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Habibi S, Bahramian S, Saeedeh ZJ, Mehri S, Ababzadeh S, Kavianpour M. Novel strategies in breast cancer management: From treatment to long-term remission. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2025; 211:104715. [PMID: 40187709 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2025.104715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2025] [Revised: 03/22/2025] [Accepted: 03/26/2025] [Indexed: 04/07/2025] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy among women and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although improvements in early detection and therapy have been made, metastatic breast cancer (mBC) continues to be an incurable disease. Although existing treatments can prolong survival and enhance quality of life, they do not provide a definitive cure. Targeted therapies have significantly improved outcomes, particularly for subtypes such as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and hormone receptor (HR)-positive (HR+) BC. Key innovations include antibodydrug conjugates (ADCs) and next-generation endocrine therapies. ADCs combine monoclonal antibodies with cytotoxic agents, allowing targeted delivery to tumor cells while minimizing systemic toxicity. Immunotherapy is emerging as a promising approach for aggressive subtypes, such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Strategies under investigation include chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies, and natural killer (NK) cell treatments, all aimed at enhancing the ability of the immune system to target and eliminate resistant tumor cells. Tissue engineering, particularly hydrogel-based delivery systems, offers the potential for localized treatment. These systems enable the controlled release of therapeutic agents or immune cells directly to the tumor site, supporting tissue regeneration and enhancing immune surveillance to reduce recurrence. Despite these advancements, challenges remain, including treatment resistance, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and high costs. Overcoming these barriers requires further innovation in drug delivery systems and a deeper understanding of tumor biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Habibi
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shabbou Bahramian
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Zare Jalise Saeedeh
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Sara Mehri
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Guilan, Iran
| | - Shima Ababzadeh
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran; Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran
| | - Maria Kavianpour
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran; Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
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Christian Y, Redkar AS, Kumar N, Jancy SV, Chandrasekharan A, Retnabai Santhoshkumar T, Ramakrishnan V. Structural regression modelling of peptide based drug delivery vectors for targeted anti-cancer therapy. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2025; 15:1284-1298. [PMID: 39117921 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-024-01674-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Drug resistance in cancer poses a serious challenge in finding an effective remedy for cancer patients, because of the multitude of contributing factors influencing this complex phenomenon. One way to counter this problem is using a more targeted and dose-limiting approach for drug delivery, rather than relying on conventional therapies that exhibit multiple pernicious side-effects. Stability and specificity have traditionally been the core issues of peptide-based delivery vectors. In this study, we employed a structural regression modelling approach in the design, synthesis and characterization of a series of peptides that belong to approximately same topological cluster, yet with different electrostatic signatures encoded as a result of their differential positioning of amino acids in a given sequence. The peptides tagged with the fluorophore 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein, showed higher uptake in cancer cells with some of them colocalizing in the lysosomes. The peptides tagged with the anti-cancer drug methotrexate have displayed enhanced cytotoxicity and inducing apoptosis in triple-negative breast cancer cells. They also showed comparable uptake in side-population cells of lung cancer with stem-cell like properties. The most-optimized peptide showed accumulation in the tumor resulting in significant reduction of tumor size, compared to the untreated mice in in-vivo studies. Our results point to the following directives; (i) peptides can be design engineered for targeted delivery (ii) stereochemical engineering of peptide main chain can resist proteolytic enzymes and (iii) cellular penetration of peptides into cancer cells can be modulated by varying their electrostatic signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Christian
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | - Amay Sanjay Redkar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | - Naveen Kumar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India
| | - Shine Varghese Jancy
- Cancer Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, Kerala, India
| | - Aneesh Chandrasekharan
- Cancer Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, Kerala, India
| | | | - Vibin Ramakrishnan
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India.
- Mehta Family School of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, Assam, India.
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Lamb HO, Benfield AH, Henriques ST. Peptides as innovative strategies to combat drug resistance in cancer therapy. Drug Discov Today 2024; 29:104206. [PMID: 39395530 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2024.104206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2024] [Revised: 09/29/2024] [Accepted: 10/07/2024] [Indexed: 10/14/2024]
Abstract
Drug resistance is the leading cause of treatment failure in patients with cancer. Thus, innovative therapeutic strategies are required to overcome this critical challenge and improve patient outcomes. In this review, we examine the potential of peptide-based therapies to combat drug resistance in cancer. We highlight the unique strategies and mechanisms that can be explored by using peptides, including their ability to selectively target tumours, facilitate drug delivery into cancer cells, and inhibit key intracellular proteins that drive cancer progression and resistance. Peptides offer a promising approach to overcoming both intrinsic and adaptative cancer resistance against chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and biologics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry O Lamb
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Aurélie H Benfield
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Sónia Troeira Henriques
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Wang W, Chen C, Luo J, Tang C, Zheng Y, Yan S, Yuan Y, Zhu M, Diao X, Hang T, Wang H. Metabolism investigation of the peptide-drug conjugate LN005 in rats using UHPLCHRMS. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2024; 238:115860. [PMID: 37979524 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
LN005, as a peptide-drug conjugate (PDC), is a conjugate of the homing peptide VAP and doxorubicin (DOX). The exceptional targeting ability of the homing peptide VAP is directed toward glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), a highly expressed protein primarily found in the endoplasmic reticulum of various solid tumors. However, there are limited reports regarding the metabolism of peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), and the in vivo metabolism of LN005 has yet to be investigated. After intravenous injection of 18 mg/kg LN005 in SD rats, biological samples including plasma, urine, fecal, and bile samples, were collected and analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS). A total of 11 possible metabolites of LN005 were identified. Unchanged LN005 was found to be the main component in rat blood and urine, accounting for 46.46% and 63.79% of the total peak areas, respectively. M1057 was the most abundant metabolite in feces, accounting for 57.65% of the total peak area. Only one metabolite, M398, was identified in rat bile. The metabolism of LN005 is closely related to DOX, and the primary metabolic pathways involved oxidative deamination or hydrolysis, reductive glycosidic cleavage, hydrolytic glycosidic cleavage, and dehydrogenation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chong Chen
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China; Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Luo
- School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Whittlong Pharmaceutical Institute Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Yuandong Zheng
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shu Yan
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yali Yuan
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China; Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Xingxing Diao
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China; Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
| | - Taijun Hang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Hao Wang
- Shanghai Whittlong Pharmaceutical Institute Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China; National Pharmaceutical Engineering Research Center, China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry, Shanghai, China.
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Porosk L, Langel Ü. Approaches for evaluation of novel CPP-based cargo delivery systems. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1056467. [PMID: 36339538 PMCID: PMC9634181 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1056467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) can be broadly defined as relatively short synthetic, protein derived or chimeric peptides. Their most remarkable property is their ability to cross cell barriers and facilitate the translocation of cargo, such as drugs, nucleic acids, peptides, small molecules, dyes, and many others across the plasma membrane. Over the years there have been several approaches used, adapted, and developed for the evaluation of CPP efficacies as delivery systems, with the fluorophore attachment as the most widely used approach. It has become progressively evident, that the evaluation method, in order to lead to successful outcome, should concede with the specialties of the delivery. For characterization and assessment of CPP-cargo a combination of research tools of chemistry, physics, molecular biology, engineering, and other fields have been applied. In this review, we summarize the diverse, in silico, in vitro and in vivo approaches used for evaluation and characterization of CPP-based cargo delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ly Porosk
- Laboratory of Drug Delivery, Institute of Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ülo Langel
- Laboratory of Drug Delivery, Institute of Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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