Plant derived edible nanoparticles as a new therapeutic approach against diseases

Edible Ginger-derived Nano-lipids Loaded with Doxorubicin as a Novel Drug-delivery Approach for Colon Cancer Therapy

The use of nanotechnology for drug delivery has shown great promise for improving cancer treatment. However, potential toxicity, hazardous environmental effects, issues with large-scale production, and potential excessive costs are challenges that confront their further clinical applications. Here, we describe a nanovector made from ginger-derived lipids that can serve as a delivery platform for the therapeutic agent doxorubicin (Dox) to treat colon cancer. We created nanoparticles from ginger and reassembled their lipids into ginger-derived nanovectors (GDNVs). A subsequent characterization showed that GDNVs were efficiently taken up by colon cancer cells. Viability and apoptosis assays and electric cell-substrate impedance-sensing technology revealed that GDNVs exhibited excellent biocompatibility up to 200 μmol/l; by contrast, cationic liposomes at the same concentrations decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. GDNVs were capable of loading Dox with high efficiency and showed a better pH-dependent drug-release profile than commercially available liposomal-Dox. Modified GDNVs conjugated with the targeting ligand folic acid mediated targeted delivery of Dox to Colon-26 tumors in vivo and enhanced the chemotherapeutic inhibition of tumor growth compared with free drug. Current experiments explore the feasibility of producing nature-derived nanoparticles that are effective as a treatment vehicle while potentially attenuating the issues related to traditional synthetic nanoparticles.

Edible ginger-derived nanoparticles: A novel therapeutic approach for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and colitis-associated cancer

There is a clinical need for new, more effective treatments for chronic and debilitating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In this study, we characterized a specific population of nanoparticles derived from edible ginger (GDNPs 2) and demonstrated their efficient colon targeting following oral administration. GDNPs 2 had an average size of ∼230 nm and exhibited a negative zeta potential. These nanoparticles contained high levels of lipids, a few proteins, ∼125 microRNAs (miRNAs), and large amounts of ginger bioactive constituents (6-gingerol and 6-shogaol). We also demonstrated that GDNPs 2 were mainly taken up by intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and macrophages, and were nontoxic. Using different mouse colitis models, we showed that GDNPs 2 reduced acute colitis, enhanced intestinal repair, and prevented chronic colitis and colitis-associated cancer (CAC). 2D-DIGE/MS analyses further identified molecular target candidates of GDNPs 2 involved in these mouse models. Oral administration of GDNPs 2 increased the survival and proliferation of IECs and reduced the pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β), and increased the anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 and IL-22) in colitis models, suggesting that GDNPs 2 has the potential to attenuate damaging factors while promoting the healing effect. In conclusion, GDNPs 2, nanoparticles derived from edible ginger, represent a novel, natural delivery mechanism for improving IBD prevention and treatment with an added benefit of overcoming limitations such as potential toxicity and limited production scale that are common with synthetic nanoparticles.

Introduction for the special issue on recent advances in drug delivery across tissue barriers

This special issue of Tissue Barriers contains a series of reviews with the common theme of how biological barriers established at epithelial tissues limit the uptake of macromolecular therapeutics. By improving our functional understanding of these barriers, the majority of the authors have highlighted potential strategies that might be applied to the non-invasive delivery of biopharmaceuticals that would otherwise require an injection format for administration. Half of the articles focus on the potential of particular technologies to assist oral delivery of peptides, proteins and other macromolecules. These include use of prodrug chemistry to improve molecule stability and permeability, and the related potential for oral delivery of poorly permeable agents by cell-penetrating peptides and dendrimers. Safety aspects of intestinal permeation enhancers are discussed, along with the more recent foray into drug-device combinations as represented by intestinal microneedles and externally-applied ultrasound. Other articles highlight the crossover between food research and oral delivery based on nanoparticle technology, while the final one provides a fascinating interpretation of the physiological problems associated with subcutaneous insulin delivery and how inefficient it is at targeting the liver.