Doxorubicin-DNA adduct entrenched and motif tethered artificial virus encased in pH-responsive polypeptide complex for targeted cancer therapy

Mastoparan, a Peptide Toxin from Wasp Venom Conjugated Fluvastatin Nanocomplex for Suppression of Lung Cancer Cell Growth

Lung cancer has a very low survival rate, and non-small cell lung cancer comprises around 85% of all types of lung cancers. Fluvastatin (FLV) has demonstrated the apoptosis and suppression of tumor-cell proliferation against lung cancer cells in vitro. Drug–peptide nanoconjugates were found to enhance the cytotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs. Thus, the present study aimed to develop a nanocomplex of FLV with mastoparan (MAS), which is a peptide that has membranolytic anti-tumor activity. The nanocomplex of FLV and MAS (MAS-FLV-NC) was prepared and optimized for particle size using Box–Behnken design. The amount of FLV had the highest influence on particle size. While higher levels of FLV and incubation time favored higher particle size, a higher level of sonication time reduced the particle size of MAS-FLV-NC. The optimum formula of MAS-FLV-NC used 1.00 mg of FLV and was prepared with an incubation time of 12.1339 min and a sonication time of 6 min. The resultant particle size was 77.648 nm. The in vitro cell line studies of MAS-FLV-NC, FLV, and MAS were carried out in A549 cells. The IC₅₀ values of MAS-FLV-NC, FLV, and MAS were 18.6 ± 0.9, 58.4 ± 2.8, and 34.3 ± 1.6 µg/mL respectively, showing the enhanced cytotoxicity of MAS-FLV-NC. The apoptotic activity showed that MAS-FLV-NC produced a higher percentage of cells in the late phase, showing a higher apoptotic activity than FLV and MAS. Furthermore, cell cycle arrest in S and Pre G1 phases by MAS-FLV-NC was observed in the cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry. The loss of mitochondrial membrane potential after MAS-FLV-NC treatment was significantly higher than those observed for FLV and MAS. The IL-1β, IL-6, and NF-kB expressions were inhibited, whereas TNF-α, caspase-3, and ROS expressions were enhanced by MAS-FLV-NC treatment. Furthermore, the expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, and p53 strongly established the enhanced cytotoxic effect of MAS-FLV-NC. The results indicated that MAS-FLV-NC has better cytotoxicity than individual effects of MAS and FLV in A549 cells. Further pre-clinical and clinical studies are needed for developing MAS-FLV-NC to a clinically successful therapeutic approach against lung cancer.

Apamin-Conjugated Alendronate Sodium Nanocomplex for Management of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer has a low survival rate and has limited therapeutic options due to the peculiarity of the tumor tissue. Cancer nanotechnology provides several opportunities to resolve such difficulties as a result of the high surface-to-volume ratio of nanostructures. Peptide-drug nanocomplexes have proved to have immense potential in anticancer activity against pancreatic cancer cells. Thus, in the present study apamin (APA) and alendronate sodium (ALS) were combined to form nanocomplexes (APA-ALS-NC) against pancreatic cancer cells. Optimization of ALS, incubation time, and sonication time in terms of particle size of the nanocomplex was carried out. The optimized formulation was evaluated for anticancer activities in pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1 cells). A Box-Behnken design using ALS, incubation time, and sonication time as independent factors and particle size as the response was chosen to optimize the APA-ALS-NC formulation. The optimized APA-ALS-NC had a particle size of 161.52 ± 8.4 nm. The evaluation of APA-ALS-NC in PANC-1 cells was carried out using various in vitro tests. The IC₅₀ values were determined by MTT assay and found to be 37.6 ± 1.65, 13.4 ± 0.59, and 1.01 ± 0.04 µg/mL for ALS, APA, and APA-ALS-NC, respectively. The higher cytotoxicity activity of APA-ALS-NC was confirmed from the higher percentage of cells in the necrosis phase (apoptosis study) and the G2-M phase (cell cycle study) compared to that of ALS and APA. While the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential was less for APA-ALS-NC, the levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, caspase-3, ROS, IL-6, and NF-kB showed that APA-ALS-NC can significantly enhance apoptosis and cytotoxicity in PANC-1 cells. Moreover, Bax (10.87 ± 1.36), Bcl-2 (0.27 ± 0.02), and p53 (9.16 ± 1.22) gene expressions confirmed that APA-ALS-NC had a significant apoptotic effect compared to ALS and APA. In summary, the APA-ALS-NC had a more significant cytotoxic effect than ALS and APA. The results of the present study are promising for further evaluation in pre-clinical and clinical trials for arriving at a successful therapeutic strategy against pancreatic cancer.

Anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy: cellular and molecular mechanisms

Despite the known risk of cardiotoxicity, anthracyclines are widely prescribed chemotherapeutic agents. They are broadly characterized as being a robust effector of cellular apoptosis in rapidly proliferating cells through its actions in the nucleus and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). And, despite the early use of dexrazoxane, no effective treatment strategy has emerged to prevent the development of cardiomyopathy, despite decades of study, suggesting that much more insight into the underlying mechanism of the development of cardiomyopathy is needed. In this review, we detail the specific intracellular activities of anthracyclines, from the cell membrane to the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and highlight potential therapeutic windows that represent the forefront of research into the underlying causes of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy.

Biological and bioinspired materials: Structure leading to functional and mechanical performance

Nature has achieved materials with properties and mechanisms that go far beyond the current know-how of the engineering-materials industry. The remarkable efficiency of biological materials, such as their exceptional properties that rely on weak constituents, high performance per unit mass, and diverse functionalities in addition to mechanical properties, has been mostly attributed to their hierarchical structure. Key strategies for bioinspired materials include formulating the fundamental understanding of biological materials that act as inspiration, correlating this fundamental understanding to engineering needs/problems, and fabricating hierarchically structured materials with enhanced properties accordingly. The vast, existing literature on biological and bioinspired materials can be discussed in terms of functional and mechanical aspects. Through essential representative properties and materials, the development of bioinspired materials utilizes the design strategies from biological systems to innovatively augment material performance for various practical applications, such as marine, aerospace, medical, and civil engineering. Despite the current challenges, bioinspired materials have become an important part in promoting innovations and breakthroughs in the modern materials industry.

Carbon dot festooned and surface passivated graphene-reinforced chitosan construct for tumor-targeted delivery of TNF-α gene

Gene therapy is a promising alternative that ensures effective treatment and cure for cancer. Here, we report graphene-reinforced chitosan (CS) construct based non-viral vector for tumor-targeted gene therapy. The therapeutic gene, pDNA-TNF-α, was loaded on to chitosan-carboxylated graphene oxide (CS-CGO) construct via electrostatic interaction. The pDNA-TNF-α-CS-CGO thus obtained was further passivated with 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine for protecting the vector from the mononuclear phagocyte system that contributes to the prolongation of circulation half-life. The surface passivated carrier (PEG-pDNA-TNF-α-CS-CGO) then festooned with the folic acid derived carbon dots (C-dots) for targeting folate receptors that are overexpressed in most of the cancer cells. The results of TEM images and zeta potential values ensured the occurrence of desired changes in each stage of C-dot-PEG-pDNA-TNF-α-CS-CGO formulation. After 14 days of incubation, the anti-angiogenesis effect was observed for final formulation in the chorioallantoic membrane. The results of in vitro gene expression study in cancer cell line show a comparatively higher transfection efficacy of the developed system (C-dot-PEG-pDNA-TNF-α-CS-CGO) than pDNA-TNF-α. The efficiency of the developed gene delivery system was further confirmed using a developed and validated artificial tumor cell apparatus.