Chemo-photodynamic Activity of Silicon Phthalocyanines Bearing Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors on Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

Hyaluronic acid-conjugated methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil for targeted drug delivery

The delivery of chemotherapeutical drugs via nanomaterials has become a focus of pharmaceutical research over several decades due to improved drug delivery to cancer cells, decreased side effects on normal tissues, and increased therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a novel hyaluronic acid-conjugated methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil nanodrug system has been developed to address the critical limitations associated with the high toxicity and side effects of methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil. Furthermore, this nanodrug system enhances the targeting capacity of drug molecules and facilitates the potential integration of multimodal drug therapies. Concomitantly, the synergistic effects of MTX with 5-fluorouracil have been shown to improve the therapeutic index of MTX while attenuating the associated toxicities of MTX. The structure and micromorphology of the novel nanodrug can be confirmed by 1HNMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis, DLS, TEM, and AFM. Due to the ability of HA to bind to CD44 receptors activated on the surface of cancer cells and its enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, the novel nanodrug we designed and synthesized can effectively target cancer cells. Cell counting Kit-8 (CCK8), flow cytometry, and live-dead staining assays in vitro showed that this nanodrug system had high targeting and antitumor activity against CD44 receptors. By using drugs to act on patient-derived colorectal, liver, and breast cancer organoids, the anticancer effect of the nanodrug was identified and verified. These results showed that the nanodrug system developed in this study may have great potential as a targeted therapy for cancer.

Pathological and pharmacological functions of the metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids mediated by cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases, and cytochrome P450s in cancers

Oxylipins have garnered increasing attention because they were consistently shown to play pathological and/or pharmacological roles in the development of multiple cancers. Oxylipins are the metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids via both enzymatic and nonenzymatic pathways. The enzymes mediating the metabolism of PUFAs include but not limited to lipoxygenases (LOXs), cyclooxygenases (COXs), and cytochrome P450s (CYPs) pathways, as well as the down-stream enzymes. Here, we systematically summarized the pleiotropic effects of oxylipins in different cancers through pathological and pharmacological aspects, with specific reference to the enzyme-mediated oxylipins. We discussed the specific roles of oxylipins on cancer onset, growth, invasion, and metastasis, as well as the expression changes in the associated metabolic enzymes and the associated underlying mechanisms. In addition, we also discussed the clinical application and potential of oxylipins and related metabolic enzymes as the targets for cancer prevention and treatment. We found the specific function of most oxylipins in cancers, especially the underlying mechanisms and clinic applications, deserves and needs further investigation. We believe that research on oxylipins will provide not only more therapeutic targets for various cancers but also dietary guidance for both cancer patients and healthy humans.