New Insight into a Cancer Theranostic Probe: Efficient Cell-Specific Delivery of SN-38 Guided by Biotinylated Poly(vinyl alcohol)

Nanomedicines with Versatile GSH-Responsive Linkers for Cancer Theranostics

Glutathione (GSH)-responsive nanomedicines have generated significant interest in biochemistry, oncology, and material sciences due to their diverse applications, including chemical and biological sensors, diagnostics, and drug delivery systems. The effectiveness of these smart GSH-responsive nanomedicines depends critically on the choice of GSH-responsive linkers. Despite their crucial role, comprehensive reviews of GSH-responsive linkers are scarce, revealing a gap in the current literature. This review addresses this gap by systematically summarizing various GSH-responsive linkers and exploring their potential applications in cancer treatment. We provide an overview of the mechanisms of action of these linkers and their bioapplications, evaluating their advantages and limitations. The insights presented aim to guide the development of advanced GSH-responsive agents for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Theranostic Fluorescent Probes

The ability to gain spatiotemporal information, and in some cases achieve spatiotemporal control, in the context of drug delivery makes theranostic fluorescent probes an attractive and intensely investigated research topic. This interest is reflected in the steep rise in publications on the topic that have appeared over the past decade. Theranostic fluorescent probes, in their various incarnations, generally comprise a fluorophore linked to a masked drug, in which the drug is released as the result of certain stimuli, with both intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli being reported. This release is then signaled by the emergence of a fluorescent signal. Importantly, the use of appropriate fluorophores has enabled not only this emerging fluorescence as a spatiotemporal marker for drug delivery but also has provided modalities useful in photodynamic, photothermal, and sonodynamic therapeutic applications. In this review we highlight recent work on theranostic fluorescent probes with a particular focus on probes that are activated in tumor microenvironments. We also summarize efforts to develop probes for other applications, such as neurodegenerative diseases and antibacterials. This review celebrates the diversity of designs reported to date, from discrete small-molecule systems to nanomaterials. Our aim is to provide insights into the potential clinical impact of this still-emerging research direction.

Biotin conjugates in targeted drug delivery: is it mediated by a biotin transporter, a yet to be identified receptor, or (an)other unknown mechanism(s)?

Conjugation of drugs with biotin is a widely studied strategy for targeted drug delivery. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies through H3-biotin competition experiments conclude with the presence of a free carboxylic acid being essential for its uptake via the sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter (SMVT, the major biotin transporter). However, biotin conjugation with a payload requires modification of the carboxylic acid to an amide or ester group. Then, there is the question as to how/whether the uptake of biotin conjugates goes through the SMVT. If not, then what is the mechanism? Herein, we present known uptake mechanisms of biotin and its applications reported in the literature. We also critically analyse possible uptake mechanism(s) of biotin conjugates to address the disconnect between the results from SMVT-based SAR and "biotin-facilitated" targeted drug delivery. We believe understanding the uptake mechanism of biotin conjugates is critical for their future applications and further development.

GSH-activatable camptothecin prodrug-loaded gold nanostars coated with hyaluronic acid for targeted breast cancer therapy via multiple radiosensitization strategies

Breast cancer has overtaken lung cancer to rank as the top malignant tumor in terms of incidence. Herein, a gold nanostar (denoted as AuNS) is used for loading disulfide-coupled camptothecin-fluorophore prodrugs (denoted as CPT-SS-FL) to form a nanocomposite of AuNS@CPT-SS-FL (denoted as AS), which, in turn, is further encapsulated with hyaluronic acid (HA) to give the final nanoplatform of AuNS@CPT-SS-FL@HA (denoted as ASH). ASH effectively carries the prodrug and targets the CD44 receptor on the surface of tumor cells. The endogenously overexpressed glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells breaks the disulfide bond to activate the prodrug and release the radiosensitizer drug camptothecin (CPT) and the fluorescence imaging reagent rhodamine derivative as a fluorophore (FL). The released FL can track the precise release position of the radiosensitizer camptothecin in tumor cells in real time. The AuNS has strong X-ray absorption and deposition ability due to the high atomic coefficient of elemental Au (Z = 79). At the same time, the AuNS can alleviate the tumor microenvironment (TME) hypoxia through its mild photothermal therapy (PTT). Therefore, through the multiple radiosensitizing effects of GSH depletion, the high atomic coefficient of Au, and hypoxia alleviation, accompanied by the radiosensitizer camptothecin, the designed ASH nanoplatform can effectively induce strong immunogenic cell death (ICD) at the tumor site via radiosensitizing therapy combined with PTT. This work provides a new way of constructing a structurally compact and highly functionalized hierarchical system toward efficient breast cancer treatment through ameliorating the TME with multiple modalities.

Recent Advancements on Self-Immolative System Based on Dynamic Covalent Bonds for Delivering Heterogeneous Payloads

The precisely spatial-temporal delivery of heterogeneous payloads from a single system with the same pulse is in great demand in realizing versatile and synergistic functions. Very few molecular architectures can satisfy the strict requirements of dual-release translated from single triggers, while the self-immolative systems based on dynamic covalent bonds represent the "state-of-art" of ultimate solution strategy. Embedding heterogeneous payloads symmetrically onto the self-immolative backbone with dynamic covalent bonds as the trigger, can respond to the quasi-bio-orthogonal hallmarks which are higher at the disease's microenvironment to simultaneously yield the heterogeneous payloads (drug A/drug B or drug/reporter). In this review, the modular design principles are concentrated to illustrate the rules in tailoring useful structures, then the rational applications are enumerated on the aspects of drug codelivery and visualized drug-delivery. This review, hopefully, can give the general readers a comprehensive understanding of the self-immolative systems based on dynamic covalent bonds for delivering heterogeneous payloads.

Structural Modification Endows Small-Molecular SN38 Derivatives with Multifaceted Functions

As a camptothecin derivative, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38) combats cancer by inhibiting topoisomerase I. SN38 is one of the most active compounds among camptothecin derivatives. In addition, SN38 is also a theranostic reagent due to its intrinsic fluorescence. However, the poor water solubility, high systemic toxicity and limited action against drug resistance and metastasis of tumor cells of SN38 indicates that there is great space for the structural modification of SN38. From the perspective of chemical modification, this paper summarizes the progress of SN38 in improving solubility, increasing activity, reducing toxicity and possessing multifunction and analyzes the strategies of structure modification to provide a reference for drug development based on SN38.

An Overview of Polymeric Nanoparticles-Based Drug Delivery System in Cancer Treatment

Cancer is recognized as one of the world's deadliest diseases, with more than 10 million new cases each year. Over the past 2 decades, several studies have been performed on cancer to pursue solutions for effective treatment. One of the vital benefits of utilizing nanoparticles (NPs) in cancer treatment is their high adaptability for modification and amalgamation of different physicochemical properties to boost their anti-cancer activity. Various nanomaterials have been designed as nanocarriers attributing nontoxic and biocompatible drug delivery systems with improved bioactivity. The present review article briefly explained various types of nanocarriers, such as organic-inorganic-hybrid NPs, and their targeting mechanisms. Here a special focus is given to the synthesis, benefits, and applications of polymeric NPs (PNPs) involved in various anti-cancer therapeutics. It has also been discussed about the drug delivery approach by the functionalized/encapsulated PNPs (without/with targeting ability) that are being applied in the therapy and diagnostic (theranostics). Overall, this review can give a glimpse into every aspect of PNPs, from their synthesis to drug delivery application for cancer cells.

β-Galactosidase-activated theranostic for hepatic carcinoma therapy and imaging

A β-galactosidase activatable fluorescent turn-on theranostic Gal-CGem exhibits gemcitabine release specifically in β-galactosidase overexpressing hepatic carcinoma cells. The cytotoxicity of Gal-CGem in cancer cells is achieved through the apoptotic cell death pathway. Overall, Gal-CGem is a new frontline prodrug in cancer therapy that has provided antineoplastic information through fluorescence imaging.

Cell-specific activation of gemcitabine by endogenous H2S stimulation and tracking through simultaneous fluorescence turn-on

The endogenous H₂S-driven theranostic H2S-Gem has been invented. The theranostic prodrug H2S-Gem is selectively activated in cancer cells, releasing active gemcitabine with a simultaneous fluorescence turn-on. H2S-Gem selectively inhibited cancer cell growth compared to the mother chemotherapeutic gemcitabine. Overall, it is a unique protocol for tracking and transporting chemotherapeutic agents to tumor areas without the guidance of tumor-directive ligands.

Zn(ii) phthalocyanines tetra substituted by aryl and alkyl azides: design, synthesis and optical detection of H2S

Experimental examination of two novel Zn(ii)-phthalocyanines having aryl and alkyl azide functional groups at the peripheral positions that have been designed/synthesized for hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) sensing purposes.

Rhodols - synthesis, photophysical properties and applications as fluorescent probes

The formal replacement of one dialkylamino group in rhodamines with a hydroxyl group transforms them into rhodols. This apparently minor difference is not as small as one may think; rhodamines belong to the cyanine family whereas rhodols belong to merocyanines. Discovered in the late 19th century, rhodols have only very recently begun to gain momentum in the field of advanced fluorescence imaging. This is in part due to the increased understanding of their photophysical properties, and new methods of synthesis. Rationalization of how the nature and arrangement of polar substituents around the core affect the photophysical properties of rhodols is now possible. The emergence of so-called π-expanded and heteroatom-modified rhodols has also allowed their fluorescence to be bathochromically shifted into regions applicable for biological imaging. This review serves to outline applicable synthetic strategies for the synthesis of rhodols, and to highlight important structure-property relationships. In the first part of this Review, various synthetic methods leading to rhodols are presented, followed by structural considerations and an overview of photophysical properties. The second part of this review is entirely devoted to the applications of rhodols as fluorescent reporters in biological imaging.

Monitoring of topoisomerase (I) inhibitor camptothecin release from endogenous redox-stimulated GO-polymer hybrid carrier

We have developed endogenous redox-responsive polymer conjugated GO-based hybrid nanomaterials (GO-PEGssFol-CPT) for delivery of anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT) to the cancer cells. The synthesized intermediate (PEG_SSFol) and CPT loaded GO- PEG_SSFol were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ¹H NMR. The morphological feature changes of TEM and AFM images have confirmed the loading of CPT on the nanocarrier and its release from the nanocarrier. The amount of CPT was loaded was found to be 14.2%. The extent of camptothecin (CPT) release from GO-BiotinPVA-CPT in the presence of different concentrations of glutathione (GSH) was monitored with the increase in the fluorescence intensity at λ_max 438 nm and UV-Vis absorbance at 366 nm. The time-dependent camptothecin (CPT) release was monitored in the presence of GSH. It was noticed that CPT was completely released from GO-PEGssFol-CPT within 45 min. This release process is free from interference by other ubiquitous analytes in the living system. The constant fluorescence intensity of GO-PEGssFol-CPT against acidic pH indicated that CPT would not be released in the extracellular region of cancer cells. Therefore, such delivery system could be used to prevent unwanted cytotoxicity to the healthy cells. The GO-PEGssFol-CPT showed higher antiproliferative activity against cervical cancer cells compared to the CPT. Thus, GO-PEGssFol-CPT can be a new material to deliver the anticancer drug to the target tumor region.

A BODIPY-based two-photon fluorescent probe validates tyrosinase activity in live cells

Herein, we report rational design, synthesis, and application of a two-photon fluorescent probe (Tyro-1) for tracking intracellular tyrosinase activity. The chemoselective detection of tyrosinase is precluded from interference of other competitive omnipresent oxidizing entities in cellular milieu. The probe showed 12.5-fold fluorescence enhancement at λ_em = 450 nm in the presence of tyrosinase. The nontoxic probe Tyro-1 provides information about H₂O₂-mediated upregulation of tyrosinase through cellular imaging. Its two-photon imaging ability makes it a noninvasive tool for validating the expression of tyrosinase in the live cells.

A hydrogen sulfide triggered self-immolative fluorescent probe for lysosome labeling in live cells

We developed a naphthalimide-based, lysosome-targeting, and self-immolative fluorescent probe for H₂S detection.

A bioorthogonal fluorescent probe for mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide: new strategy for cancer cell labeling

We report the application of a chemodosimeter 'turn on' fluorescent probe for detecting endogenous H₂S formation in cancer cells. Mito-HS showed a bathochromic shift in the UV-vis-absorption spectrum from 355 nm to 395 nm in the presence of H₂S. Furthermore, it showed an ∼43-fold fluorescence enhancement at λ_em = 450 nm in the presence of H₂S (200 μM). The cancer cell-specific fluorescence imaging reveals that Mito-HS has the ability to distinguish cancer cells from normal cells based on the level of endogenous H₂S formation. In due course, Mito-HS would be a powerful cancer biomarker based on its ability to estimate endogenous H₂S formation in living cells.