pH-responsive and targeted delivery of curcumin via phenylboronic acid-functionalized ZnO nanoparticles for breast cancer therapy

Targeted pH-responsive delivery of rosmarinic acid via phenylboronic acid functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for liver and lung cancer therapy

Currently, chemotherapy is one of the most practiced approaches for the treatment of cancers. However, existing chemotherapeutic drugs have poor aqueous solubility, poor selectivity, higher systematic toxicity, and poor target accumulation. In this study, we designed and synthesized a boronic acid/ester-based pH-responsive nano-valve that specifically targets the microenvironment in cancer cells. The nano-valve comprises phenylboronic acid-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (B-MSN) loaded with polyphenolic compound Rosmarinic acid (ROS-B-MSN). The nano-valve was further coated with lignin (LIG) to achieve our desired LIG-ROS-BMSN nano-valve for targeted chemotherapy against Hep-G2 and NCI-H460 cell lines. The structure and properties of NPs were characterized by Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in combination with EDX, and Dynamic light scattering (DLS). The outcomes revealed that the designed LIG-ROS-BMSN were in the nanorange (144.1 ± 0.70 nm), had negative Zeta potential (-15.7 ± 0.46 mV) and had a nearly spherical morphology. In vitro, drug release investigations showed a controlled pH-dependent release profile under mild acidic conditions that could enhance the targeted chemotherapeutic response against cancer in mild acidic environments. The obtained LIG-ROS-BMSN nano valve achieved significantly lower IC50 values of (1.70 ± 0.01 μg/mL and 3.25 ± 0.14 μg/mL) against Hep-G2 and NCI-H460 cell lines as compared to ROS alone, which was (14.0 ± 0.7 μg/mL and 29.10 ± 0.25 μg/mL), respectively. The cellular morphology before and after treatment was further confirmed via inverted microscopy. The outcomes of the current study imply that our designed LIG-ROS-BMSN nanovalve is a potential carrier for cancer chemotherapeutics.

Nano-Engineering Strategies for Tumor-Specific Therapy

Nanodelivery systems (NDSs) provide promising prospects for decreasing drug doses, reducing side effects, and improving therapeutic effects. However, the bioapplications of NDSs are still compromised by their fast clearance, indiscriminate biodistribution, and limited tumor accumulation. Hence, engineering modification of NDSs aiming at promoting tumor-specific therapy and avoiding systemic toxicity is usually needed. An NDS integrating various functionalities, including flexible camouflage, specific biorecognition, and sensitive stimuli-responsiveness, into one sequence would be "smart" and highly effective. Herein, we systematically summarize the related principles, methods, and progress. At the end of the review, we predict the obstacles to precise nanoengineering and prospects for the future application of NDSs.

Ternary heterostructure-driven photoinduced electron-hole separation enhanced oxidative stress for triple-negative breast cancer therapy

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) stand as among the most significant metal oxide nanoparticles in trigger the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induce apoptosis. Nevertheless, the utilization of ZnO NPs has been limited by the shallowness of short-wavelength light and the constrained production of ROS. To overcome these limitations, a strategy involves achieving a red shift towards the near-infrared (NIR) light spectrum, promoting the separation and restraining the recombination of electron-hole (e--h+) pairs. Herein, the hybrid plasmonic system Au@ZnO (AZ) with graphene quantum dots (GQDs) doping (AZG) nano heterostructures is rationally designed for optimal NIR-driven cancer treatment. Significantly, a multifold increase in ROS generation can be achieved through the following creative initiatives: (i) plasmonic Au nanorods expands the photocatalytic capabilities of AZG into the NIR domain, offering a foundation for NIR-induced ROS generation for clinical utilization; (ii) elaborate design of mesoporous core-shell AZ structures facilitates the redistribution of electron-hole pairs; (iii) the incorporation GQDs in mesoporous structure could efficiently restrain the recombination of the e--h+ pairs; (iv) Modification of hyaluronic acid (HA) can enhance CD44 receptor mediated targeted triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In addition, the introduced Au NRs present as catalysts for enhancing photothermal therapy (PTT), effectively inducing apoptosis in tumor cells. The resulting HA-modified AZG (AZGH) exhibits efficient hot electron injection and e--h+ separation, affording unparalleled convenience for ROS production and enabling NIR-induced PDT for the cancer treanment. As a result, our well-designed mesoporous core-shell AZGH hybrid as photosensitizers can exhibit excellent PDT efficacy.

Current development of theragnostic nanoparticles for women's cancer treatment

In the biomedical industry, nanoparticles (NPs-exclusively small particles with size ranging from 1-100 nanometres) are recently employed as powerful tools due to their huge potential in sophisticated and enhanced cancer theragnostic (i.e. therapeutics and diagnostics). Cancer is a life-threatening disease caused by carcinogenic agents and mutation in cells, leading to uncontrolled cell growth and harming the body's normal functioning while affecting several factors like low levels of reactive oxygen species, hyperactive antiapoptotic mRNA expression, reduced proapoptotic mRNA expression, damaged DNA repair, and so on. NPs are extensively used in early cancer diagnosis and are functionalized to target receptors overexpressing cancer cells for effective cancer treatment. This review focuses explicitly on how NPs alone and combined with imaging techniques and advanced treatment techniques have been researched against 'women's cancer' such as breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer which are substantially occurring in women. NPs, in combination with numerous imaging techniques (like PET, SPECT, MRI, etc) have been widely explored for cancer imaging and understanding tumor characteristics. Moreover, NPs in combination with various advanced cancer therapeutics (like magnetic hyperthermia, pH responsiveness, photothermal therapy, etc), have been stated to be more targeted and effective therapeutic strategies with negligible side effects. Furthermore, this review will further help to improve treatment outcomes and patient quality of life based on the theragnostic application-based studies of NPs in women's cancer treatment.

Targeted cancer treatment using folate-conjugated sponge-like ZIF-8 nanoparticles: a review

ZIF-8 (zeolitic imidazolate framework-8) is a potential drug delivery system because of its unique properties, which include a large surface area, a large pore capacity, a large loading capacity, and outstanding stability under physiological conditions. ZIF-8 nanoparticles may be readily functionalized with targeting ligands for the identification and absorption of particular cancer cells, enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic medicines and reducing adverse effects. ZIF-8 is also pH-responsive, allowing medication release in the acidic milieu of cancer cells. Because of its tunable structure, it can be easily functionalized to design cancer-specific targeted medicines. The delivery of ZIF-8 to cancer cells can be facilitated by folic acid-conjugation. Hence, it can bind to overexpressed folate receptors on the surface of cancer cells, which holds the promise of reducing unwanted deliveries. As a result of its importance in cancer treatment, the folate-conjugated ZIF-8 was the major focus of this review.

FOXM1 aptamer-polyethylenimine nanoplatform coated with hyaluronic acid and AS1411 aptamer for dual-targeted delivery of doxorubicin and synergistic treatment of tumor cells

The objective of this investigation was to develop a self-assembled, dual-functionalized delivery system that could effectively transport doxorubicin (DOX) to cancer cells through the use of AS1411 aptamer and hyaluronic acid polymer (HA). The ultimate goal is an improved targeting approach for more efficient treatment. The core of this system comprised polyethylenimine (PEI) and FOXM1 aptamer, which was coated by HA. Next, nucleolin targeting aptamers (AS1411) were loaded onto the nanocomplex. Afterward, DOX was added to Aptamers (Apts)-HA-PEI-FOXM1 NPs to create the DOX-AS1411-HA-PEI-FOXM1 NPs for better treatment of cancer cells. The cytotoxic effect of the nanocomplex on L929, 4T1, and A549 cells showed that cell mortality in target cancer cells (4T1 and A549) was considerably enhanced compared to nontarget cells (L929, normal cells). The findings from the flow cytometry analysis and fluorescence imaging demonstrated the cellular absorption of DOX-Apts-HA-PEI-FOXM1 NPs in target cells was significantly enhanced when compared to L929 cells. Furthermore, in vivo antitumor study exhibited that DOX-Apts-HA-PEI-FOXM1 NPs rendered specific tumor accumulation and increasing of the anti-tumor effects.

Recent Trends in Curcumin-Containing Inorganic-Based Nanoparticles Intended for In Vivo Cancer Therapy

Curcumin is a natural compound that has been widely investigated thanks to its various biological properties, including antiproliferative. This molecule acts on different cancers such as lung, breast, pancreatic, colorectal, etc. However, the bioactive actions of curcumin have limitations when its physicochemical properties compromise its pharmacological potential. As a therapeutic strategy against cancer, curcumin has been associated with inorganic nanoparticles. These nanocarriers are capable of delivering curcumin and offering physicochemical properties that synergistically enhance anticancer properties. This review highlights the different types of curcumin-based inorganic nanoparticles and discusses their physicochemical properties and in vivo anticancer activity in different models of cancer.

Antibacterial Efficacy of ZnO/Bentonite (Clay) Nanocomposites against Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria has spurred the exploration of therapeutic nanomaterials such as ZnO nanoparticles. However, the inherent nonspecific toxicity of ZnO has posed a significant obstacle to their clinical utilization. In this research, we propose a novel approach to improve the selectivity of the toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles by impregnating them onto a less toxic clay mineral, Bentonite, resulting in ZB nanocomposites (ZB NCs). We hypothesize that these ZB NCs not only reduce toxicity toward both normal and carcinogenic cell lines but also retain the antibacterial properties of pure ZnO nanoparticles. To test this hypothesis, we synthesized ZB NCs by using a precipitation technique and confirmed their structural characteristics through X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Electron microscopy revealed composite particles in the size range of 20-50 nm. The BET surface area of ZB NCs, within a relative pressure (P/P0) range of 0.407-0.985, was estimated to be 31.182 m2/g. Notably, 50 mg/mL ZB NCs demonstrated biocompatibility with HCT 116 and HEK 293 cell lines, supported by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy analysis. In vitro experiments further confirmed a remarkable five-log reduction in the population of MDR Escherichia coli in the presence of 50 mg/mL of ZB NCs. Antibacterial activity of the nanocomposites was also validated in the HEK293 and HCT 116 cell lines. These findings substantiate our hypothesis and underscore the effectiveness of ZB NCs against MDR E. coli while minimizing nonspecific toxicity toward healthy cells.

Encapsulation of conjugated linoleic acid and ruminant trans fatty acids to study the prevention of metabolic syndrome-a review

Studies have reported the potential benefits of consuming conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and ruminant trans fatty acids (R-TFAs) in reducing the risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MetS). In addition, encapsulation of CLA and R-TFAs may improve their oral delivery and further decrease the risk factors of MetS. The objectives of this review were (1) to discuss the advantages of encapsulation; (2) to compare the materials and techniques used for encapsulating CLA and R-TFAs; and (3) to review the effects of encapsulated vs non-encapsulated CLA and R-TFAs on MetS risk factors. Examination of papers citing micro- and nano-encapsulation methods used in food sciences, as well as the effects of encapsulated vs non-encapsulated CLA and R-TFAs, was conducted using the PubMed database. A total of 84 papers were examined; of these, 18 studies were selected that contained information on the effects of encapsulated CLA and R-TFAs. The 18 studies that described encapsulation of CLA or R-TFAs indicated that micro- or nano-encapsulation processes stabilized CLA and prevented oxidation. CLA was mainly encapsulated using carbohydrates or proteins. So far, oil-in-water emulsification followed by spray-drying were the frequently used techniques for encapsulation of CLA. Further, 4 studies investigated the effects of encapsulated CLA on MetS risk factors compared with non-encapsulated CLA. A limited number of studies investigated the encapsulation of R-TFAs. The effects of encapsulated CLA or R-TFAs on the risk factors for MetS remain understudied; thus, additional studies comparing the effects of encapsulated and non-encapsulated CLA or R-TFAs are needed.

Curcumin for Treating Breast Cancer: A Review of Molecular Mechanisms, Combinations with Anticancer Drugs, and Nanosystems

Breast cancer (BC) has become the fifth most prevalent cause of cancer-related morbidity, attracting significant attention from researchers due to its heightened malignancy and drug resistance. Conventional chemotherapy approaches have proven inadequate in addressing all BC subtypes, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches or drugs. Curcumin (CUR), a phytochemical derived from Curcuma longa (turmeric), has shown substantial potential in inhibiting BC cell migration, metastasis, and proliferation. However, the use of CUR in this context comes with challenges due to its dynamic and easily degradable nature, poor aqueous solubility, low bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and swift systemic elimination, collectively limiting its clinical applications. As such, we provide an overview of the properties, synthesis, and characterization of the hybridization of CUR and its analogue with chemo-drug building blocks. We reviewed research from the last five years on CUR's biogenesis with respect to the regulation of BC, revealing that CUR participates in arresting BC cells in the cell cycle and significantly induces apoptosis in BC cells. Information on the chemotherapeutic and antitumor mechanisms of CUR in BC, including regulation of the cell cycle, increased cell apoptosis, and inhibition of multidrug resistance (MDR), was compiled. Additionally, we provide an overview of CUR loaded into nanomaterials that are cotreated with other chemotherapeutic drugs, such as paclitaxel, thymoquinone, and tamoxifen. In this review, we discuss different types of nanoparticles that can be used for CUR delivery, such as polymeric nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and liposomes. By comparing the size, entrapment efficiency, drug-loading capacity, release time, biocompatibility, pharmaceutical scale, and reproducibility of various nanomaterials, we aimed to determine which formulations are better suited for loading CUR or its analogue. Ultimately, this review is expected to offer inspiring ideas, promising strategies, and potential pathways for developing advanced anti-BC strategy nanosystems in clinical practice.

Inhibition of α-glucosidase activity by curcumin loaded on ZnO@rGO nanocarrier for potential treatment of diabetes mellitus

Curcumin (Cur) is an acidic polyphenol with some effects on α-glucosidase (α-Glu), but Cur has disadvantages such as being a weak target, lacking passing the blood-brain barrier and having low bioavailability. To enhance the curative effect of Cur, the hybrid composed of ZnO nanoparticles decorated on rGO was used to load Cur (ZnO@rGO-Cur). The use of the multispectral method and enzyme inhibition kinetics analysis certify the inhibitory effect and interaction mechanism of ZnO@rGO-Cur with α-Glu. The static quenching of α-Glu with both Cur and ZnO@rGO-Cur is primarily driven by hydrogen bond and van der Waals interactions. The conformation-changing ability by binding to the neighbouring phenolic hydroxyl group of Cur increased their ability to alter the secondary structure of α-Glu, resulting in the inhibition of enzyme activity. The inhibition constant (Ki, Cur  > Kis,ZnO@rGO-Cur ) showed that the inhibition effect of ZnO@rGO-Cur on α-Glu was larger than that of Cur. The CCK-8 experiments proved that ZnO@rGO nanocomposites have good biocompatibility. These results suggest that the therapeutic potential of ZnO@rGO-Cur composite is an emerging nanocarrier platform for drug delivery systems for the potential treatment of diabetes mellitus.

An Updated Insight into Phytomolecules and Novel Approaches used in the Management of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a widespread condition that kills more women from cancer-related causes than any other type of cancer globally. Women who have estrogen-dependent, initial metastatic breast cancer frequently receive treatment with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. They may also get more specialized treatments like tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (anastrozole or letrozole). The World Health Organisation reported in 2012 that by 2030, breast cancer will be more common worldwide. There are several phytochemicals, such as isoflavones, coumestans, lignans, and prenylflavonoides. Isoflavones have been shown in studies to prevent the spread of breast cancer and to trigger apoptosis. Targeting BCs in metastatic breast cancer may be made possible by combining well-formulated phytochemicals in nanoparticles or other novel drug delivery agents with currently accepted endocrine and/or conventional chemotherapies. Cell signaling, regulation of cell cycles, oxidative stress action, and inflammation could be positively impacted by phytoconstituents. They have the ability to alter non-coding RNAs, to prevent the proliferation and regeneration of cancer cells. The availability of novel approaches helps in disease targeting, safety, effectiveness and efficacy. The current literature helps to know the available drugs i.e. phytoconstituents or novel drug delivery like nanoparticle, microsphere, micelles, liposomes and neosomes. The literature has been taken from PubMed, Google Scholar, SciFinder, or other internet sites.

Development of curcumin-loaded galactosylated chitosan-coated nanoparticles for targeted delivery of hepatocellular carcinoma

Curcumin (CUR) has good antitumor effects, but its poor aqueous solubility severely limits its clinical application and the systemic nonspecific distribution of the free drug in tumor patients is a key therapeutic challenge. In order to overcome the limitations of free drugs and improve the therapeutic efficacy, we developed novel galactosylated chitosan (GC)-modified nanoparticles (GC@NPs) based on poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether-block-poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PEG-PLGA), which can target asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) expressed on hepatocellular carcinoma cells and have excellent biocompatibility. The results showed that the drug loading (DL) of CUR was approximately 4.56 %. A favorable biosafety profile was maintained up to concentrations of 500 μg/mL. Furthermore, in vitro cellular assays showed that GC@NPs could be efficiently internalized by HepG2 cells via ASGPR-mediated endocytosis and successfully released CUR for chemotherapy. More importantly, in vivo anti-tumor experiments revealed that GC@NPs were able to accumulate effectively within tumor sites through EPR effect and ASGPR-mediated endocytosis, leading to superior inhibition of tumor growth compared to free CUR. Overall, GC@NPs are a promising CUR nanocarrier for enhanced tumor therapy with a good biosafety profile.

A mini review on selenium quantum dots: synthesis and biomedical applications

In recent years, the demand for advanced biomedical nanomaterials has seen a noticeable surge. Among the essential trace elements in the human body, selenium has gained recognition for its anti-cancer, antioxidant, and immune regulatory properties. However, traditional selenium-based semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are often comprised of heavy metal elements that tend to be toxic, thereby limiting their usage in biomedical applications. Fortunately, the advent of elemental selenium quantum dots (SeQDs), a new kind of fluorescent nanomaterial with unique physicochemical properties, has provided a solution to this problem. These SeQDs are known for their low toxicity and good biocompatibility, making them a promising candidate for biomedical applications. In this mini-review, we delve into the synthesis methods of fluorescent SeQDs and the latest progress in their applications in bioimaging, biosensing, and diagnosis treatment. Finally, we identify the major challenges and future prospects in the field of SeQDs.

Safety of Innovative Nanotechnology Oral Formulations Loaded with Bioactive Menopause Molecules: Influence of Genotoxicity and Biochemical Parameters on a Menopausal Rat Model

In recent years, nanoparticles have gained significant importance due to their unique properties, such as pharmacological, electrical, optical, and magnetic abilities, contributing to the growth of the science and technology sector. Particular naturally derived biomolecules with beneficial effects on menopause disorder have been the subject of studies of pharmaceutical formulation to obtain alternative pharmaceutical forms with increased bioavailability and without side effects, as in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) loaded with such active ingredients. In the present study, one stage of a broader project, we have performed pharmacotoxicology studies for six combinatory innovative nanocapsule pharmaceutical forms containing active natural biomolecules before considering them as oral formulas for (1) in vitro toxicity studies on culture cells and (2) in vivo preclinical studies on a surgically induced menopause model of Wistar female rats, and the influence of the NLCs on key biochemical parameters: lipid profile (TG, Chol, HDL), glycemic markers (Gli), bone markers (Pac, Palc, Ca, phosphorus), renal markers (Crea, urea, URAC), inflammation (TNF), oxidative stress (GSH, MDA), and estrogen-progesterone hormonal profile. The micronucleus test did not reveal the genotoxicity of the tested compounds; the menopause model showed no significant safety concerns for the six tested formulas evaluated using the blood biochemical parameters; and the results showed the potential hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, hypouricemic, and antioxidant potential of one of the tested formulas containing nano diosgenin and glycyrrhizic acid.

Nanocarrier-mediated curcumin delivery: An adjuvant strategy for CNS disease treatment

Neurological disorders are a major global challenge, which counts for a substantial slice of disease burden around the globe. In these, the challenging landscape of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and neuro-AIDS, demands innovative and novel therapeutic approaches. Curcumin, a versatile natural compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, shows great potential as a CNS adjuvant therapy. However, its limited bioavailability and suboptimal permeability to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) hamper the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin. This review explores how nanocarrier facilitates curcumin delivery, which has shown therapeutic efficacy for various non-CNS diseases, for example, cancers, and can also revolutionize the treatment outcomes in patients with CNS diseases. Toward this, intranasal administration of curcumin as a non-invasive CNS drug delivery route can also aid its therapeutic outcomes as an adjuvant therapy for CNS diseases. Intranasal delivery of nanocarriers with curcumin improves the bioavailability of curcumin and its BBB permeability, which is instrumental in promoting its therapeutic potential. Furthermore, curcumin's inhibitory effect on efflux transporters will help to enhance the BBB and cellular permeability of various CNS drugs. The therapeutic potential of curcumin as an adjuvant has the potential to yield synergistic effects with CNS drugs and will help to reduce CNS drug doses and improve their safety profile. Taken together, this approach holds a promise for reshaping CNS disease management by maximizing curcumin's and other drugs' therapeutic benefits.

(Nano)platforms in breast cancer therapy: Drug/gene delivery, advanced nanocarriers and immunotherapy

Breast cancer is the most malignant tumor in women, and there is no absolute cure for it. Although treatment modalities including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are utilized for breast cancer, it is still a life-threatening disease for humans. Nanomedicine has provided a new opportunity in breast cancer treatment, which is the focus of the current study. The nanocarriers deliver chemotherapeutic agents and natural products, both of which increase cytotoxicity against breast tumor cells and prevent the development of drug resistance. The efficacy of gene therapy is boosted by nanoparticles and the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9, Noncoding RNAs, and RNAi, promoting their potential for gene expression regulation. The drug and gene codelivery by nanoparticles can exert a synergistic impact on breast tumors and enhance cellular uptake via endocytosis. Nanostructures are able to induce photothermal and photodynamic therapy for breast tumor ablation via cell death induction. The nanoparticles can provide tumor microenvironment remodeling and repolarization of macrophages for antitumor immunity. The stimuli-responsive nanocarriers, including pH-, redox-, and light-sensitive, can mediate targeted suppression of breast tumors. Besides, nanoparticles can provide a diagnosis of breast cancer and detect biomarkers. Various kinds of nanoparticles have been employed for breast cancer therapy, including carbon-, lipid-, polymeric- and metal-based nanostructures, which are different in terms of biocompatibility and delivery efficiency.

Stimuli-responsive (nano)architectures for phytochemical delivery in cancer therapy

The use of phytochemicals for purpose of cancer therapy has been accelerated due to resistance of tumor cells to conventional chemotherapy drugs and therefore, monotherapy does not cause significant improvement in the prognosis and survival of patients. Therefore, administration of natural products alone or in combination with chemotherapy drugs due to various mechanisms of action has been suggested. However, cancer therapy using phytochemicals requires more attention because of poor bioavailability of compounds and lack of specific accumulation at tumor site. Hence, nanocarriers for specific delivery of phytochemicals in tumor therapy has been suggested. The pharmacokinetic profile of natural products and their therapeutic indices can be improved. The nanocarriers can improve potential of natural products in crossing over BBB and also, promote internalization in cancer cells through endocytosis. Moreover, (nano)platforms can deliver both natural and synthetic anti-cancer drugs in combination cancer therapy. The surface functionalization of nanostructures with ligands improves ability in internalization in tumor cells and improving cytotoxicity of natural compounds. Interestingly, stimuli-responsive nanostructures that respond to endogenous and exogenous stimuli have been employed for delivery of natural compounds in cancer therapy. The decrease in pH in tumor microenvironment causes degradation of bonds in nanostructures to release cargo and when changes in GSH levels occur, it also mediates drug release from nanocarriers. Moreover, enzymes in the tumor microenvironment such as MMP-2 can mediate drug release from nanocarriers and more progresses in targeted drug delivery obtained by application of nanoparticles that are responsive to exogenous stimulus including light.

Fabrication of chitosan/phenylboronic acid/SiO2 hydrogel composite silk fabrics for enhanced adsorption and controllable release on luteolin

Due to the growing demand for self-health and safety, eco-friendly health textile products with natural colors and pharmacological functionalities have gained considerable popularity. Rapid adsorption and controlled release of active molecules are important issues for functional health textiles. In this study, a functionalized chitosan-based hydrogel composite silk fabric was prepared using chitosan, 3-carboxyphenylboronic acid, and 3-(2, 3-epoxypropyl oxygen) propyl silane by dip-pad and vacuum freeze-drying techniques. The results showed that the incorporation of chitosan/phenylboronic/SiO2 hydrogel into silk fibers improved the UV protection capacity, mechanical properties, and adsorption properties of silk fabrics. The effects of various parameters on the luteolin adsorption properties of silk fabrics were discussed, including metal salt types, salt dosage, pH value, dyeing temperature, initial luteolin concentration, and dyeing time. Under the dyeing temperature of 60 °C and pH of 6.8, the luteolin exhaustion of the composite silk was more than that of the untreated silk, and the adsorption process followed the quasi-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Furthermore, the luteolin-dyed composite silk materials exhibited strong antioxidant activity and controllable release behavior with various pH levels. The as-prepared chitosan-hydrogel composite silk could be a promising material for the sustained release of drugs in medical and healthcare textiles.

Nanodelivery systems: An efficient and target-specific approach for drug-resistant cancers

BACKGROUND

Cancer treatment is still a global health challenge. Nowadays, chemotherapy is widely applied for treating cancer and reducing its burden. However, its application might be in accordance with various adverse effects by exposing the healthy tissues and multidrug resistance (MDR), leading to disease relapse or metastasis. In addition, due to tumor heterogeneity and the varied pharmacokinetic features of prescribed drugs, combination therapy has only shown modestly improved results in MDR malignancies. Nanotechnology has been explored as a potential tool for cancer treatment, due to the efficiency of nanoparticles to function as a vehicle for drug delivery.

METHODS

With this viewpoint, functionalized nanosystems have been investigated as a potential strategy to overcome drug resistance.

RESULTS

This approach aims to improve the efficacy of anticancer medicines while decreasing their associated side effects through a range of mechanisms, such as bypassing drug efflux, controlling drug release, and disrupting metabolism. This review discusses the MDR mechanisms contributing to therapeutic failure, the most cutting-edge approaches used in nanomedicine to create and assess nanocarriers, and designed nanomedicine to counteract MDR with emphasis on recent developments, their potential, and limitations.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies have shown that nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery confers distinct benefits over traditional pharmaceuticals, including improved biocompatibility, stability, permeability, retention effect, and targeting capabilities.

Efficient pH-Responsive Nano-Drug Delivery System Based on Dynamic Boronic Acid/Ester Transformation

Chemotherapy is currently one of the most widely used treatments for cancer. However, traditional chemotherapy drugs normally have poor tumor selectivity, leading to insufficient accumulation at the tumor site and high systemic cytotoxicity. To address this issue, we designed and prepared a boronic acid/ester-based pH-responsive nano-drug delivery system that targets the acidic microenvironment of tumors. We synthesized hydrophobic polyesters with multiple pendent phenylboronic acid groups (PBA-PAL) and hydrophilic PEGs terminated with dopamine (mPEG-DA). These two types of polymers formed amphiphilic structures through phenylboronic ester linkages, which self-assembled to form stable PTX-loaded nanoparticles (PTX/PBA NPs) using the nanoprecipitation method. The resulting PTX/PBA NPs demonstrated excellent drug encapsulation efficiency and pH-triggered drug-release capacity. In vitro and in vivo evaluations of the anticancer activity of PTX/PBA NPs showed that they improved the pharmacokinetics of drugs and exhibited high anticancer activity while with low systemic toxicity. This novel phenylboronic acid/ester-based pH-responsive nano-drug delivery system can enhance the therapeutic effect of anticancer drugs and may have high potential for clinical transformations.

Chitosan-coated ultrapure silicon nanoparticles produced by laser ablation: biomedical potential in nano-oncology as a tumor-targeting nanosystem

Ultrapure silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) produced by femtosecond laser ablation in water have attracted great interest in the area of cancer therapy as they are efficient as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy modality and can induce cell hyperthermia under radiofrequency radiation. Recently, we showed that these biocompatible nanoparticles were not able to reach tumors after intravenous injection in mice due to their rapid clearance from the bloodstream. In order to increase their half-life time and therefore their chances to reach and accumulate in tumors by an enhanced permeation retention (EPR) effect, a capping agent on SiNP surface acting as a colloidal stabilizer suspension is required. In this regard, this work focuses for the first time on the functionalization of SiNPs through the modification of their surface by chitosan (SiNPs-CH) in order to enhance their therapeutic properties in cancer therapy. Here, in vivo experiments were carried out during 15 days on nude mice developing a subcutaneously grafted malignant human brain tumor (glioblastoma). The characterization of SiNPs-CH showed an average hydrodynamic size of around 142 ± 65 nm as well as a relatively neutral charge (-5.2 mV) leading to a high colloidal suspension stability. The point of our work concerns the improvement of the biodistribution of SiNPs-CH with regard to tumors, the bloodstream, and organs. After the intravenous administration of 20 mg kg^-1, all the studied parameters (animal behavior, organs' morphology, and histopathology) were in accord with the absence of toxicity due to SiNPs-CH, confirming their biocompatibility and even size and surface charge were modified compared to bare nanoparticles. Moreover an increased time in the bloodstream circulation of up to 7 days was observed, indicating the stealth of the nanoparticles, which could escape opsonization and premature elimination by macrophages and the reticuloendothelial system. As evidenced by silicon assessment, the interaction of the SiNPs-CH with the liver and spleen was significantly reduced compared to the bare nanoparticles. At the same time, SiNPs-CH were concentrated progressively in tumors from 12.03% after 1 day up to 39.55% after 7 days, confirming their uptake by the tumor microenvironment through the enhanced permeability retention effect. Subsequently, the silicon level declined progressively down to 33.6% after 15 days, evidencing the degradation of pH-sensitive SiNPs-CH under the acidic tumor microenvironment. Taken together, the stealthy SiNPs-CH exhibited an ideal biodistribution profile within the tumor microenvironment with a sustainable biodegradation and elimination profile, indicating their promising application in the nano-oncology field as a tumor-targeting system.

Current Principles, Challenges, and New Metrics in pH-Responsive Drug Delivery Systems for Systemic Cancer Therapy

The paradigm of drug delivery via particulate formulations is one of the leading ideas that enable overcoming limitations of traditional chemotherapeutic agents. The trend toward more complex multifunctional drug carriers is well-traced in the literature. Nowadays, the prospectiveness of stimuli-responsive systems capable of controlled cargo release in the lesion nidus is widely accepted. Both endogenous and exogenous stimuli are employed for this purpose; however, endogenous pH is the most common trigger. Unfortunately, scientists encounter multiple challenges on the way to the implementation of this idea related to the vehicles' accumulation in off-target tissues, their immunogenicity, the complexity of drug delivery to intracellular targets, and finally, the difficulties in the fabrication of carriers matching all imposed requirements. Here, we discuss fundamental strategies for pH-responsive drug delivery, as well as limitations related to such carriers' application, and reveal the main problems, weaknesses, and reasons for poor clinical results. Moreover, we attempted to formulate the profiles of an "ideal" drug carrier in the frame of different strategies drawing on the example of metal-comprising materials and considered recently published studies through the lens of these profiles. We believe that this approach will facilitate the formulation of the main challenges facing researchers and the identification of the most promising trends in technology development.

Emerging biomaterials for tumor immunotherapy

BACKGROUND

The immune system interacts with cancer cells in various intricate ways that can protect the individual from overproliferation of cancer cells; however, these interactions can also lead to malignancy. There has been a dramatic increase in the application of cancer immunotherapy in the last decade. However, low immunogenicity, poor specificity, weak presentation efficiency, and off-target side effects still limit its widespread application. Fortunately, advanced biomaterials effectively contribute immunotherapy and play an important role in cancer treatment, making it a research hotspot in the biomedical field.

MAIN BODY

This review discusses immunotherapies and the development of related biomaterials for application in the field. The review first summarizes the various types of tumor immunotherapy applicable in clinical practice as well as their underlying mechanisms. Further, it focuses on the types of biomaterials applied in immunotherapy and related research on metal nanomaterials, silicon nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, polymer nanoparticles, and cell membrane nanocarriers. Moreover, we introduce the preparation and processing technologies of these biomaterials (liposomes, microspheres, microneedles, and hydrogels) and summarize their mechanisms when applied to tumor immunotherapy. Finally, we discuss future advancements and shortcomings related to the application of biomaterials in tumor immunotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Research on biomaterial-based tumor immunotherapy is booming; however, several challenges remain to be overcome to transition from experimental research to clinical application. Biomaterials have been optimized continuously and nanotechnology has achieved continuous progression, ensuring the development of more efficient biomaterials, thereby providing a platform and opportunity for breakthroughs in tumor immunotherapy.

Current Understanding of Flavonoids in Cancer Therapy and Prevention

Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide, with multiple pathophysiological manifestations. In particular, genetic abnormalities, inflammation, bad eating habits, radiation exposure, work stress, and toxin consumption have been linked to cancer disease development and progression. Recently, natural bioactive chemicals known as polyphenols found in plants were shown to have anticancer capabilities, destroying altered or malignant cells without harming normal cells. Flavonoids have demonstrated antioxidant, antiviral, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Flavonoid type, bioavailability, and possible method of action determine these biological actions. These low-cost pharmaceutical components have significant biological activities and are beneficial for several chronic disorders, including cancer. Recent research has focused primarily on isolating, synthesizing, and studying the effects of flavonoids on human health. Here we have attempted to summarize our current knowledge of flavonoids, focusing on their mode of action to better understand their effects on cancer.

Nanoparticles loaded with pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products: Biomedical applications and toxicity

Pharmacologically active natural products have played a significant role in the history of drug development. They have acted as sources of therapeutic drugs for various diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases. However, most natural products suffer from poor water solubility and low bioavailability, limiting their clinical applications. The rapid development of nanotechnology has opened up new directions for applying natural products and numerous studies have explored the biomedical applications of nanomaterials loaded with natural products. This review covers the recent research on applying plant-derived natural products (PDNPs) nanomaterials, including nanomedicines loaded with flavonoids, non-flavonoid polyphenols, alkaloids, and quinones, especially their use in treating various diseases. Furthermore, some drugs derived from natural products can be toxic to the body, so the toxicity of them is discussed. This comprehensive review includes fundamental discoveries and exploratory advances in natural product-loaded nanomaterials that may be helpful for future clinical development.

Phytofabrication and Characterisation of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Using Pure Curcumin

Zinc oxide and curcumin, on their own and in combination, have the potential as alternatives to conventional anticancer drugs. In this work, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were prepared by an eco-friendly method using pure curcumin, and their physicochemical properties were characterised. ATR-FTIR spectra confirmed the role of curcumin in synthesising zinc oxide curcumin nanoparticles (Green-ZnO-NPs). These nanoparticles exhibited a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a size and zeta potential of 27.61 ± 5.18 nm and -16.90 ± 0.26 mV, respectively. Green-ZnO-NPs showed good activity towards studied bacterial strains, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Green-ZnO-NPs was consistently larger than that of chemically synthesised ZnO NPs (Std-ZnO-NPs) or mere curcumin, advocating an additive effect between the zinc oxide and curcumin. Green-ZnO-NPs demonstrated an efficient inhibitory effect towards MCF-7 cells with IC50 (20.53 ± 5.12 μg/mL) that was significantly lower compared to that of Std-ZnO-NPs (27.08 ± 0.91 μg/mL) after 48 h of treatment. When Green-ZnO-NPs were tested against Artemia larvae, a minimised cytotoxic effect was observed, with LC50 being almost three times lower compared to that of Std-ZnO-NPs (11.96 ± 1.89 μg/mL and 34.60 ± 9.45 μg/mL, respectively). This demonstrates that Green-ZnO-NPs can be a potent, additively enhanced combination delivery/therapeutic agent with the potential for anticancer therapy.

An Overview on Gold Nanorods as Versatile Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy

Gold nanorods (GNRs/AuNRs) are a group of gold nanoparticles which their simple surface chemistry allows for various surface modifications, providing the possibility of using them in the fabrication of biocompatible and functional nano-agents for cancer therapy. AuNRs, moreover, exhibit a maximum absorption of longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the near-infrared (NIR) region which overlaps with NIR bio-tissue 'window' suggesting that they are proper tools for thermal ablation of cancer cells. AuNRs can be used for induction of mono or combination therapies by administering various therapeutic approaches such as photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), chemotherapy (CT), radiotherapy (RT), and gene therapy (GT). In this review, anticancer therapeutic capacities of AuNRs along with different surface modifications are summarized comprehensively. The roles of AuNRs in fabrication of various nano-constructs are also discussed.

pH-responsive and targeted delivery of chrysin via folic acid-functionalized mesoporous silica nanocarrier for breast cancer therapy

Cancer is a disease of global importance. In order to mitigate conventional chemotherapy-related side effects, phytochemicals with inherent anticancer efficacy have been opted. However, the use of nanotechnology is essential to enhance the bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of these phytochemicals. Herein, we have formulated folic acid conjugated polyacrylic acid capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles (∼47.6 nm in diameter) for pH-dependent targeted delivery of chrysin to breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. Chrysin loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Chr- mSiO2@PAA/FA) have been noted to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells through oxidative insult and mitochondrial dysfunction with subsequent G1 arrest. Further, in tumor bearing mice, intravenous incorporation of Chr-mSiO2@PAA/FA has been noticed to enhance the anti-neoplastic effects of chrysin via tumor site-specific accumulation. Enhanced cytotoxicity of chrysin contributed towards in vivo tumor regression, restoration of normalized tissue architecture and maintenance of healthy body weight. Besides, no serious systemic toxicity was manifested in response to Chr-mSiO2@PAA/FA administration in vivo. Thus, the study evokes about the anticancer potentiality of chrysin and its increased therapeutic activity via incorporation into folic acid conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticles, which may hold greater impact in field of future biomedical research.

Innovative nanotheranostics: Smart nanoparticles based approach to overcome breast cancer stem cells mediated chemo- and radioresistances

The alarming increase in the number of breast cancer patients worldwide and the increasing death rate indicate that the traditional and current medicines are insufficient to fight against it. The onset of chemo- and radioresistances and cancer stem cell-based recurrence make this problem harder, and this hour needs a novel treatment approach. Competent nanoparticle-based accurate drug delivery and cancer nanotheranostics like photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, chemodynamic therapy, and sonodynamic therapy can be the key to solving this problem due to their unique characteristics. These innovative formulations can be a better cargo with fewer side effects than the standard chemotherapy and can eliminate the stability problems associated with cancer immunotherapy. The nanotheranostic systems can kill the tumor cells and the resistant breast cancer stem cells by novel mechanisms like local hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species and prevent tumor recurrence. These theranostic systems can also combine with chemotherapy or immunotherapy approaches. These combining approaches can be the future of anticancer therapy, especially to overcome the breast cancer stem cells mediated chemo- and radioresistances. This review paper discusses several novel theranostic systems and smart nanoparticles, their mechanism of action, and their modifications with time. It explains their relevance and market scope in the current era. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease.

Hyaluronic acid microneedles loaded with curcumin nanodrugs and new indocyanine green inhibits human tongue squamous carcinoma cells in vitro

OBJECTIVE

To prepare the hyaluronic acid microneedle (abbreviated as microneedle) delivery system carrying curcumin nanodrugs (Cur-NDs) and photothermal trigger agent new indocyanine green (IR820), and to investigate its effect on proliferation of human tongue squamous carcinoma cells (Cal-27) in vitro.

METHODS

The microneedle delivery system carrying Cur-NDs and IR820 was prepared. The morphological characteristics of the microneedles were observed, and the mechanical strength test, skin insertion ability test and the photothermal test in vitro were performed. Cal-27 cells were treated with microneedles, Cur-NDs microneedles, IR820 microneedles, or Cur-NDs+IR820 microneedles in vitro, respectively. The IR820 microneedle group and Cur-NDs+IR820 microneedle group were irradiated with 808 nm near infrared light at 1 W/cm 2 for 5 min. The cell viability was tested with cell counting kit-8 method.

RESULTS

The prepared microneedles had homogeneous needle-like morphology, good mechanical strength and skin piercing ability, among which the microneedles equipped with IR820 showed better photothermal performance. The survival rates of Cal-27 cells were 100.00% in blank control group, 99.92% in control microneedles group, 94.08% in Cur-NDs microneedles group, 0.41% in IR820 microneedles group, and 0.04% in Cur-NDs+IR820 microneedles group, respectively (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Compared with single drug treatment, Cur-NDs+IR820 microneedle shows better inhibitory effect on Cal-27 cell proliferation in vitro.

Ultrastructural analysis of zinc oxide nanospheres enhances anti-tumor efficacy against Hepatoma

Zinc oxide nanomaterial is a potential material in the field of cancer therapy. In this study, zinc oxide nanospheres (ZnO-NS) were synthesized by Sol-gel method using yeast extract as a non-toxic bio-template and investigated their physicochemical properties through various techniques such as FTIR, XR, DLS, and TEM. Furthermore, free zinc ions released from the zinc oxide nanosphere suspended medium were evaluated by using the ICP-AS technique. Therefore, the cytotoxicity of ZnO nanospheres and released Zn ions on both HuH7 and Vero cells was studied using the MTT assay. The data demonstrated that the effectiveness of ZnO nanospheres on HuH7 was better than free Zn ions. Similarly, ZnO-Ns were significantly more toxic to HuH7 cell lines than Vero cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The cell cycle of ZnO-Ns against Huh7 and Vero cell lines was arrested at G2/M. Also, the apoptosis assay using Annexin-V/PI showed that apoptosis of HuH7 and Vero cell lines by ZnO nanospheres was concentration and time-dependent. Caspase 3 assay results showed that the apoptosis mechanism may be intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. The mechanism of apoptosis was determined by applying the RT-PCR technique. The results revealed significantly up-regulated Bax, P53, and Cytochrome C, while the Bcl2 results displayed significant down-regulation and the western blot data confirmed the RT-PCR data. There is oxidative stress of the ZnO nanospheres and free Zn+2 ions. Results indicated that the ZnO nanospheres and free Zn+2 ions induced oxidative stress through increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation. The morphology of the HuH7 cell line after exposure to ZnO nanospheres at different time intervals revealed the presence of the chromatin condensation of the nuclear periphery fragmentation. Interestingly, the appearance of canonical ultrastructure features of apoptotic morphology of Huh7, Furthermore, many vacuoles existed in the cytoplasm, the majority of which were lipid droplets, which were like foamy cells. Also, there are vesicles intact with membranes that are recognized as swollen mitochondria.

Phototoxic Effect of UVA-Responsive Fe3O4@ZnO Nanoparticles on Squamous Skin Cell

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a resource-rich metal oxide with a certain degree of phototoxicity toward cancer cells using ultraviolet light radiation. Therefore, it is a promising photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy against cancer. The current study synthesized core-shell structure nanoparticles using Fe3O4 as the core and ZnO as the shell. The core–shell nanoparticles were spherical-like and superparamagnetic, with a zeta potential of −22.7±7.6 mV. ZnO-coated ferroferric oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4@ZnO NPs) under ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation could induce a lot more reactive oxygen species in the squamous skin cells causing the evident inhibitory effect. In contrast, they indicated no toxicity to skin squamous cells without UVA radiation. Therefore, it can be inferred that their great potential as the targeting photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy on skin squamous cell carcinoma is due to their good biocompatibility without UVA radiation and excellent toxicity under UVA radiation on skin squamous cells.

Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles with Bioflavonoid Rutin: Characterisation, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities and In Vivo Cytotoxic Effects on Artemia Nauplii

This study aims to synthesise zinc oxide nanoparticles with rutin (ZnO-R NPs) using a green synthesis approach and characterise the nanostructures for diverse biomedical applications. In this study, the optical and chemical properties of synthesised ZnO-R NPs were verified through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The FTIR spectroscopy revealed a symmetric bending vibration peak of 460 cm⁻¹ for ZnO-R NPs, whereas UV-Vis spectroscopy showed a distinct absorption band at 395 nm. Moreover, the oval-shaped morphology of ZnO-R NPs was verified through scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The synthesised nanoformulation revealed a wurtzite structure with a crystallite size of 13.22 nm; however, the zeta potential value was recorded as −8.50 ± 0.46 mV for ZnO-R NPs. According to an antioxidant study, ZnO-R NPs demonstrated lower free-radical scavenging activity than pure rutin. The cytotoxicity study was conducted using a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). In vitro analysis verified that ZnO-R NPs exhibited significantly higher anticancer and microbial growth inhibition activities than standard ZnO NPs (ZnO Std NPs) and pure rutin. In addition, ZnO-R NPs revealed a significantly lower IC₅₀ value than the commercial ZnO Std NPs and pure rutin in MCF-7 cells (16.39 ± 6.03 μg/mL, 27 ± 0.91 μg/mL and 350 ± 30.1 μg/mL, respectively) after 48 h. However, synthesised ZnO-R NPs demonstrated no significant toxicity towards Artemia nauplii. These results highlight the synthesis of rutin-mediated ZnO NPs and their possible chemotherapeutic potential.

Inorganic Nanocarriers: Surface Functionalization, Delivery Utility for Natural Therapeutics - A Review

Inorganic nanocarriers for a decade have increased interest in nanotechnology research platform as versatile drug delivery materials. The utility of the inorganic nanocarriers for delivery of therapeutic agents is attributed to their unique properties such as magnetic, photocatalytic nature and the ability to exhibit surface functionalization. Herein, we review the surface functionalization and delivery utility for natural therapeutics exhibited by inorganic nanocarriers mostly focusing on their magnetic, photocatalytic and the plasmonic properties. The review also highlights the influence of electronic property of inorganic surface on functionalization of ligand based natural therapeutic agents. Improvement of stability and therapeutic potential by formation of nanocomposites are detailed. Furthermore, we suggest improvement strategies for stability and toxicity reduction of inorganic nanoparticles that would potentially make them useful for clinical application as therapeutic delivery tools for treatment of various diseases.

Functional Nanomaterials in Biomedicine: Current Uses and Potential Applications

Nanomaterials, that is, materials made up of individual units between 1 and 100 nanometers, have lately involved a lot of attention since they offer a lot of potential in many fields, including pharmacy and biomedicine, owed to their exceptional physicochemical properties arising from their high surface area and nanoscale size. Smart engineering of nanostructures through appropriate surface or bulk functionalization endows them with multifunctional capabilities, opening up new possibilities in the biomedical field such as biosensing, drug delivery, imaging, medical implants, cancer treatment and tissue engineering. This article highlights up-to-date research in nanomaterials functionalization for biomedical applications. A summary of the different types of nanomaterials and the surface functionalization strategies is provided. Besides, the use of nanomaterials in diagnostic imaging, drug/gene delivery, regenerative medicine, cancer treatment and medical implants is reviewed. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives are provided.

Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor activity of asiatic acid-loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles: A strategy of treating breast cancer

Asiatic acid (AA), an aglycone of pentacyclic triterpene glycoside, obtained from the leaves of Centella asiatica exerts anticancer effects by inhibiting cellular proliferation and inducing apoptosis in a wide range of carcinogenic distresses. However, its chemotherapeutic efficacy is dampened by its low bioavailability. Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit therapeutic efficacy and compliance by improving tissue penetration and lowering toxicity. Thus, to increase the therapeutic effectiveness of AA in the treatment of breast cancer, AA-loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) NPs (AA-PLGA NPs) have been formulated. The AA-PLGA NPs were characterized on the basis of their average particle size, zeta potential, electron microscopic imaging, drug loading, and entrapment efficiency. The NPs exhibited sustained drug release profile in vitro. Developed NPs exerted dose-dependent cytotoxicity to MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells without damaging normal cells. The pro-oxidant and pro-apoptotic properties of AA-PLGA NPs were determined by the study of the cellular levels of SOD, CAT, GSH-GSSG, MDA, protein carbonylation, ROS, mitochondrial membrane potential, and FACS analyses on MCF-7 cells. Immunoblotting showed that AA-PLGA NPs elicited an intrinsic pathway of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. In vivo studies on female BALB/c mice exhibited reduced volume of mammary pad tumor tissues and augmented expression of caspase-3 when administered with AA-PLGA NPs. No systemic adverse effect of AA-PLGA NPs was observed in our studies. Thus, AA-PLGA NPs can act as an efficient drug delivery system against breast cancer.

Metal-based nano-delivery platform for treating bone disease and regeneration

Owing to their excellent characteristics, such as large specific surface area, favorable biosafety, and versatile application, nanomaterials have attracted significant attention in biomedical applications. Among them, metal-based nanomaterials containing various metal elements exhibit significant bone tissue regeneration potential, unique antibacterial properties, and advanced drug delivery functions, thus becoming crucial development platforms for bone tissue engineering and drug therapy for orthopedic diseases. Herein, metal-based drug-loaded nanomaterial platforms are classified and introduced, and the achievable drug-loading methods are comprehensively generalized. Furthermore, their applications in bone tissue engineering, osteoarthritis, orthopedic implant infection, bone tumor, and joint lubrication are reviewed in detail. Finally, the merits and demerits of the current metal-based drug-loaded nanomaterial platforms are critically discussed, and the challenges faced to realize their future applications are summarized.

Reconnoitering the Therapeutic Role of Curcumin in Disease Prevention and Treatment: Lessons Learnt and Future Directions

Turmeric is a plant with a very long history of medicinal use across different cultures. Curcumin is the active part of turmeric, which has exhibited various beneficial physiological and pharmacological effects. This review aims to critically appraise the corpus of literature associated with the above pharmacological properties of curcumin, with a specific focus on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antimicrobial properties. We have also reviewed the different extraction strategies currently in practice, highlighting the strengths and drawbacks of each technique. Further, our review also summarizes the clinical trials that have been conducted with curcumin, which will allow the reader to get a quick insight into the disease/patient population of interest with the outcome that was investigated. Lastly, we have also highlighted the research areas that need to be further scrutinized to better grasp curcumin’s beneficial physiological and medicinal properties, which can then be translated to facilitate the design of better bioactive therapeutic leads.

Polymeric nanoparticles surface-complexed with boric acid actively target solid tumors overexpressing sialic acid

Sialic acid is a fundamental component of the tumor microenvironment, modulates cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions and is associated with bad prognosis and clinical outcomes in different cancers. Capitalizing on the ability of boric acid to form cyclic esters with diols, in this work, we design self-assembled multi-micellar colloidal systems of an amphiphilic poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymer surface-modified with boric acid for the active targeting of solid tumors that overexpress sialic acid. Nanoparticles display sizes in the 100-200 nm range and a spherical morphology, as determined by dynamic light scattering and high resolution-scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The uptake and anti-proliferative activity are assessed in 2D and 3D models of rhabdomyosarcoma in vitro. Surface boration increases the nanoparticle permeability and uptake, especially in rhabdomyosarcoma spheroids that overexpress sialic acid to a greater extent than 2D cultures. The biodistribution of non-borated and borated nanoparticles upon intravenous injection to a subcutaneous rhabdomyosarcoma murine xenograft model confirm a statistically significant increase in the intertumoral accumulation of the modified nanocarriers with respect to the unmodified counterparts and a sharp decrease in major clearance organs such as the liver. Overall, our results highlight the promise of these borated nanomaterials to actively target hypersialylated solid tumors.

A nanohybrid of Prussian blue supported by boracic acid-modified g-C3N4 for Raman recognition of cell surface sialic acid and photothermal/photodynamic therapy

Theranostic nanoplatforms with accurate diagnosis and effective therapy show a bright prospect for tumor treatments. Herein, a novel boracic acid-modified graphite carbon nitride and Prussian blue nanohybrid (PB@B-g-C₃N₄) was developed, which provides sialic acid-targeted Raman recognition and synergistic photothermal/photodynamic therapy in the near-infrared region. Owing to the specific interaction between boracic acid and sialic acid and Raman response at 2157 cm^-1 of PB, the nanohybrids exhibit high specificity and Raman sensitivity for detection of the overexpressed sialic acid on tumor cells. Moreover, the photothermal conversion efficiency of PB@B-g-C₃N₄ is as high as 47.0% with 808 nm laser irradiation due to the enhanced absorbance of PB@B-g-C₃N₄. PB@B-g-C₃N₄ also possesses excellent photodynamic activity, which is attributed to the energy transfer of PB (type I) and electron transfer between PB and B-g-C₃N₄ (type II). This nanotheranostic agent for Raman recognition of cancer markers and synergistic photothermal/photodynamic therapy holds great potential for the development of efficient theranostic nanoplatforms.