Synthesis of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) diblock copolymers hybridized with DDAB cationic lipid as the efficient nanocarriers for in vitro delivery of lycopene into MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Dual silencing of integrin αvβ3 receptor and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor using mPEG-PCL/DDAB hybrid nanoparticle loaded siRNA in breast cancer therapy: An in vitro study on MCF-7 cells

Integrin αvβ3, a primary cell-adhesion receptor, plays a crucial role in various biological processes, including angiogenesis, pathological neovascularization, and tumor metastasis. Its expression increases during tumor angiogenesis. The insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) is a transmembrane protein that stimulates vital signaling pathways, promoting cancer cell growth, survival, and metabolism. Notably, a crucial step in insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling in non-hematologic cancers is IGF1 binding to integrins αvβ3, followed by the formation of the integrin-IGF1-IGF1R complex that dual silencing of these genes could enhance therapeutic specificity on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. In the current study, mPEG-PCL-DDAB nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by hybridizing methoxy polyethylene glycol-poly caprolactone (mPEG-PCL) with the cationic lipid dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDAB). These nanoparticles were utilized as a carrier of siRNAs for the dual silencing of integrin αvβ3 receptor and IGF1R. The results from the in vitro study indicate that this nanoparticle with high encapsulation efficiency of siRNAs, dramatically induces the process of apoptosis, gene silencing, and cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 tumor cell lines. In general, the article represents a significant advancement in MCF-7 breast cancer cell research by developing a novel nanoformulation as a therapeutic approach involving integrin αvβ3 receptor and IGF1R.

Lycopene as a Potential Bioactive Compound: Chemistry, Extraction, and Anticancer Prospective

Lycopene, a potential bioactive agent, is a non-pro-vitamin A carotenoid recognized as a potent antioxidant. It is extracted from plants like tomatoes, watermelons, red carrots and papayas and has remarkable health benefits. A significant amount of research has been assisted to date to establish the anticancer activity of lycopene. Our review enhances information about the promising anticancer potential of this compound. The biological activity of lycopene has been described in several studies in regard to pancreatic, breast, prostate, liver, gastric, ovarian, kidney, skin, intestine, brain and spinal cord cancers. Lycopene resists cancer by inhibition of apoptosis, induction of cell proliferation, cell invasion, cell cycle development, metastasis and angiogenesis. The mechanisms of anticancer action of lycopene are attributed to the management of certain signal transduction pathways, such as modulation of insulin-like growth factors system, PI3K/Akt pathway, modification of important gene expression, inhibit the activity of sex steroid hormones, and the conversation of mitochondrial behavior. Hence, this review focuses on current knowledge of sources, extraction techniques, and chemistry of lycopene, as well as the prospective mechanisms of action related with its anticancer activity. Also, it summarizes the background information about lycopene and the most current research with consideration to its aspect in treating several types of cancer together with future directions.

Formulation and Evaluation of Apigenin-Loaded Hybrid Nanoparticles

Apigenin (AGN) is a potent phytochemical with strong antioxidant and anticancer potential. But its therapeutic efficacy is limited due to its high lipophilic characteristics. Therefore, the present investigation aimed to develop AGN-loaded polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles (AGN-PLHNPs). Herein, we successfully developed AGN-PLHNPs and optimized them by a 33-Box-Behnken de-sign. The poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA; coded as F1), phospholipon 90 G (PL-90G; coded as F2), and poloxamer 188 (P-188; coded as F3) were considered as the independent factors while particle size (PS; coded as R1), entrapment efficiency (%EE; R2), and cumulative drug release (%CDR; R3) were selected as dependent responses. The average PS, %EE, and %CDR of the AGN-PLHNPs were observed in the range of 101.93 nm to 175.26 nm, 58.35% to 81.14%, and 71.21% to 93.31%, respectively. The optimized AGN-PLHNPs revealed better homogeneity (poly-dispersity index < 0.2) and colloidal stability with high zeta potential (>25 mV). It also exhibited fast release in the initial 4 h after that sustained release up to 48 h of study. Moreover, the results of both DPPH as well as ABTS assays revealed significant improvement in the antioxidant activity. Furthermore, the optimized AGN-PLHNPs exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity efficacy against MCF-7 as well as MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines.