Crafting ɣ-L-Glutamyl-l-Cysteine layered Human Serum Albumin-nanoconstructs for brain targeted delivery of ropinirole to attenuate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury via "3A approach"

Protein-based nano delivery systems focusing on protein materials, fabrication strategies and applications in ischemic stroke intervention: A review

Ischemic stroke (IS), characterized by acute cerebral vascular occlusion and narrow therapeutic windows, poses formidable clinical challenges due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) restriction, reperfusion injury risks, and limited efficacy of conventional thrombolytic therapies. These hurdles necessitate advanced delivery systems capable of precise BBB penetration, remodeled circulation, and neuroprotection. Proteins and peptides emerge as universal biomaterials for constructing nano-delivery platforms, leveraging their biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, and receptor-specific targeting. This review systematically explores protein-based nanomaterials in stroke intervention, emphasizing material selection, fabrication strategies, and therapeutic applications. Various structural proteins are analyzed for their unique advantages in carrier design, while peptide modifications are highlighted for enhancing targeted delivery. Critical fabrication techniques are discussed to balance stability and functionality. Furthermore, the applications of protein-based nanomaterials in IS therapy are summarized. Advanced preparation and application of protein-based nanomaterials, from delivery vehicles to ligand modification, potentially prolong the therapeutic window for IS and provide effective neuroprotection.

Albumin-based nanoparticles: a potential and emerging oral drug delivery system

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this review is to elaborate current development and challenges of oral albumin nanoparticles, and realize their clinical application.

SIGNIFICANCE

Albumin is an emerging protein nanocarrier with a high degree of versatility, safety, stability, modifiability. These characteristics endow albumin nanoparticles with considerable attention and unique roles in drug delivery. However, most albumin nanoparticles are administered intravenously instead of orally, although oral administration is the most popular and common drug delivery route. Oral administration of albumin nanoparticles is their inevitable tendency, but researches referred to this area are still in infancy.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Given that, firstly, the basic properties of albumin nanoparticles, like preparation methods, drug loading strategies, targeted drug delivery, and clinical application were simply discussed to provide design guide for their oral administration. Subsequently, the functions and challenges of albumin nanoparticles in oral drug delivery, and strategies to overcome the barriers were highlighted. Finally, aiming to realize their clinical potentials, the possible future trends of orally administrated albumin nanoparticles were also elaborated.

CONCLUSIONS

In this review, albumin nanoparticles were comprehensively introduced, especially their functions and challenges in oral drug delivery, aiming to guide their design and development.

Enhanced nasal-to-brain drug delivery by multivalent bioadhesive nanoparticle clusters for cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury protection

Following cerebral ischemia, reperfusion injury can worsen ischemia-induced functional, metabolic disturbances, and pathological damage upon blood flow restoration, potentially leading to irreversible harm. Yet, there's a dearth of advanced, localized drug delivery systems ensuring active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) efficacy in cerebral protection during ischemia-reperfusion. This study introduces a multivalent bioadhesive nanoparticle-cluster, merging bioadhesive nanoparticles (BNPs) with dendritic polyamidoamine (PAMAM), enhancing nose-to-brain delivery and brain protection efficacy against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injuries (CIRI). The BNPs-PAMAM cluster exhibits superior adhesion within the rat nasal cavity, prolonged retention, enabling sustained drug release, cerebral transportation, and accumulation, resulting in enhanced intracerebral pharmacokinetic profile. Intranasal administration circumvents systemic delivery challenges, ensuring CIRI protection drugs reach ischemic areas pre-reperfusion, overcoming thrombus-related delays. Administering BNPs-PAMAM loaded with dexmedetomidine (DEX) pre-reperfusion effectively prevents neuron apoptosis by α2-adrenoceptor activation, modulating the ischemic microenvironment, exerting triple neuroprotective effects against cerebral reperfusion injury. Importantly, only therapeutic DEX releases and accumulates in the nasal cavity, averting brain nanomaterial toxicity, promising for repeat administrations. This study presents a translational platform for nasal-to-brain drug delivery in CNS disease treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Innovative Drug Delivery System: This study introduces a multivalent bioadhesive nanoparticle-cluster (BNPs-PAMAM) to enhance nasal-to-brain drug delivery for cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) treatment. Enhanced Retention and Efficacy: The BNPs-PAMAM system significantly improves drug retention in the nasal cavity and ensures sustained release, thereby enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of the neuroprotective agent dexmedetomidine (DEX). Blood-Brain Barrier Circumvention: By leveraging intranasal administration, the system bypasses the blood-brain barrier, delivering DEX directly to ischemic brain regions before reperfusion and minimizing systemic side effects. Triple Neuroprotective Effects for CIRI protection: DEX delivered via BNPs-PAMAM effectively reduces oxidative stress and inflammation while enhancing mitochondrial autophagy, providing comprehensive protection against neuronal damage.

Self-actuating inflammation responsive hydrogel microsphere formulation for controlled drug release in rheumatoid arthritis (RA): Animal trials and study in human fibroblast like synoviocytes (hFLS) of RA patients

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often have one or more painfuljoints despite adequate medicine. Local drug delivery to the synovial cavity bids for high drug concentration with minimal systemic adverse effects. However, anti-RA drugs show short half-lives in inflamed joints after intra-articular delivery. To improve the therapeutic efficacy, it is essential to ensure that a drug is only released from the formulation when it is needed. In this work, we developed an intelligent "Self-actuating" drug delivery system where Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic Drug (DMARD) methotrexate is incorporated within a matrix intended to be injected directly into joints. This formulation has the property to sense the need and release medication only when joints are inflamed in response to inflammatory enzyme Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). These enzymes are important proteases in RA pathology, and several MMP are present in augmented levels in synovial fluid and tissues. A high level of MMP present in synovial tissues of RA patients would facilitate the release of drugs in response and ascertain controlled drug release. The formulation is designed to be stable within the joint environment, but to dis-assemble in response to inflammation. The synthesized enzyme-responsive methotrexate (Mtx) encapsulated micron-sized polymer-lipid hybrid hydrogel microspheres (Mtx-PLHM) was physiochemically characterized and tested in synovial fluid, Human Fibroblast like synoviocytes (h-FLS) (derived from RA patients) and a rat arthritic animal model. Mtx-PLHM can self-actuate and augment the release of Mtx drug upon contact with either exogenously added MMP or endogenous MMP present in the synovial fluid of patients with RA. The drug release from the prepared formulation is significantly amplified to several folds in the presence of MMP-2 and MMP-9 enzymes. In the rat arthritic model, Mtx-PLHM showed promising therapeutic results with the significant alleviation of RA symptoms through decrease in joint inflammation, swelling, bone erosion, and joint damage examined by X-ray analysis, histopathology and immune-histology. This drug delivery system would be nontoxic as it releases more drug only during the period of exacerbation of inflammation. This will simultaneously protect patients from unwanted side effects when the disease is inactive and lower the need for repeated joint injections.

Revitalizing Ancient Mitochondria with Nano-Strategies: Mitochondria-Remedying Nanodrugs Concentrate on Disease Control

Mitochondria, widely known as the energy factories of eukaryotic cells, have a myriad of vital functions across diverse cellular processes. Dysfunctions within mitochondria serve as catalysts for various diseases, prompting widespread cellular demise. Mounting research on remedying damaged mitochondria indicates that mitochondria constitute a valuable target for therapeutic intervention against diseases. But the less clinical practice and lower recovery rate imply the limitation of traditional drugs, which need a further breakthrough. Nanotechnology has approached favorable regiospecific biodistribution and high efficacy by capitalizing on excellent nanomaterials and targeting drug delivery. Mitochondria-remedying nanodrugs have achieved ideal therapeutic effects. This review elucidates the significance of mitochondria in various cells and organs, while also compiling mortality data for related diseases. Correspondingly, nanodrug-mediate therapeutic strategies and applicable mitochondria-remedying nanodrugs in disease are detailed, with a full understanding of the roles of mitochondria dysfunction and the advantages of nanodrugs. In addition, the future challenges and directions are widely discussed. In conclusion, this review provides comprehensive insights into the design and development of mitochondria-remedying nanodrugs, aiming to help scientists who desire to extend their research fields and engage in this interdisciplinary subject.

Albumin conjugation promotes arsenic trioxide transport through alkaline phosphatase-associated transcytosis in MUC4 wildtype pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer (PC) has a poor prognosis due to chemotherapy resistance and unfavorable drug transportation. Albumin conjugates are commonly used as drug carriers to overcome these obstacles. However, membrane-bound glycoprotein mucin 4 (MUC4) has emerged as a promising biomarker among the genetic mutations affecting albumin conjugates therapeutic window. Human serum albumin-conjugated arsenic trioxide (HSA-ATO) has shown potential in treating solid tumors but is limited in PC therapy due to unclear targets and mechanisms. This study investigated the transport mechanisms and therapeutic efficacy of HSA-ATO in PC cells with different MUC4 mutation statuses. Results revealed improved penetration of ATO into PC tumors through conjugated with HSA. However, MUC4 mutation significantly affected treatment sensitivity and HSA-ATO uptake both in vitro and in vivo. Mutant MUC4 cells exhibited over ten times higher IC50 for HSA-ATO and approximately half the uptake compared to wildtype cells. Further research demonstrated that ALPL activation by HSA-ATO enhanced transcytosis in wildtype MUC4 PC cells but not in mutant MUC4 cells, leading to impaired uptake and weaker antitumor effects. Reprogramming the transport process holds potential for enhancing albumin conjugate efficacy in PC patients with different MUC4 mutation statuses, paving the way for stratified treatment using these delivery vehicles.