Co-delivery of D-(KLAKLAK)2 Peptide and Chlorin e6 using a Liposomal Complex for Synergistic Cancer Therapy

Paracrine Factors Released from Tonsil-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Inhibit Proliferation of Hematological Cancer Cells Under Hyperthermia in Co-culture Model

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising biological therapeutic candidates in cancer treatment. As a source of MSCs, palatine tonsil tissue is one of the secondary lymphoid organs that form an essential part of the immune system, and the relation between the secondary lymphoid organs and cancer progression leads us to investigate the effect of tonsil-derived MSCs (T-MSC) on cancer treatment. We aimed to determine the anti-tumoral effects of T-MSCs cultured at the febrile temperature (40 °C) on hematological cancer cell lines. The co-culture of cancer cells with T-MSCs was carried out under fever and normal culture conditions, and then the cell viability was determined by cell counting. In addition, apoptosis rate and cell cycle arrest were determined by flow cytometry. We confirmed the apoptotic effect of T-MSC co-culture at the transcriptional level by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We found that co-culture of cancer cells with T-MSCs significantly decreased the viable cell number under the febrile and normal culture conditions. Besides, the T-MSC co-culture induced apoptosis on K562 and MOLT-4 cells and induced the cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase on MOLT-4 cells. The apoptotic effect of T-MSC co-culture under febrile stimulation was confirmed at the transcriptional level. Our study has highlighted the anti-tumoral effect of the cellular interaction between the T-MSCs and human hematological cancer cells during in vitro co-culture under hyperthermia.

Putting a "C60 Ball" and Chain to Chlorin e6 Improves Its Cellular Uptake and Photodynamic Performances

Chlorin e6 (Ce6) and fullerene (C60) are among the most used photosensitizers (PSs) for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Through the combination of the chemical and photophysical properties of Ce6 and C60, in principle, we can obtain an "ideal" photosensitizer that is able to bypass the limitations of the two molecules alone, i.e., the low cellular uptake of Ce6 and the scarce solubility and absorption in the red region of the C60. Here, we synthesized and characterized a Ce6-C60 dyad. The UV-Vis spectrum of the dyad showed the typical absorption bands of both fullerene and Ce6, while a quenching of Ce6 fluorescence was observed. This behavior is typical in the formation of a fullerene-antenna system and is due to the intramolecular energy, or electron transfer from the antenna (Ce6) to the fullerene. Consequently, the Ce6-C60 dyad showed an enhancement in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Flow cytometry measurements demonstrated how the uptake of the Ce6 was strongly improved by the conjugation with C60. The Ce6-C60 dyad exhibited in A431 cancer cells low dark toxicity and a higher PDT efficacy than Ce6 alone, due to the enhancement of the uptake and the improvement of ROS generation.

Effects of PEG-Linker Chain Length of Folate-Linked Liposomal Formulations on Targeting Ability and Antitumor Activity of Encapsulated Drug

Introduction

Ligand-conjugated liposomes are promising for the treatment of specific receptor-overexpressing cancers. However, previous studies have shown inconsistent results because of the varying properties of the ligand, presence of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating on the liposome, length of the linker, and density of the ligand.

Methods

Here, we prepared PEGylated liposomes using PEG-linkers of various lengths conjugated with folate and evaluated the effect of the PEG-linker length on the nanoparticle distribution and pharmacological efficacy of the encapsulated drug both in vitro and in vivo.

Results

When folate was conjugated to the liposome surface, the cellular uptake efficiency in folate receptor overexpressed KB cells dramatically increased compared to that of the normal liposome. However, when comparing the effect of the PEG-linker length in vitro, no significant difference between the formulations was observed. In contrast, the level of tumor accumulation of particles in vivo significantly increased when the length of the PEG-linker was increased. The tumor size was reduced by >40% in the Dox/FL-10K-treated group compared to that in the Dox/FL-2K- or 5K-treated groups.

Discussion

Our study suggests that as the length of PEG-linker increases, the tumor-targeting ability can be enhanced under in vivo conditions, which can lead to an increase in the antitumor activity of the encapsulated drug.

Soft nano and microstructures for the photomodulation of cellular signaling and behavior

Photoresponsive soft materials are everywhere in the nature, from human's retina tissues to plants, and have been the inspiration for engineers in the development of modern biomedical materials. Light as an external stimulus is particularly attractive because it is relatively cheap, noninvasive to superficial biological tissues, can be delivered contactless and offers high spatiotemporal control. In the biomedical field, soft materials that respond to long wavelength or that incorporate a photon upconversion mechanism are desired to overcome the limited UV-visible light penetration into biological tissues. Upon light exposure, photosensitive soft materials respond through mechanisms of isomerization, crosslinking or cleavage, hyperthermia, photoreactions, electrical current generation, among others. In this review, we discuss the most recent applications of photosensitive soft materials in the modulation of cellular behavior, for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, in drug delivery and for phototherapies.

Emerging concepts in designing next-generation multifunctional nanomedicine for cancer treatment

Nanotherapy has emerged as an improved anticancer therapeutic strategy to circumvent the harmful side effects of chemotherapy. It has been proven to be beneficial to offer multiple advantages, including their capacity to carry different therapeutic agents, longer circulation time and increased therapeutic index with reduced toxicity. Over time, nanotherapy evolved in terms of their designing strategies like geometry, size, composition or chemistry to circumvent the biological barriers. Multifunctional nanoscale materials are widely used as molecular transporter for delivering therapeutics and imaging agents. Nanomedicine involving multi-component chemotherapeutic drug-based combination therapy has been found to be an improved promising approach to increase the efficacy of cancer treatment. Next-generation nanomedicine has also utilized and combined immunotherapy to increase its therapeutic efficacy. It helps in targeting tumor immune response sparing the healthy systemic immune function. In this review, we have summarized the progress of nanotechnology in terms of nanoparticle designing and targeting cancer. We have also discussed its further applications in combination therapy and cancer immunotherapy. Integrating patient-specific proteomics and biomarker based information and harnessing clinically safe nanotechnology, the development of precision nanomedicine could revolutionize the effective cancer therapy.

LncRNA GACAT3: A Promising Biomarker and Therapeutic Target in Human Cancers

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of functional RNA molecules that do not encode proteins and are composed of more than 200 nucleotides. LncRNAs play important roles in epigenetic and gene expression regulation. The oncogenic lncRNA GACAT3 was recently discovered to be dysregulated in many tumors. Aberrant expression of GACAT3 contributes to clinical characteristics and regulates multiple oncogenic processes. The association of GACAT3 with a variety of tumors makes it a promising biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapy. In this review, we integrate the current understanding of the pathological features, biological functions, and molecular mechanisms of GACAT3 in cancer. Additionally, we provide insight into the utility of GACAT3 as an effective diagnostic and prognostic marker for specific tumors, which offers novel opportunities for targeted therapeutic intervention.

Membrane-disruptive peptides/peptidomimetics-based therapeutics: Promising systems to combat bacteria and cancer in the drug-resistant era

Membrane-disruptive peptides/peptidomimetics (MDPs) are antimicrobials or anticarcinogens that present a general killing mechanism through the physical disruption of cell membranes, in contrast to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, which act on precise targets such as DNA or specific enzymes. Owing to their rapid action, broad-spectrum activity, and mechanisms of action that potentially hinder the development of resistance, MDPs have been increasingly considered as future therapeutics in the drug-resistant era. Recently, growing experimental evidence has demonstrated that MDPs can also be utilized as adjuvants to enhance the therapeutic effects of other agents. In this review, we evaluate the literature around the broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and anticancer activity of MDPs, and summarize the current development and mechanisms of MDPs alone or in combination with other agents. Notably, this review highlights recent advances in the design of various MDP-based drug delivery systems that can improve the therapeutic effect of MDPs, minimize side effects, and promote the co-delivery of multiple chemotherapeutics, for more efficient antimicrobial and anticancer therapy.

Development of AE147 Peptide-Conjugated Nanocarriers for Targeting uPAR-Overexpressing Cancer Cells

Purpose

An AE147 peptide-conjugated nanocarrier based on PEGylated liposomes was developed in order to target the metastatic tumors overexpressing urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), which cancer progression via uPA signaling. Therefore, the AE147 peptide-conjugated nanocarrier system may hold the potential for active targeting of metastatic tumors.

Methods

The AE147 peptide, an antagonist of uPAR, was conjugated to the PEGylated liposomes for targeting metastatic tumors overexpressing uPAR. Docetaxel (DTX), an anticancer drug, was incorporated into the nanocarriers. The structure of the AE147-conjugated nanocarrier, its physicochemical properties, and in vivo biodistribution were evaluated.

Results

The DTX-loaded nanocarrier showed a spherical structure, a high drug-loading capacity, and a high colloidal stability. Drug carrying AE147 conjugates were actively taken up by the uPAR-overexpressing MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. In vivo animal imaging confirmed that the AE147-conjugated nanoparticles effectively accumulated at the sites of tumor metastasis.

Conclusion

The AE147-nanocarrier showed potential for targeting metastatic tumor cells overexpressing uPAR and as a nanomedicine platform for theragnosis applications. These results suggest that this novel nano-platform will facilitate further advancements in cancer therapy.

Multi-Functional Liposome: A Powerful Theranostic Nano-Platform Enhancing Photodynamic Therapy

Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) has promising advantages in almost non-invasion, low drug resistance, and low dark toxicity, it still suffers from limitations in the lipophilic nature of most photosensitizers (PSs), short half-life of PS in plasma, poor tissue penetration, and low tumor specificity. To overcome these limitations and enhance PDT, liposomes, as excellent multi-functional nano-carriers for drug delivery, have been extensively studied in multi-functional theranostics, including liposomal PS, targeted drug delivery, controllable drug release, image-guided therapy, and combined therapy. This review provides researchers with a useful reference in liposome-based drug delivery.

Peptide-based combination nanoformulations for cancer therapy

Research in cancer therapy is moving towards the use of biomolecules in combination with conventional approaches for improved disease outcome. Among the biomolecules explored, peptides are strong contenders due to their small size, high specificity, low systemic toxicity and wide inter/intracellular targets. The use of nanoformulations for such combination approaches can lead to further improvement in efficacy by reducing off-target cytotoxicity, increasing circulation time, tumor penetration and accumulation. This review focuses on nanodelivery systems for peptide-based combinations with chemo, immuno, radiation and hormone therapy. It gives an overview of the latest therapeutic research being conducted using combination nanoformulations with anticancer peptides, cell penetrating/tumor targeting peptides, peptide nanocarriers, peptidomimetics, peptide-based hormones and peptide vaccines. The challenges hindering clinical translation are also discussed.

Magnetic nanoparticles for hyperthermia in cancer treatment: an emerging tool

Cancer remains as the major cause of death worldwide. The main reason why available therapies fail is that a vicious cycle in established which initiates multiple pathways and recurrence after metastasis. Hyperthermic treatment, which involves heating tumor tissues to a moderate temperature of 40-43 °C, has emerged as an effective strategy for treating tumors. This method is highly efficient at destroying tumor cells and does not induce the side effects of conventional cancer treatments. On the other hand, hyperthermic treatment method can be co-administered with conventional treatments. Nanotechnology had created huge opportunities in almost all areas of research, including the field of hyperthermic treatment. The utilization of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) offers functionalities not possible using conventional magnetic materials. In this review, we detail recent developments and applications of MNPs for hyperthermic treatment and discuss future possibilities.

Cancer nanomedicine: focus on recent developments and self-assembled peptide nanocarriers

The applications of nanoparticulate drug delivery have received abundant interest in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment.