NanoGold-core dendrimeric seeds for combined chemo-, photothermal-, and photodynamic therapy of cancer

Niosomes based formulation containing tenoxicam: A newer solution for the rheumatic diseases

OBJECTIVE

This investigation aimed to explore the potential of non-ionic surfactant based niosomal vesicles encapsulating tenoxicam (TN; anti-rheumatic drug) for the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Mechanical dispersion technique with controlled pressure was employed to prepare different niosomal formulations. The effects of different ratios of surfactant (span-60), lipid, and sodium deoxycholate on noisome's physicochemical properties have been examined. Moreover, inhibition of TNF-α in lipopolysaccharide-activated cultured Human leukemia monocytic (THP-1) cells were demonstrated to assess the in vitro inflammation profile. Finally, the optimized niosomal formulation (TN3) was prepared in gel matrix consist of carbopol 934 (termed as TN34) and stability was also tested at 4±2 ̊C, 25±2 ̊C, 37±2 ̊C and 45±2 ̊C for 6 months.

RESULTS

The optimized niosomal formulation exhibited a small vesicle size (165±14nm) and high drug encapsulation (79.64±1.5%). Niosomal gel formulation TN34 showed pH (6.7), viscosity (6810±3.34 cps), spreadability (19.11±1.87gm.cm/sec) and also displayed sustained release pattern of drug release (98.16±0.07% TN released from gel matrix in 24h) in vitro release study. TN34 exhibited substantial anti-inflammatory response, with ∼75% inhibition of TNF-α in 48h. Stability investigation revealed that refrigerator temperature is most suitable for the storage of niosomal gel.

CONCLUSION

Transdermal niosomal formulation displayed promising potential in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

Photoresponsive 'chemo-free' phytotherapy: formulation development for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer

Aim: The present investigation aimed to develop a chemo-free, nanophytosomal system to treat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) via a phyto-photo dual treatment strategy. Method: Size, shape, surface analysis, photoprovoked release profile, photothermal stability, (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, apoptotic assay, DNA fragmentation, in vitro cellular uptake evaluation, mitochondrial membrane potential and caspase-3 assay, and photodynamic evaluation. Results: Biological experiments using MDA-MB-231 cells displayed dose-dependent synergistic anti-TNBC activity of PhytoS/Houttuynia cordata extract (HCE)/IR780 as compared with Phyto/HCE, PhytoS/IR780 and even more promising under laser treatment. Apoptotic assay and DNA fragmentation analysis also showed enhanced anti-TNBC effects. Investigation found that HCE acts via suppression of mitochondrial membrane potential and inducing caspase-3 activity in cells. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that photo-empowered phytotherapy can be employed effectively and safely against TNBC.

Smart stimuli-responsive polysaccharide nanohydrogels for drug delivery: a review

Polysaccharides have found extensive utilization as biomaterials in drug delivery systems owing to their remarkable biocompatibility, simple functionalization, and inherent biological properties. Within the array of polysaccharide-based biomaterials, there is a growing fascination for self-assembled polysaccharide nanogels (NG) due to their ease of preparation and enhanced appeal across diverse biomedical appliances. Nanogel (or nanohydrogel), networks of nanoscale dimensions, are created by physically or chemically linking polymers together and have garnered immense interest as potential carriers for delivering drugs due to their favorable attributes. These include biocompatibility, high stability, the ability to adjust particle size, the capacity to load drugs, and their inherent potential to modify their surface to actively target specific cells or tissues via the attachment of ligands that can recognize corresponding receptors. Nanogels can be engineered to respond to specific stimuli, such as pH, temperature, light, or redox conditions, allowing controlled release of the encapsulated drugs. This intelligent targeting capability helps prevent drug accumulation in unintended tissues and reduces the potential side effects. Herein, an overview of nanogels is offered, comprising their methods of preparation and the design of stimulus-responsive nanogels that enable controlled release of drugs in response to specific stimuli.

CD44-Receptor Targeted Gold-Doxorubicin Nanocomposite for Pulsatile Chemo-Photothermal Therapy of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

This study reports the CD44 receptor-targeted gold-doxorubicin nanocomposite (TGNC-DOX) for pulsatile chemo-photothermal therapy of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The developed TGNC-DOX was nanometric, having a particle size of 71.34 ± 3.66 nm. The doxorubicin was loaded by electrostatic interaction with high entrapment and loading efficiency (>75%). TGNC-DOX showed potent photothermal response and reversible photothermal stability following irradiation with 808 nm NIR laser irradiation. Further, TGNC-DOX showed laser-responsive and pH-dependent drug release behavior suggesting its suitability for chemo-photothermal therapy, specifically at the tumor microenvironment site. Cellular viability, cellular uptake, ROS generation, and apoptosis assays suggested selective localization of TGNC-DOX in cancer cells that showed a significant cytotoxic effect against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Moreover, the developed TGNC-DOX showed ferroptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. The event of TGNC-DOX-mediated thermal ablation is marked by a significant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis, as affirmed by flow cytometry. NIR-808 laser-responsive photothermal therapy of cancer cells was found to be more effective than without NIR-808 laser-treated cells, suggesting the fundamental role of photothermal ablation. The outcome concludes developed TGNC-DOX is a novel and potential tool to mediate laser-guided chemo-photothermal ablation treatment of cancer cells.

Emerging theranostics to combat cancer: a perspective on metal-based nanomaterials

OBJECTIVE

Theranostics, encompassing diagnostics and therapeutics, has emerged as a critical component of cancer treatment. Metal-based theranostics is one such next-generation nanotechnology-based drug delivery system with a myriad of benefits in pre-clinical and clinical medication for the deadly diseases like cancer, where early detection can actually be life-saving.

SIGNIFICANCE

Metal theranostics have shown promising outcomes in terms of anticancer medication monitoring, targeted drug delivery, and simultaneous detection and treatment of early-stage cancer.

METHODS

For collection of literature data, different search engines including Google scholar, SciFinder, PubMed, ScienceDirect have been employed. With key words like, cancer, theranostics, metal nanoparticles relevant and appropriate data have been generated.

RESULTS

Noninvasive administration of the active drug is made possible by theranostics nanoparticulate systems' ability to aggregate at the tumor site and offer morphological and biochemical characteristics of the tumor site. The recent advancement of metal-based theranostics including metallic nanoparticles, metal oxides, metal sulfides, nanocomposites, etc. has been explored at length in this article.

CONCLUSION

The review highlights emerging applications in terms of molecular imaging, targeted therapy and different diagnostic approaches of metal theranostics. Possible challenges faced by nanotheranostics in terms of clinical immersion and toxicological aspects which need to be addressed at depth are also discussed at the end.

Microwave-triggered/HSP-targeted gold nano-system for triple-negative breast cancer photothermal therapy

Due to the lack of effective therapeutic targets and the passive delivery of a limited quantity of nanoparticles to the tumors, the photothermal conversion agents used in photothermal therapy (PTT) have not been effective in treating triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). As a result, there is a need to improve the tumor-targeting ability of these photothermal conversion agents. To address this, a microwave-triggered heat shock protein (HSP)-targeted gold nano-system (cmHSP-AuNC), with a gold nanocage (AuNC) as a photothermal conversion agent and anti-HSP monoclonal antibody (cmHSP) as a targeting ligand, was fabricated. cmHSP-AuNC was characterized based on morphology, particle size, zeta potentials, absorption spectrum, and photothermal conversion ability. The expression of HSP70 in 4T1 cells after microwave irradiation was verified by western blotting, and the optimal treatment conditions to achieve the highest expression were determined. Both in vitro and in vivo results indicated that the induction through microwave irradiation could effectively activate the HSP70 overexpression in TNBC, thereby significantly improving the targeting ability, tumor accumulation and anti-tumor efficacy of cmHSP-AuNC. This study proposes a promising strategy for improving the targeting ability and therapeutic efficacy of PTT.