pH-sensitive doxorubicin-tocopherol succinate prodrug encapsulated in docosahexaenoic acid-based nanostructured lipid carriers: An effective strategy to improve pharmacokinetics and reduce toxic effects

Preclinical evaluation of L-fucoside from lapachol-loaded nanoemulsion as a strategy to breast cancer treatment

Breast cancer prevails as the most common cancer in women, underscoring an urgent need for more effective therapies. This study explores the potential of our newly developed nanoemulsion containing a novel fucoside derivative of lapachol (NE-F-LapA) as an intravenous treatment strategy. We sought to overcome the solubility issues associated with fucoside with this improved drug delivery strategy that enhances tumor delivery and mitigates other dose-limiting toxicities. Nanoemulsion was prepared and characterized by DLS, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and storage stability. Cytotoxicity against breast cancer cell lines (4T1 and MDA-MB-231) and non-tumor human fibroblasts (NTHF) were evaluated. In vivo assays included antitumoral activity performance and acute systemic toxicity in mice models. NE-F-LapA was synthesized and optimized to 200 nm size, - 20 mV zeta potential, and near-complete (>98%) drug encapsulation. Stability exceeded 6 months, and biological fluid exposure maintained suitable properties for administration. In vitro, NE-F-LapA showed high toxicity (3 µM) against 4T1 and MDA-MB-231, enhanced five times the breast cancer cell uptake and three times the selectivity when compared to normal cells. Systemic toxicity assessment in mice revealed no concerning hematological or biochemical changes. Finally, in a 4T1 breast tumor model, NE-F-LapA significantly inhibited growth by 50% of the subcutaneous 4T1 tumor and reduced lung metastases 5-fold versus control. Overall, tailored nanoemulsification of the lapachol derivative enabled effective intravenous administration and improved efficacy over the free drug, indicating promise for enhanced breast cancer therapy pending further optimization.

An Overview of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers and its Application in Drug Delivery through Different Routes

Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) are nano-sized colloidal drug delivery system that contains a lipid mixture consisting of both solid and liquid lipids in their core. This Lipid-Based Nanosystem is introduced as a biocompatible, non-toxic, and safe nano-drug delivery system as compared to polymeric or metallic nanoparticles. Due to its safety, stability, and high drug loading capacity compared to other lipid-based nanocarriers, NLC gained the attention of researchers to formulate safe and effective drug carriers. The ability to increase drug solubility and permeability while encapsulating the drug in a lipidic shell makes them an ideal carrier for drug delivery through difficult-to-achieve routes. Surface modification of NLC and the use of various additives result in drug targeting and increased residence time. With such qualities, NLCs can be used to treat a variety of diseases such as cancer, infections, neurodegenerative diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and pain management. This review focuses on the recent developments being made to deliver the drugs and genes through different routes via these nanocarriers. Here, we also discuss about historical background, structure, types of NLC and commonly employed techniques for manufacturing lipid-based nanocarriers.

Lipid-core nanoparticles: Classification, preparation methods, routes of administration and recent advances in cancer treatment

Nanotechnological drug delivery platforms represent a new paradigm for cancer therapeutics as they improve the pharmacokinetic profile and distribution of chemotherapeutic agents over conventional formulations. Among nanoparticles, lipid-based nanoplatforms possessing a lipid core, that is, lipid-core nanoparticles (LCNPs), have gained increasing interest due to lipid properties such as high solubilizing potential, versatility, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. However, due to the wide spectrum of morphologies and types of LCNPs, there is a lack of consensus regarding their terminology and classification. According to the current state-of-the-art in this critical review, LCNPs are defined and classified based on the state of their lipidic components in liquid lipid nanoparticles (LLNs). These include lipid nanoemulsions (LNEs) and lipid nanocapsules (LNCs), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLCs). In addition, we present a comprehensive and comparative description of the methods employed for their preparation, routes of administration and the fundamental role of physicochemical properties of LCNPs for efficient antitumoral drug-delivery application. Market available LCNPs, clinical trials and preclinical in vivo studies of promising LCNPs as potential treatments for different cancer pathologies are summarized.

Nanotechnology-enabled immunogenic cell death for improved cancer immunotherapy

Tumor immunotherapy has revolutionized the field of oncology treatments in recent years. As one of the promising strategies of cancer immunotherapy, tumor immunogenic cell death (ICD) has shown significant potential for tumor therapy. Nanoparticles are widely used for drug delivery due to their versatile characteristics, such as stability, slow blood elimination, and tumor-targeting ability. To increase the specificity of ICD inducers and improve the efficiency of ICD induction, functionally specific nanoparticles, such as liposomes, nanostructured lipid carriers, micelles, nanodiscs, biomembrane-coated nanoparticles and inorganic nanoparticles have been widely reported as the vehicles to deliver ICD inducers in vivo. In this review, we summarized the strategies of different nanoparticles for ICD-induced cancer immunotherapy, and systematically discussed their advantages and disadvantages as well as provided feasible strategies for solving these problems. We believe that this review will offer some insights into the design of effective nanoparticulate systems for the therapeutic delivery of ICD inducers, thus, promoting the development of ICD-mediated cancer immunotherapy.

Irinotecan-Loaded Polymeric Micelles as a Promising Alternative to Enhance Antitumor Efficacy in Colorectal Cancer Therapy

Colorectal cancer has been considered a worldwide public health problem since current treatments are often ineffective. Irinotecan is a frontline chemotherapeutic agent that has dose-limiting side effects that compromise its therapeutic potential. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a novel, targeted drug delivery system with high therapeutic efficacy and an improved safety profile. Here, micellar formulations composed of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethyleneglycol)-2000] (DSPE-mPEG_2k) containing irinotecan were proposed as a strategy for colorectal cancer therapy. Firstly, the irinotecan-loaded micelles were prepared using the solvent evaporation method. Then, micelles were characterized in terms of size, polydispersity, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and release kinetics. Cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor activity were evaluated. The micelles showed size around 13 nm, zeta potential near neutral (-0.5 mV), and encapsulation efficiency around 68.5% (irinotecan 3 mg/mL) with a sustained drug release within the first 8 h. The micelles were evaluated in a CT26 tumor animal model showing inhibition of tumor growth (89%) higher than free drug (68.7%). Body weight variation, hemolytic activity, hematological, and biochemical data showed that, at the dose of 7.5 mg/kg, the irinotecan-loaded micelles have low toxicity. In summary, our findings provide evidence that DSPE-mPEG_2k micelles could be considered potential carriers for future irinotecan delivery and their possible therapeutic application against colorectal cancer.

Nutraceutical-Based Nanoformulations for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Different strategies have been investigated for a more satisfactory treatment of advanced breast cancer, including the adjuvant use of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). These nutritional compounds have been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic activities, the capacity to affect transduction pathways/receptors involved in cell growth and to reprogram tumor microenvironment. Omega-3 PUFA-containing nanoformulations designed for drug delivery in breast cancer were shown to potentiate the effects of enclosed drugs, enhance drug delivery to target sites, and minimize drug-induced side effects. We have critically analyzed here the results of the most recent studies investigating the effects of omega-3 PUFA-containing nanoformulations in breast cancer. The anti-neoplastic efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs has also been convincingly demonstrated by using preclinical in vivo models of ovarian cancer. The results obtained are critically analyzed here and seem to provide a sufficient rationale to move to still lacking interventional clinical trials, as well as to evaluate possible advantages of enclosing omega-3 PUFAs to drug-delivery nanosystems for ovarian cancer. Future perspectives in this area are also provided.

Multifunctional green synthesized Cu-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles: anti-cancer and antibacterial activities

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent anti-cancer agent and there have been attempts in developing nanostructures for its delivery to tumor cells. The nanoparticles promote cytotoxicity of DOX against tumor cells and in turn, they reduce adverse impacts on normal cells. The safety profile of nanostructures is an important topic and recently, the green synthesis of nanoparticles has obtained much attention for the preparation of biocompatible carriers. In the present study, we prepared layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanostructures for doxorubicin (DOX) delivery. The Cu–Al LDH nanoparticles were synthesized by combining Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O and Al(NO₃)₃·9H₂O, and then, autoclave at 110. The green modification of LDH nanoparticles with Plantago ovata (PO) was performed and finally, DOX was loaded onto nanostructures. The FTIR, XRD, and FESEM were employed for the characterization of LDH nanoparticles, confirming their proper synthesis. The drug release study revealed the pH-sensitive release of DOX (highest release at pH 5.5) and prolonged DOX release due to PO modification. Furthermore, MTT assay revealed improved biocompatibility of Cu–Al LDH nanostructures upon PO modification and showed controlled and low cytotoxicity towards a wide range of cell lines. The CLSM demonstrated cellular uptake of nanoparticles, both in the HEK-293 and MCF-7 cell lines; however, the results were showed promising cellular internalizations to the HEK-293 rather than MCF-7 cells. The in vivo experiment highlighted the normal histopathological structure of kidneys and no side effects of nanoparticles, further confirming their safety profile and potential as promising nano-scale delivery systems. Finally, antibacterial test revealed toxicity of PO-modified Cu–Al LDH nanoparticles against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria.