Academic collaborative models fostering the translation of physiological in vitro systems from basic research into drug discovery

Anticancer properties of Cirsium vulgare (Savi) ten. Dry extracts from different plant parts and phenological stages of Raw material collection

This study explores the anticancer potential of Cirsium vulgare dry extracts in human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) and gastric carcinoma (KATO III) cell lines using both traditional 2D monolayer models and advanced 3D spheroid systems. Cell viability was assessed via the MTT assay, while the influence on cell migration was evaluated using a wound-healing assay. In 3D cultures, extract activity was further examined through magnetic 3D bioprinting to monitor spheroid growth dynamics, and viability of cells in spheroids was assessed by the WST-1 assay. Among the tested extracts, those derived from C. vulgare inflorescences (U1) and roots (U6, U7, U8, U9) demonstrated higher anticancer activity. The inflorescence extract (U1) exhibited the highest cytotoxic activity against both cancer cell lines, while root-derived extracts, particularly U7, showed potent suppression of HT-29 cell migration, achieving the most significant reduction in wound closure after 36 h (p < 0.05) at a concentration of 0.2 mg/mL. In spheroid models, U1 and U8 extracts reduced HT-29 cancer cell viability by 53.3-77.9% and 56.7-81.5%, respectively, and U1 emerged as the most effective inhibitor of spheroid growth, reducing diameter by 7-10%, compared to untreated controls. These findings underscore the promising anticancer activity of C. vulgare extracts, particularly U1 and U8, highlighting their potential as innovative therapeutic candidates for treating colorectal and gastric cancers. Further investigations are warranted to refine their application in oncological research.

Using nanotechnology to progress the utilization of marine natural products in combating multidrug resistance in cancer: A prospective strategy

Achieving targeted, customized, and combination therapies with clarity of the involved molecular pathways is crucial in the treatment as well as overcoming multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer. Nanotechnology has emerged as an innovative and promising approach to address the problem of drug resistance. Developing nano-formulation-based therapies using therapeutic agents poses a synergistic effect to overcome MDR in cancer. In this review, we aimed to highlight the important pathways involved in the progression of MDR in cancer mediated through nanotechnology-based approaches that have been employed to circumvent them in recent years. Here, we also discussed the potential use of marine metabolites to treat MDR in cancer, utilizing active drug-targeting nanomedicine-based techniques to enhance selective drug accumulation in cancer cells. The discussion also provides future insights for developing complex targeted, multistage responsive nanomedical drug delivery systems for effective cancer treatments. We propose more combinational studies and their validation for the possible marine-based nanoformulations for future development.

An original donor-dependent spheroid system for the prediction of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury risk

One major drawback of preclinical models to test drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is their inability to predict the interindividual difference of DILI effect in a population. Consequently, a high number of molecules that passed preclinical phases, fail clinical trials, and many FDA-approved drugs were removed from the market due to idiosyncratic DILI. We use a proprietary-depleted human serum-based cell educating technology to generate donor-dependent spheroids with distinct morphology and functionality. We demonstrate that educated spheroids could capture the large variations in susceptibility to drug-induced liver injury between donors. We show that the model could predict clinical apparent DILI risk with a high specificity and sensitivity. We provide evidence that the model could address non-genetic factor-associated DILI risk and severity such as age or sex. Our study supports the benefit of using donor-dependent educated spheroids for hepatotoxicity evaluation in preclinical phase or in an exploratory study clinical trial phase 2 to provide a robust safety profile to a drug.

Accelerating the integration of China into the global development of innovative anticancer drugs

The aim of this Policy Review was to compare China's overall and synchronous participation in clinical trials for innovative anticancer drugs with that of the USA, the EU, Japan, and South Korea, and to assess changes in the participation rate trends in these five regions. Relevant data from the top 20 international pharmaceutical companies from 2011 to 2021 were systematically collected from the Trialtrove and Pharmaprojects databases. Among the 8260 trials for 954 new anticancer drugs identified, China was involved in 8·8% of the trials and with 20·4% of the drugs being trialled. These participation rates are significantly lower than those for South Korea (14·5% of trials and 36·3% of drugs), Japan (16·1% of trials and 38·7% of drugs), the EU (40·6% of trials and 67·7% of drugs), and the USA (65·7% of trials and 91·2% of drugs; p<0·0001 for all). Similar results were found for the synchronous participation rate, defined as the proportion of drugs or trials at the highest development stage internationally, for the 803 tested drugs, which ranged from 9·0% in China to 87·7% in the USA. China's participation rate in early phase trials (4·4%) and in synchronous trials (5·4%) was even lower, in stark contrast to that of the USA (66·1% for early phase trials and 89·1% for synchronous trials). The fastest growing annual rate of participation in trials was observed in China (15·7%), followed by South Korea (8·2%) and Japan (6·8%); no change was detected in the USA or the EU. This Policy Review shows that Chinese participation in the clinical development of innovative cancer drugs by international pharmaceutical companies has increased over the past decade, but an obvious gap persists in comparison with the USA, the EU, Japan, and South Korea, especially in its synchronous participation and early participation rates.

Current hurdles to the translation of nanomedicines from bench to the clinic

The field of nanomedicine has significantly influenced research areas such as drug delivery, diagnostics, theranostics, and regenerative medicine; however, the further development of this field will face significant challenges at the regulatory level if related guidance remains unclear and unconsolidated. This review describes those features and pathways crucial to the clinical translation of nanomedicine and highlights considerations for early-stage product development. These include identifying those critical quality attributes of the drug product essential for activity and safety, appropriate analytical methods (physical, chemical, biological) for characterization, important process parameters, and adequate pre-clinical models. Additional concerns include the evaluation of batch-to-batch consistency and considerations regarding scaling up that will ensure a successful reproducible manufacturing process. Furthermore, we advise close collaboration with regulatory agencies from the early stages of development to assure an aligned position to accelerate the development of future nanomedicines.

The Molecular Mechanisms of Hypoglycemic Properties and Safety Profiles of Swietenia Macrophylla Seeds Extract: A Review

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) is known as the root cause of type 2 diabetes; hence, it is a substantial therapeutic target. Nowadays, studies have shifted the focus to natural ingredients that have been utilized as a traditional diabetes treatment, including Swietenia macrophylla. Accumulating evidence supports the hypoglycemic activities of S. macrophylla seeds extract, although its molecular mechanisms have yet to be well-established. AIM: This review focuses on the hypoglycemic molecular mechanisms of S. macrophylla seeds extract and its safety profiles. METHODS: An extensive search of the latest literature was conducted from four main databases (PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar) using several keywords: “swietenia macrophylla, seeds, and diabetes;” “swietenia macrophylla, seeds, and oxidative stress;” “swietenia macrophylla, seeds, and inflammation;” “swietenia macrophylla, seeds, and GLUT4;” and “swietenia macrophylla, seeds, and toxicities.” RESULTS: The hypoglycemic activities occur through modulating several pathways associated with IR and T2D pathogenesis. The seeds extract of S. macrophylla modulates oxidative stress by decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances while increasing antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase). Another propose mechanism is the modulating of the inflammatory pathway by attenuating nuclear factor kappa β, tumor necrosis factor α, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase 2. Some studies have shown that the extract can also control phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/ Akt (PI3K/Akt) pathway by inducing glucose transporter 4, while suppressing phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Moreover, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo toxicity studies supported the safety profile of S. macrophylla seeds extract with the LD50 higher than 2000 mg/kg. CONCLUSION: The potential of S. macrophylla seeds as antidiabetic candidate is supported by many studies that have documented their non-toxic and hypoglycemic effects, which involve several molecular pathways.