Rational control of combined photothermal and photodynamic therapy for effective eradication of biofilms

New therapies are essential for eliminating antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their biofilms, which are a major global health threat, causing millions of deaths annually. Here, we demonstrate a combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) for the inhibition of biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis using aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-loaded polyacrylic acid-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (PAA-SPIONs) at 200, 600 and 1000 μg mL-1 Fe concentrations under 640 nm (0.75 W cm-2), 808 nm (2.6 W cm-2) and 640 + 808 nm (0.75 + 2.6 W cm-2, 20 min) irradiation. PTT experiments indicate ALA/PAA-SPION concentration-dependent heating up to 10.2 °C for PAA-SPIONs and 9.3 °C for ALA/PAA-SPIONs under combined 640 + 808 nm laser excitation. Bacterial growth inhibition by ALA/PAA-SPIONs was investigated with and without laser irradiation for 10 min using 150 and 600 μg Fe per mL or 0.5 mM and 2 mM ALA on both bacterial types. These experiments indicate a 3 to 6-log reduction in P. aeruginosa compared to control samples (without nanoparticles or a laser) with increasing Fe and ALA concentrations. Growth was completely inhibited by ALA/PAA-SPIONs under 640 + 808 nm irradiation. ALA/PAA-SPIONs caused growth inhibition of S. epidermidis between 2-log and 4-log with increasing wavelengths, Fe and ALA doses. PAA-SPIONs and a laser together inhibited the biofilms of P. aeruginosa with 3 to 11-log reductions with increasing laser wavelengths. The reduction of the biofilm with ALA/PAA-SPIONs and a laser reaches 8-log for 640 nm and 13-log for 808 nm excitation. We accurately model the wavelength, time, and nanoparticle concentration dependence of PTT for the first time. These results pave the way for effective PDT/PTT elimination of biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. epidermidis.

Metal nanoparticles as a promising therapeutic approach for prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy: a comprehensive review

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of mortality among men worldwide, particularly in the USA and European nations, with an estimated 1.9 million new cases and over 580,000 deaths annually, according to recent global statistics. The treatment of prostate tumors presents significant clinical challenges, due to the disease's high metastatic potential, specifically to vital organs, such as the liver, lungs, bones, and brain. The intrinsic heterogeneity of prostate cancer cells, characterized by diverse genetic, molecular, and phenotypic profiles, complicates conventional therapeutic strategies, highlighting the need for advanced diagnostic and treatment modalities. Nanoparticles play a critical role in oncology field due to their unique physicochemical properties, including high surface area-to-volume ratio and the ability to be functionalized with targeting ligands. Metallic-based nanoparticles exhibits significant potential for applications in field of nanomedicine, drug delivery systems, gene silencing methods, radiotherapy enhancement, cancer diagnostics, and targeted therapeutic interventions. Metal nanoparticles have substantially improved the sensitivity and specificity of major imaging modalities and have demonstrated remarkable efficacy as biosensors for the detection of prostate cancer-specific biomarkers. This review article provides an in-depth analysis of the utilization of metal nanomaterials in prostate cancer, focusing on their roles in enhancing therapeutic efficacy, advancing diagnostic precision, and supporting the development of novel treatment strategies.

Photothermal therapy: a novel potential treatment for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of cancer-related death in men, and most PCa patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy will progress to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) due to the lack of efficient treatment. Recently, lots of research indicated that photothermal therapy (PTT) was a promising alternative that provided an accurate and efficient prostate cancer therapy. A photothermic agent (PTA) is a basic component of PPT and is divided into organic and inorganic PTAs. Besides, the combination of PTT and other therapies, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), immunotherapy (IT), chemotherapy (CT), etc., provides an more efficient strategy for PCa therapy. Here, we introduce basic information about PTT and summarize the PTT treatment strategies for prostate cancer. Based on recent works, we think the combination of PPT and other therapies provides a novel possibility for PCa, especially CRPC clinical treatment.

Nanotherapeutics for prostate cancer treatment: A comprehensive review

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most prevalent solid organ malignancy and seriously affects male health. The adverse effects of prostate cancer therapeutics can cause secondary damage to patients. Nanotherapeutics, which have special targeting abilities and controlled therapeutic release profiles, may serve as alternative agents for PCa treatment. At present, many nanotherapeutics have been developed to treat PCa and have shown better treatment effects in animals than traditional therapeutics. Although PCa nanotherapeutics are highly attractive, few successful cases have been reported in clinical practice. To help researchers design valuable nanotherapeutics for PCa treatment and avoid useless efforts, herein, we first reviewed the strategies and challenges involved in prostate cancer treatment. Subsequently, we presented a comprehensive review of nanotherapeutics for PCa treatment, including their targeting methods, controlled release strategies, therapeutic approaches and mechanisms. Finally, we proposed the future prospects of nanotherapeutics for PCa treatment.

Recent advancements in the targeted delivery of etoposide nanomedicine for cancer therapy: A comprehensive review

Etoposide (ETO), a popular anticancer drug that inhibits topoisomerase II enzymes, may be administered more effectively and efficiently due to nanomedicine. The therapeutic application of ETO is constrained by its limited solubility, weak absorption, and severe side effects. This article summarizes substantial progress made in the development of ETO nanomedicine for the treatment of cancer. It discusses various organic and inorganic nanostructures used to load or affix ETOs, such as lipids, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), dendrimers, micelles, gold NPs, iron oxide NPs, and silica NPs. In addition, it evaluates the structural properties of these nanostructures, such as their size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release mechanism, as well as their in vitro or in vivo performance. The article also emphasizes the co-delivery of ETO with other medications or agents to produce synergistic effects or combat drug resistance in the treatment of cancer. It concludes with a discussion of the challenges and potential avenues for clinical translation of ETO nanomedicine.

Magnetoliposomes with Calcium-Doped Magnesium Ferrites Anchored in the Lipid Surface for Enhanced DOX Release

Nanotechnology has provided a new insight into cancer treatment by enabling the development of nanocarriers for the encapsulation, transport, and controlled release of antitumor drugs at the target site. Among these nanocarriers, magnetic nanosystems have gained prominence. This work presents the design, development, and characterization of magnetoliposomes (MLs), wherein superparamagnetic nanoparticles are coupled to the lipid surface. For this purpose, dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA)-functionalized Ca0.25Mg0.75Fe2O4 superparamagnetic nanoparticles were prepared for the first time. The magnetic nanoparticles demonstrated a cubic shape with an average size of 13.36 nm. Furthermore, their potential for photothermal hyperthermia was evaluated using 4 mg/mL, 2 mg/mL, and 1 mg/mL concentrations of NPs@DMSA, which demonstrated a maximum temperature variation of 20.4 °C, 11.4 °C, and 7.3 °C, respectively, during a 30 min NIR-laser irradiation. Subsequently, these nanoparticles were coupled to the lipid surface of DPPC/DSPC/CHEMS and DPPC/DSPC/CHEMS/DSPE-PEG-based MLs using a new synthesis methodology, exhibiting average sizes of 153 ± 8 nm and 136 ± 2 nm, respectively. Doxorubicin (DOX) was encapsulated with high efficiency, achieving 96% ± 2% encapsulation in non-PEGylated MLs and 98.0% ± 0.6% in stealth MLs. Finally, drug release assays of the DOX-loaded DPPC/DSPC/CHEMS MLs were performed under different conditions of temperature (37 °C and 42 °C) and pH (5.5 and 7.4), simulating physiological and therapeutic conditions. The results revealed a higher release rate at 42 °C and acidic pH. Release rates significantly increased when introducing the stimulus of laser-induced photothermal hyperthermia at 808 nm (1 W/cm2) for 5 min. After 48 h of testing, at pH 5.5, 67.5% ± 0.5% of DOX was released, while at pH 7.4, only a modest release of 27.0% ± 0.1% was achieved. The results demonstrate the potential of the MLs developed in this work to the controlled release of DOX under NIR-laser stimulation and acidic environments and to maintain a sustained and reduced release profile in physiological environments with pH 7.4.

A 3D Bioprinted Nanoengineered Hydrogel with Photoactivated Drug Delivery for Tumor Apoptosis and Simultaneous Bone Regeneration via Macrophage Immunomodulation

One of the significant challenges in bone tissue engineering (BTE) is the healing of traumatic tissue defects owing to the recruitment of local infection and delayed angiogenesis. Herein, a 3D printable multi-functional hydrogel composing polyphenolic carbon quantum dots (CQDs, 100 µg mL-1 ) and gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA, 12 wt%) is reported for robust angiogenesis, bone regeneration and anti-tumor therapy. The CQDs are synthesized from a plant-inspired bioactive molecule, 1, 3, 5-trihydroxybenzene. The 3D printed GelMA-CQDs hydrogels display typical shear-thinning behavior with excellent printability. The fabricated hydrogel displayed M2 polarization of macrophage (Raw 264.7) cells via enhancing anti-inflammatory genes (e.g., IL-4 and IL10), and induced angiogenesis and osteogenesis of human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). The bioprinted hBMSCs are able to produce vessel-like structures after 14 d of incubation. Furthermore, the 3D printed hydrogel scaffolds also show remarkable near infra-red (NIR) responsive properties under 808 nm NIR light (1.0 W cm-2 ) irradiation with controlled release of antitumor drugs (≈49%) at pH 6.5, and thereby killing the osteosarcoma cells. Therefore, it is anticipated that the tissue regeneration and healing ability with therapeutic potential of the GelMA-CQDs scaffolds may provide a promising alternative for traumatic tissue regeneration via augmenting angiogenesis and accelerated immunomodulation.

Aqueous colloidal nanoplatelets for imaging and improved ALA-based photodynamic therapy of prostate cancer cells

Fluorescent, CdSe/CdS core/crown heterostructured nanoplatelets (NPLs) were transferred to the water via a simple, single-step ligand exchange using 2-mercaptopropionic acid in a simple extraction process. These stable, aqueous NPLs were loaded with a modal drug, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). ALA-loaded NPLs emerged as a new class of theranostic nanoparticles for image-guided enhanced photodynamic therapy of both androgen-dependent and -independent human prostate cancer cells.

Research Progress of Nanomedicine-Based Mild Photothermal Therapy in Tumor

With the booming development of nanomedicine, mild photothermal therapy (mPTT, 42-45°C) has exhibited promising potential in tumor therapy. Compared with traditional PTT (>50°C), mPTT has less side effects and better biological effects conducive to tumor treatment, such as loosening the dense structure in tumor tissues, enhancing blood perfusion, and improving the immunosuppressive microenvironment. However, such a relatively low temperature cannot allow mPTT to completely eradicate tumors, and therefore, substantial efforts have been conducted to optimize the application of mPTT in tumor therapy. This review extensively summarizes the latest advances of mPTT, including two sections: (1) taking mPTT as a leading role to maximize its effect by blocking the cell defense mechanisms, and (2) regarding mPTT as a supporting role to assist other therapies to achieve synergistic antitumor curative effect. Meanwhile, the special characteristics and imaging capabilities of nanoplatforms applied in various therapies are discussed. At last, this paper puts forward the bottlenecks and challenges in the current research path of mPTT, and possible solutions and research directions in future are proposed correspondingly.

Anticancer Nanotherapeutics in Clinical Trials: The Work behind Clinical Translation of Nanomedicine

The ultimate goal of nanomedicine has always been the generation of translational technologies that can ameliorate current therapies. Cancer disease represented the primary target of nanotechnology applied to medicine, since its clinical management is characterized by very toxic therapeutics. In this effort, nanomedicine showed the potential to improve the targeting of different drugs by improving their pharmacokinetics properties and to provide the means to generate new concept of treatments based on physical treatments and biologics. In this review, we considered different platforms that reached the clinical trial investigation, providing an objective analysis about their physical and chemical properties and the working mechanism at the basis of their tumoritr opic properties. With this review, we aim to help other scientists in the field in conceiving their delivering platforms for clinical translation by providing solid examples of technologies that eventually were tested and sometimes approved for human therapy.