethal solid tumors in humans, has a five-year survival rate of only 4%. Surgical treatment is the only accepted therapy with curative intent because the vast majority of these tumors are chemoresistant. Unfortunately, due to the aggressive nature of these tumors, fewer than 20% are resectable when the first symptoms occur. Novel therapies are required to overcome all these therapeutic issues, and the development of active nanocarriers represents an exciting opportunity to improve PC outcomes. The present review focuses on recent advances in the field of nanotechnology with application in PC treatment.

In vitro and in vivo Anti-Tumor Effects of Pan-HER Inhibitor Varlitinib on Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Lines

Background

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a slowly progressing but highly aggressive malignancy. Targeting the HER protein family represents a potential therapeutic strategy for CCA treatment. The pan-HER inhibitor varlitinib is being developed for the treatment of breast cancer, gastric cancer, and biliary tract cancer, which includes CCA. This study aims to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of varlitinib on CCA using both in vitro and in vivo models.

Materials and Methods

HER family expression profiles and the cytotoxic activity of varlitinib were determined in CCA cell lines (KKU-214, KKU-213, KKU-156 and KKU-100) and cholangiocyte (MMNK-1). Anti-proliferation and apoptosis induction were examined in KKU-214 and KKU-100 cell lines. A combination of varlitinib with PI3K inhibitor, BKM-120, was explored for efficacy in the KKU-100 cell line. In addition, the anti-tumor activity of varlitinib on CCA and the key metabolites were evaluated in tumor tissues from CCA xenograft model.

Results

Elevated expressions of EGFR and HER2 were observed in KKU-214 and KKU-100 cells and varlitinib can suppress CCA cell growth in the micromolar range. Varlitinib inhibits cell proliferation and enhances cell death via the suppression of Akt and Erk1/2 activity in the KKU-214 cell line. While KKU-100 cells showed a poor response to varlitinib, a combination of varlitinib with BKM-120 improved anti-tumor activity. Varlitinib can significantly suppress tumor growth in the CCA xenograft model after oral administration for 15 days without noticeable toxicity, and aspartate can be the key metabolite to correlate with varlitinib response.

Conclusion

Our study indicates that varlitinib is a promising therapeutic agent for CCA treatment via the inhibition of EGFR/HER2. The anti-tumor effect of varlitinib on CCA also showed synergism in combination with PI3K inhibition. Aspartate metabolite level was correlated with varlitinib response. Combination of varlitinib with targeted drug or cytotoxic drug was recommended.

Docetaxel-Loaded Disulfide Cross-Linked Nanoparticles Derived from Thiolated Sodium Alginate for Colon Cancer Drug Delivery

In this study, fluorescein-labelled wheat germ agglutinin (fWGA)-conjugated disulfide cross-linked sodium alginate nanoparticles were developed to specifically target docetaxel (DTX) to colon cancer cells. Different amounts of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) were covalently attached to sodium alginate to form thiolated sodium alginate (MPA1-5). These polymers were then self-assembled and air-oxidised to form disulfide cross-linked nanoparticles (MP1-5) under sonication. DTX was successfully loaded into the resulting MP1-5 to form DTX-loaded nanoparticles (DMP1-5). DMP2 had the highest loading efficiency (17.8%), thus was chosen for fWGA surface conjugation to form fWGA-conjugated nanoparticles (fDMP2) with a conjugation efficiency of 14.1%. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses showed spherical nanoparticles, and an in vitro drug release study recorded a cumulative drug release of 48.6%. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis revealed a mean diameter (MD) of 289 nm with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.3 and a zeta potential of -2.2 mV for fDMP2. HT-29 human colon cancer cells treated with fDMP2 showed lower viability than that of L929 mouse fibroblast cells. These results indicate that fDMP2 was efficiently taken up by HT-29 cells (29.9%). Fluorescence and confocal imaging analyses also showed possible internalisation of nanoparticles by HT-29 cells. In conclusion, fDMP2 shows promise as a DTX carrier for colon cancer drug delivery.

Doxorubicin and Varlitinib Delivery by Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles Against Human Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

The aim of this study was to develop drug delivery nanosystems based on pegylated gold nanoparticles (PEGAuNPs) for a combination against pancreatic cancer cells. Doxorubicin and varlitinib, an anthracycline and a tyrosine kinase inhibitor respectively, were conjugated with gold nanoparticles. The systems were characterized, after synthesis, regarding their size, stability and morphology. An efficient conjugation of doxorubicin and varlitinib with PEGAuNPs was revealed. The cytotoxicity effect induced by the combination of the nanoconjugates was investigated in pancreatic cancer cell lines. Doxorubicin and varlitinib conjugated with PEGAuNPs revealed a combined effect to decrease the cell survival of the cancer line S2-013s, while reducing the drugs' toxicity for the healthy pancreatic cells hTERT-HPNE. This study highlights the promising potential of PEGAuNPs for targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs into human cells, enhancing the antitumor growth-inhibition effect on cancer cells, and decreasing the toxicity against normal cells. In cancer therapy, the present approach based on PEGAuNP functionalization can be further explored to increase drug targeting efficiency and to reduce side effects.

Vapreotide-mediated hierarchical mineralized Ag/Au nanoshells for photothermal anti-tumor therapy

A new type of vapreotide-templated Ag/Au bimetallic nanoshells (Vap@Ag/AuNSs) were successfully designed and fabricated based on polypeptide-directed mineralization and hierarchical self-assembly mechanisms under mild synthetic conditions. The nanoparticles with polypeptides serving as a core and coated Ag/Au bimetallic nanoshells exhibit diverse advantages, such as excellent biocompatibility, tumor targeting and low-cost. The Vap@Ag/AuNSs share excellent dispersibility, uniform size (120 nm) and a positive zeta potential (36.74 ± 4.49 mV), hence they easily accumulate in negatively charged tumor tissue. The results of thermal imaging, temperature variation assays and photothermal conversion efficiency (41.6%) indicated that Vap@Ag/AuNSs have excellent photothermal conversion capability. Based on their photothermal response, as well as biocompatibility determined by MTT assay, the prominent anti-tumor effects of Vap@Ag/AuNSs have been verified by fluorescein diacetate staining. Therefore, Vap@Ag/AuNSs are novel and promising candidates for photothermal tumor therapy.