Gold-Crowned Bismuth-Based Nanocomposites for Sonodynamic, Photothermal, and Chemotherapeutic Cancer Therapy

Role of cell cycle-related gene SAC3 domain containing 1 as a potential target of nitidine chloride in hepatocellular carcinoma progression

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is at the forefront of the global spectrum of cancer incidence and mortality, with conventional therapies like tyrosine kinase inhibitors limited by resistance. Recent studies have highlighted the promising anticancer effects of nitidine chloride (NC) against HCC. SAC3 domain containing 1 (SAC3D1) is critical for centrosome replication and spindle formation. However, research on SAC3D1 in HCC and NC remains limited.

AIM

To investigate the mechanisms underlying SAC3D1’s role in HCC progression and evaluated its potential as a therapeutic target of NC.

METHODS

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) identified SAC3D1 expression changes in HCC cells after NC treatment. Molecular docking was further employed to validate the direct binding between NC and SAC3D1. Additionally, HCC multicenter data (The Cancer Genome Atlas_GTEx, ArrayExpress), pathway analysis, Pearson correlation analysis and SAC3D1 in vitro knockdown experiments were integrated to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying SAC3D1's involvement in HCC progression.

RESULTS

RNA-seq showed that NC treatment significantly downregulated SAC3D1 expression [log₂(fold change) = - 0.95, P < 0.05], with molecular docking revealing that NC directly bound to SAC3D1 proteins (binding energy: -9.7 kcal/mol). Enrichment analysis showed that most pathways were closely related to the cell cycle. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that SAC3D1 and cell cycle genes were significantly positively correlated(correlation coefficient ≥ 0.3, P < 0.05). SAC3D1 knockdown inhibited HCC cell invasion, migration, and proliferation by arresting cells in the S and G2/M phases. Flow cytometry confirmed that after SAC3D1 knockdown, the early and total apoptosis percentage of HCC cells decreased, while the late apoptosis percentage increased.

CONCLUSION

As a potential target of NC, SAC3D1 may inhibit HCC progression through cell cycle regulation following its downregulation by NC.

Metal phenolic networks-driven bufalin homodimeric prodrug nano-coassemblies for ferroptosis-augmented tumor therapy

Poor bioavailability and dose-limiting cardiotoxicity persistently hinder the clinical application of bufalin (BF). Conventional BF-based nanoagents have shown promise in tackling these challenges, yet advanced nanostrategies with further improved performance and clinical accessibility still await development. Herein, we introduce a novel cooperative nanoparadigm based on disulfide-linked BF homodimeric prodrugs (SBF) and metal-phenolic networks (MPNs). This strategy achieves high drug-loading capacity and structural stability. Stability perturbation experiments reveal that hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic adsorption, and coordination bonds synergistically drive co-assembly of SBF and MPNs. The resultant nanopartieles (MSBNAs) exhibit prolonged circulation kinetics, tumor-selective accumulation, and pH/GSH dual-responsive properties, effectively mitigating BF-induced cardiotoxicity. Further antitumor mechanistic investigations unveil that MSBNAs amplify BF-induced ferroptosis through a dual assault of oxidative stress and iron overload induced jointly by MPNs-delivered exogenous iron and BF-triggered endogenous iron. This increased ferroptosis endows MSBNAs with superior suppression of tumor growth and lung metastasis, maintaining excellent biocompatibility without cardiotoxicity. Our work not only establishes a promising candidate platform to surmount the therapeutic hurdles of BF but also enriches the design landscapes of co-assembled nanomedicines, thereby laying a foundation for the clinical translation of BF and other antitumor drugs.

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems: opportunities and challenges in the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have emerged as a promising strategy to enhance cancer therapy efficacy by improving drug targeting, reducing toxicity, and enabling multifunctional applications. This review highlights some key types of nanoparticles, including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, metallic nanoparticles, dendrimers, and quantum dots, which could effectively improve the delivery of various drugs used in chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, offering more precise and effective treatment options. With the ability to improve drug stability and overcome biological barriers, nanoparticle-based systems represent a transformative strategy for ESCC treatment. Despite some challenges, such as biocompatibility and scalability, the future of nanoparticle-based drug delivery holds great promise, particularly in the development of personalized nanomedicine and novel therapeutic approaches targeting the tumor microenvironment. With ongoing advancements, nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems hold immense potential to revolutionize ESCC treatment and improve patient outcomes.

Targeted bismuth-based materials for cancer

The use of bismuth and its compounds in biomedicine has developed rapidly in recent years. Due to their unique properties, there are great opportunities for the development of new non-invasive strategies for the early diagnosis and effective treatment of cancers. This perspective highlights key fabrication methods to generate well-defined and clinically relevant bismuth materials of varying characteristics. On the one hand, this opens up a wide range of possibilities for unimodal and multimodal imaging. On the other hand, effective treatment strategies, which are increasingly based on combinatorial therapies, are given a great deal of attention. One of the biggest challenges remains the selective tumour targeting, whether active or passive. Here we present an overview on new developments of bismuth based materials moving forward from a simple enrichment at the tumour site via uptake by the mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS) to a more active tumour specific targeting via covalent modification with tumour-seeking molecules based on either small or antibody-derived molecules.