Liposomal Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Loaded with Doxorubicin for Combined Chemo-Photothermal Cancer Therapy

Multifunctional hydrogels based on photothermal therapy: A prospective platform for the postoperative management of melanoma

Preventing the recurrence of melanoma after surgery and accelerating wound healing are among the most challenging aspects of melanoma management. Photothermal therapy has been widely used to treat tumors and bacterial infections and promote wound healing. Owing to its efficacy and specificity, it may be used for postoperative management of tumors. However, its use is limited by the uncontrollable distribution of photosensitizers and the likelihood of damage to the surrounding normal tissue. Hydrogels provide a moist environment with strong biocompatibility and adhesion for wound healing owing to their highly hydrophilic three-dimensional network structure. In addition, these materials serve as excellent drug carriers for tumor treatment and wound healing. It is possible to combine the advantages of both of these agents through different loading modalities to provide a powerful platform for the prevention of tumor recurrence and wound healing. This review summarizes the design strategies, research progress and mechanism of action of hydrogels used in photothermal therapy and discusses their role in preventing tumor recurrence and accelerating wound healing. These findings provide valuable insights into the postoperative management of melanoma and may guide the development of promising multifunctional hydrogels for photothermal therapy.

Construction Strategy of Functionalized Liposomes and Multidimensional Application

Liposomes are widely used in the biological field due to their good biocompatibility and surface modification properties. With the development of biochemistry and material science, many liposome structures and their surface functional components have been modified and optimized one by one, pushing the liposome platform from traditional to functionalized and intelligent, which will better satisfy and expand the needs of scientific research. However, a main limiting factor effecting the efficiency of liposomes is the complicated environmental conditions in the living body. Currently, in order to overcome the above problem, functionalized liposomes have become a very promising strategy. In this paper, binding strategies of liposomes with four main functional elements, namely nucleic acids, antibodies, peptides, and stimuli-responsive motif have been summarized for the first time. In addition, based on the construction characteristics of functionalized liposomes, such as drug-carrying, targeting, long-circulating, and stimulus-responsive properties, a comprehensive overview of their features and respective research progress are presented. Finally, the paper critically presents the limitations of these functionalized liposomes in the current applications and also prospectively suggests the future development directions, aiming to accelerate realization of their industrialization.

An alternative hybrid lipid nanosystem combining cytotoxic and magnetic properties as a tool to potentiate antitumor effect of 5-fluorouracil

AIMS

Colorectal cancer is the third most frequent type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The majority of cases are diagnosed at a later stage, leading to the need for more aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), known for its high cytotoxic properties has emerged as a chemotherapeutic agent. However, it presents several drawbacks such as lack of specificity and short half-life. To reduce these drawbacks, several strategies have been designed namely chemical modification or association to drug delivery systems.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Current research was focused on the design, physicochemical characterization and in vitro evaluation of a lipid-based system loaded with 5-FU. Furthermore, aiming to maximize preferential targeting and release at tumour sites, a hybrid lipid-based system, combining both therapeutic and magnetic properties was developed and validated. For this purpose, liposomes co-loaded with 5-FU and iron oxide (II, III) nanoparticles were accomplished.

KEY FINDINGS

The characterization of the developed nanoformulation was performed in terms of incorporation parameters, mean size and surface charge. In vitro studies assessed in a murine colon cancer cell line confirmed that 5-FU antiproliferative activity was preserved after incorporation in liposomes. In same model, iron oxide (II, III) nanoparticles did not exhibit cytotoxic properties. Additionally, the presence of these nanoparticles was shown to confer magnetic properties to the liposomes, allowing them to respond to external magnetic fields.

SIGNIFICANCE

Overall, a lipid nanosystem loading a chemotherapeutic agent displaying magnetic characteristics was successfully designed and physicochemically characterized, for further in vivo applications.

Innovations in Breaking Barriers: Liposomes as Near-Perfect Drug Carriers in Ischemic Stroke Therapy

Liposomes, noted for their tunable particle size, surface customization, and varied drug delivery capacities, are increasingly acknowledged in therapeutic applications. These vesicles exhibit surface flexibility, enabling the incorporation of targeting moieties or peptides to achieve specific targeting and avoid lysosomal entrapment. Internally, their adaptable architecture permits the inclusion of a broad spectrum of drugs, contingent on their solubility characteristics. This study thoroughly reviews liposome fabrication, surface modifications, and drug release mechanisms post-systemic administration, with a particular emphasis on drugs crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to address lesions. Additionally, the review delves into recent developments in the use of liposomes in ischemic stroke models, offering a comparative evaluation with other nanocarriers like exosomes and nano-micelles, thereby facilitating their clinical advancement.

Targeted cancer treatment using folate-conjugated sponge-like ZIF-8 nanoparticles: a review

ZIF-8 (zeolitic imidazolate framework-8) is a potential drug delivery system because of its unique properties, which include a large surface area, a large pore capacity, a large loading capacity, and outstanding stability under physiological conditions. ZIF-8 nanoparticles may be readily functionalized with targeting ligands for the identification and absorption of particular cancer cells, enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic medicines and reducing adverse effects. ZIF-8 is also pH-responsive, allowing medication release in the acidic milieu of cancer cells. Because of its tunable structure, it can be easily functionalized to design cancer-specific targeted medicines. The delivery of ZIF-8 to cancer cells can be facilitated by folic acid-conjugation. Hence, it can bind to overexpressed folate receptors on the surface of cancer cells, which holds the promise of reducing unwanted deliveries. As a result of its importance in cancer treatment, the folate-conjugated ZIF-8 was the major focus of this review.

Dissolved metal ions and mineral-liposome hybrid systems: Underlying interactions, synthesis, and characterization

Liposomes are versatile lipid-based vesicles with interesting physicochemical properties, making them excellent candidates for interdisciplinary applications in the medicinal, biological, and environmental sciences. The synthesis of mineral-liposome hybrid systems lends normally inert vesicles with the catalytic, magnetic, electrical, and optical properties of the integrated mineral species. Such applications require an understanding of the physicochemical interactions between organic molecules and inorganic crystal structures. This review provides an overview on these interactions and details on synthesis and characterization methods for these systems.

Reduction of Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity by Co-Administration of Smart Liposomal Doxorubicin and Free Quercetin: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Doxorubicin is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents; however, it has various side effects, such as cardiotoxicity. Therefore, novel methods are needed to reduce its adverse effects. Quercetin is a natural flavonoid with many biological activities. Liposomes are lipid-based carriers widely used in medicine for drug delivery. In this study, liposomal doxorubicin with favorable characteristics was designed and synthesized by the thin-film method, and its physicochemical properties were investigated by different laboratory techniques. Then, the impact of the carrier, empty liposomes, free doxorubicin, liposomal doxorubicin, and quercetin were analyzed in animal models. To evaluate the interventions, measurements of cardiac enzymes, oxidative stress and antioxidant markers, and protein expression were performed, as well as histopathological studies. Additionally, cytotoxicity assay and cellular uptake were carried out on H9c2 cells. The mean size of the designed liposomes was 98.8 nm, and the encapsulation efficiency (EE%) was about 85%. The designed liposomes were anionic and pH-sensitive and had a controlled release pattern with excellent stability. Co-administration of liposomal doxorubicin with free quercetin to rats led to decreased weight loss, creatine kinase (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and malondialdehyde (MDA), while it increased the activity of glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase enzymes in their left ventricles. Additionally, it changed the expression of NOX1, Rac1, Rac1-GTP, SIRT3, and Bcl-2 proteins, and caused tissue injury and cell cytotoxicity. Our data showed that interventions can increase antioxidant capacity, reduce oxidative stress and apoptosis in heart tissue, and lead to fewer complications. Overall, the use of liposomal doxorubicin alone or the co-administration of free doxorubicin with free quercetin showed promising results.

Study on Doxorubicin Loading on Differently Functionalized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Implications for Controlled Drug-Delivery Application

Nanoplatforms applied for the loading of anticancer drugs is a cutting-edge approach for drug delivery to tumors and reduction of toxic effects on healthy cells. In this study, we describe the synthesis and compare the sorption properties of four types of potential doxorubicin-carriers, in which iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) are functionalized with cationic (polyethylenimine, PEI), anionic (polystyrenesulfonate, PSS), and nonionic (dextran) polymers, as well as with porous carbon. The IONs are thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), SEM, magnetic susceptibility, and the zeta-potential measurements in the pH range of 3-10. The degree of doxorubicin loading at pH 7.4, as well as the degree of desorption at pH 5.0, distinctive to cancerous tumor environment, are measured. Particles modified with PEI were shown to exhibit the highest loading capacity, while the greatest release at pH 5 (up to 30%) occurs from the surface of magnetite decorated with PSS. Such a slow release of the drug would imply a prolonged tumor-inhibiting action on the affected tissue or organ. Assessment of the toxicity (using Neuro2A cell line) for PEI- and PSS-modified IONs showed no negative effect. In conclusion, the preliminary evaluation of the effects of IONs coated with PSS and PEI on the rate of blood clotting was carried out. The results obtained can be taken into account when developing new drug delivery platforms.

Recent Metal Nanotheranostics for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy: A Review

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in using nanoparticles in the medical sciences. Today, metal nanoparticles have many applications in medicine for tumor visualization, drug delivery, and early diagnosis, with different modalities such as X-ray imaging, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), etc., and treatment with radiation. This paper reviews recent findings of recent metal nanotheranostics in medical imaging and therapy. The study offers some critical insights into using different types of metal nanoparticles in medicine for cancer detection and treatment purposes. The data of this review study were gathered from multiple scientific citation websites such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up through the end of January 2023. In the literature, many metal nanoparticles are used for medical applications. However, due to their high abundance, low price, and high performance for visualization and treatment, nanoparticles such as gold, bismuth, tungsten, tantalum, ytterbium, gadolinium, silver, iron, platinum, and lead have been investigated in this review study. This paper has highlighted the importance of gold, gadolinium, and iron-based metal nanoparticles in different forms for tumor visualization and treatment in medical applications due to their ease of functionalization, low toxicity, and superior biocompatibility.

Access to the CNS: Strategies to overcome the BBB

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) limits the access of substances to the central nervous system (CNS) which hinders the treatment of pathologies affecting the brain and the spinal cord. Nowadays, research is focus on new strategies to overcome the BBB and can treat the pathologies affecting the CNS are needed. In this review, the different strategies that allow and increase the access of substances to the CNS are analysed and extended commented, not only invasive strategies but also non-invasive ones. The invasive techniques include the direct injection into the brain parenchyma or the CSF and the therapeutic opening of the BBB, while the non-invasive techniques include the use of alternative routes of administration (nose-to-brain route), the inhibition of efflux transporters (as it is important to prevent the drug efflux from the brain and enhance the therapeutic efficiency), the chemical modification of the molecules (prodrugs and chemical drug delivery systems (CDDS)) and the use of nanocarriers. In the future, knowledge about nanocarriers to treat CNS diseases will continue to increase, but the use of other strategies such as drug repurposing or drug reprofiling, which are cheaper and less time consuming, may limit its transfer to society. The main conclusion is that the combination of different strategies may be the most interesting approach to increase the access of substances to the CNS.