Nifurtimox Inhibits the Progression of Neuroblastoma in vivo

Development and Characterization of Innovative Nifurtimox Formulations as Therapeutic Alternative for Chagas Disease

Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, remains a neglected tropical disease with limited and often suboptimal chemotherapeutic treatment options. The WHO recommends nifurtimox (NFX) for treating Chagas disease, which, although it is effective in the early stages of infection, has variable efficacy in the chronic phase and induces adverse effects that frequently compromise the continuity of the treatment. This study focused on the development and characterization of innovative lipid-based self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDSs) and poly(ε-caprolactone) implants containing NFX. The SEDDS formulations modified the NFX release extent and rate. The implant characterization included thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, thermo-optical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy, confirming the low interaction between NFX and the polymer. In vitro assays demonstrated the enhanced anti-T. cruzi activity of the NFX-SEDDS, with minimal cytotoxicity in mammalian cells. In vivo studies using T. cruzi-infected mice revealed that both formulations effectively suppressed parasitemia, achieving cure rates comparable to those of the standard oral NFX treatment. Additionally, the implants showed improved tolerability and sustained efficacy, delivering a prolonged effect equivalent to 40 oral doses. These findings highlight the potential of these innovative NFX formulations as promising alternatives for treating Chagas disease, particularly in the chronic phase, offering improved adherence and comparable efficacy to the existing therapies.

Antitumor Cream: Transdermal Hydrogel Containing Liposome-Encapsulated Ruthenium Complex for Infrared-Controlled Multimodal Synergistic Therapy

A transdermal drug delivery cream, which is non-invasive and painless, containing a liposome-encapsulated Ru(II) complex (LipoRu) is created for the treatment of skin cancer. This formulation capitalizes on the synergistic antitumor effects of two-photon excited photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and chemotherapy. LipoRu exhibits effective tumor accumulation, efficient cellular uptake, pH-sensitive and infrared-accelerated release, and dual localization to the nucleus and mitochondria. The released Ru(II) complexes within cells exert multiple antitumor mechanisms, such as DNA topoisomerase and RNA polymerase inhibition, Type I and II PDT, PTT, DNA photodamage, and apoptosis and ferroptosis induction. The biodistribution and therapeutic efficacy of LipoRu in vivo are systematically compared via three distinct administration routes: intratumoral injection, intravenous injection, and transdermal delivery through topical cream application. The positive therapeutic effects of the LipoRu cream fabricated here in subcutaneous tumor-bearing mice offer optimistic potential for the painless and non-invasive treatment of both early-stage and advanced skin cancers, as well as superficially located solid tumors.

SAR Study and Molecular Mechanism Investigation of Novel Naphthoquinone-furan-2-cyanoacryloyl Hybrids with Antitumor Activity

A series of novel naphthoquinone-furan-2-cyanoacryloyl hybrids were designed; they were synthesized and preliminarily evaluated for their anti-proliferative activities in vitro against several cancer cell lines and normal cells. The most potent compound, 5c, inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells (IC₅₀ value of 3.10 ± 0.02 μM) and colony survival, and it induced apoptosis while having relatively weaker effects on normal cells. Compound 5c also triggered ROS generation and accumulation, thus partially contributing to the observed cell apoptosis. A Western blotting analysis demonstrated that compound 5c inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3. Furthermore, a biolayer interferometry (BLI) analysis confirmed that compound 5c had a direct effect on STAT3, with a KD value of 13.0 μM. Molecular docking showed that 5c specifically occupied the subpockets in the SH2 domain, thereby blocking the whole transmission signaling process. Overall, this study provides an important structural reference for the development of effective antitumor agents.

Advances in pharmacotherapy for neuroblastoma

INTRODUCTION

Neuroblastoma is the most prevalent cancer type diagnosed within the first year after birth and accounts for 15% of deaths from pediatric cancer. Despite the improvements in survival rates of patients with neuroblastoma, the incidence of the disease has increased over the last decade. Neuroblastoma tumor cells harbor a vast range of variable and heterogeneous histochemical and genetic alterations which calls for the need to administer individualized and targeted therapies to induce tumor regression in each patient.

AREAS COVERED

This paper provides reviews the recent clinical trials which used chemotherapeutic and/or targeted agents as either monotherapies or in combination to improve the response rate in patients with neuroblastoma, and especially high-risk neuroblastoma. It also reviews some of the prominent preclinical studies which can provide the rationale for future clinical trials.

EXPERT OPINION

Although some distinguished advances in pharmacotherapy have been made to improve the survival rate and reduce adverse events in patients with neuroblastoma, a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, resistance to therapies or relapse, identifying biomarkers of response to each specific drug, and developing predictive preclinical models of the tumor can lead to further breakthroughs in the treatment of neuroblastoma.

Nifurtimox Hampered the Progression of Astroglioma In vivo Via Manipulating the AKT-GSK3β axis

BACKGROUND

Astroglioma, one major form of brain tumors, has remained principally tough to handle for decades, due to the complexity of tumor pathology and the poor response to chemo- and radio-therapies.

METHODS

Our previous study demonstrated that nifurtimox could regulate the signaling axis of AKT-GSK3β in various tumor types including the astroglioma U251 cells. Intriguingly, earlier case studies suggested that nifurtimox could possibly permeate the blood brain barrier and arrest neuroblastoma in the brain. These observations jointly encouraged us to explore whether nifurtimox would hinder the growth of astroglioma in vivo.

RESULTS

Our results exhibited that nifurtimox could competently hinder the development of astroglioma in the mouse brain as compared to temozolomide, the first line of drug for brain tumors. Meanwhile the surviving rate, as well as the body-weight was dramatically upregulated upon nifurtimox treatment, as compared to that of temozolomide. These findings offered nifurtimox as a better alternative drug in treating astroglioma in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Persistently, the manipulation of the signaling axis of AKT-GSK3β in astroglioma was found in line with earlier findings in neuroblastoma when treated with nifurtimox.

Molecular targeting therapies for neuroblastoma: Progress and challenges

There is an urgent need to identify novel therapies for childhood cancers. Neuroblastoma is the most common pediatric solid tumor, and accounts for ~15% of childhood cancer‐related mortality. Neuroblastomas exhibit genetic, morphological and clinical heterogeneity, which limits the efficacy of existing treatment modalities. Gaining detailed knowledge of the molecular signatures and genetic variations involved in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma is necessary to develop safer and more effective treatments for this devastating disease. Recent studies with advanced high‐throughput “omics” techniques have revealed numerous genetic/genomic alterations and dysfunctional pathways that drive the onset, growth, progression, and resistance of neuroblastoma to therapy. A variety of molecular signatures are being evaluated to better understand the disease, with many of them being used as targets to develop new treatments for neuroblastoma patients. In this review, we have summarized the contemporary understanding of the molecular pathways and genetic aberrations, such as those in MYCN, BIRC5, PHOX2B, and LIN28B, involved in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma, and provide a comprehensive overview of the molecular targeted therapies under preclinical and clinical investigations, particularly those targeting ALK signaling, MDM2, PI3K/Akt/mTOR and RAS‐MAPK pathways, as well as epigenetic regulators. We also give insights on the use of combination therapies involving novel agents that target various pathways. Further, we discuss the future directions that would help identify novel targets and therapeutics and improve the currently available therapies, enhancing the treatment outcomes and survival of patients with neuroblastoma.

Drug repurposing towards targeting cancer stem cells in pediatric brain tumors

In the pediatric population, brain tumors represent the most commonly diagnosed solid neoplasms and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. They include low-grade gliomas (LGGs), medulloblastomas (MBs), and other embryonal, ependymal, and neuroectodermal tumors. The mainstay of treatment for most brain tumors includes surgical intervention, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. However, resistance to conventional therapy is widespread, which contributes to the high mortality rates reported and lack of improvement in patient survival despite advancement in therapeutic research. This has been attributed to the presence of a subpopulation of cells, known as cancer stem cells (CSCs), which reside within the tumor bulk and maintain self-renewal and recurrence potential of the tumor. An emerging promising approach that enables identifying novel therapeutic strategies to target CSCs and overcome therapy resistance is drug repurposing or repositioning. This is based on using previously approved drugs with known pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics for indications other than their traditional ones, like cancer. In this review, we provide a synopsis of the drug repurposing methodologies that have been used in pediatric brain tumors, and we argue how this selective compilation of approaches, with a focus on CSC targeting, could elevate drug repurposing to the next level.