Ultrasmall zirconium carbide nanodots for synergistic photothermal-radiotherapy of glioma

Photothermal Fe3O4 nanoparticles induced immunogenic ferroptosis for synergistic colorectal cancer therapy

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising non-invasive treatment that has shown great potential in eliminating tumors. It not only induces apoptosis of cancer cells but also triggers immunogenic cell death (ICD) which could activate the immune system against cancer. However, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TIME) poses a challenge to triggering strong immune responses with a single treatment, thus limiting the therapeutic effect of cancer immunotherapy. In this study, dual-targeted nano delivery system (GOx@FeNPs) combined with αPD-L1 immune checkpoint blocker could inhibit colorectal cancer (CRC) progression by mediating PTT, ferroptosis and anti-tumor immune response. Briefly, specific tumor delivery was achieved by the cyclic arginine glycyl aspartate (cRGD) peptide and anisamide (AA)  in GOx@FeNPs which not only had a good photothermal effect to realize PTT and induce ICD, but also could deplete glutathione (GSH) and catalyze the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from endogenous H2O2. All these accelerated the Fenton reaction and augmented the process of PTT-induced ICD. Thus, a large amount of tumor specific antigen was released to stimulate the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) in lymph nodes and enhance the infiltration of CD8+ T cells in tumor. At the same time, the combination with αPD-L1 has favorable synergistic effectiveness against CRC with tumor inhibition rate over 90%. Furthermore, GOx@FeNPs had good magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capability under T2-weighting owing to the presence of Fe3+, which is favorable for integrated diagnosis and treatment systems of CRC. By constructing a dual-targeted GOx@FeNPs nanoplatform, PTT synergistically combined with ferroptosis was realized to improve the immunotherapeutic effect, providing a new approach for CRC immunotherapy.

Nanoradiosensitizers in glioblastoma treatment: recent advances and future perspectives

Glioblastoma (GBM), a highly invasive type of brain tumor located within the central nervous system, manifests a median survival time of merely 14.6 months. Radiotherapy kills tumor cells through focused high-energy radiation and has become a crucial treatment strategy for GBM, especially in cases where surgical resection is not viable. However, the presence of radioresistant tumor cells limits its clinical effectiveness. Radioresistance is a key factor of treatment failure, prompting the development of various therapeutic strategies to overcome this challenge. With the rapid development of nanomedicine, nanoradiosensitizers provide a novel approach to enhancing the effectiveness of radiotherapy. In this review, we discuss the reasons behind GBM radio-resistance and the mechanisms of radiotherapy sensitization. Then we summarize the primary types of nanoradiosensitizers and recent progress in their application for the radiosensitization of GBM. Finally, we elucidate the factors influencing their practical implementation, along with the challenges and promising prospects associated with multifunctional nanoradiosensitizers.

Liposomal Nanomaterials: A Rising Star in Glioma Treatment

Glioma is a primary malignant tumor in the central nervous system. In recent years, the treatment of glioma has developed rapidly, but the overall survival of glioma patients has not significantly improved. Due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier and intracranial tumor barrier, many drugs with good effects to cure glioma in vitro cannot be accurately transported to the corresponding lesions. In order to enable anti-tumor drugs to overcome the barriers and target glioma, nanodrug delivery systems have emerged recently. It is gratifying that liposomes, as a multifunctional nanodrug delivery carrier, which can be compatible with hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, easily functionalized by various targeted ligands, biodegradable, and hypoimmunogenic in vivo, has become a quality choice to solve the intractable problem of glioma medication. Therefore, we focused on the liposome nanodrug delivery system, and summarized its current research progress in glioma. Hopefully, this review may provide new ideas for the research and development of liposome-based nanomaterials for the clinical treatment of glioma.

Application of nanotechnology in the treatment of glomerulonephritis: current status and future perspectives

Glomerulonephritis (GN) is the most common cause of end-stage renal failure worldwide; in most cases, it cannot be cured and can only delay the progression of the disease. At present, the main treatment methods include symptomatic therapy, immunosuppressive therapy, and renal replacement therapy. However, effective treatment of GN is hindered by issues such as steroid resistance, serious side effects, low bioavailability, and lack of precise targeting. With the widespread application of nanoparticles in medical treatment, novel methods have emerged for the treatment of kidney diseases. Targeted transportation of drugs, nucleic acids, and other substances to kidney tissues and even kidney cells through nanodrug delivery systems can reduce the systemic effects and adverse reactions of drugs and improve treatment effectiveness. The high specificity of nanoparticles enables them to bind to ion channels and block or enhance channel gating, thus improving inflammation. This review briefly introduces the characteristics of GN, describes the treatment status of GN, systematically summarizes the research achievements of nanoparticles in the treatment of primary GN, diabetic nephropathy and lupus nephritis, analyzes recent therapeutic developments, and outlines promising research directions, such as gas signaling molecule nanodrug delivery systems and ultrasmall nanoparticles. The current application of nanoparticles in GN is summarized to provide a reference for better treatment of GN in the future.

Transformation of Black Phosphorus through Lattice Reconstruction for NIR-II-Responsive Cancer Therapy

The photothermal performance of black phosphorus (BP) in the near infrared (NIR)-II bio-window (1000-1500 nm) is low, which limits its biomedical applications. Herein, ultrasmall nickel phosphide quantum dots (Ni2 P QDs) are synthesized with BP quantum dots (BPQDs) as the template by topochemical transformation. The size of Ni2 P QDs is ≈3.5 nm, similar to that of BPQDs, whereas the absorption and photothermal conversion efficiency of Ni2 P QDs at 1064 nm (43.5%) are significantly improved compared with those of BPQDs. To facilitate in vivo applications, an Ni2 P QDs-based liposomal nano-platform (Ni2 P-DOX@Lipo-cRGD) is designed by incorporation of Ni2 P QDs and doxorubicin (DOX) into liposomal bilayers and the interior, respectively. The encapsulated DOX is responsively released from liposomes upon 1064-nm laser irradiation owing to the photothermal effect of Ni2 P QDs, and the drug release rate and amount are controlled by the light intensity and exposure time. In vivo, experiments show that Ni2 P-DOX@Lipo-cRGD has excellent tumor target capability and biocompatibility, as well as complete tumor ablation through the combination of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy. The work provides a new paradigm for the NIR-II transformation of nano-materials and may shed light on the construction of multifunctional nano-platforms for cancer treatment.

Gold Nanocage-Based Multifunctional Nanosensitizers for Programmed Photothermal /Radiation/Chemical Coordinated Therapy Guided by FL/MR/PA Multimodal Imaging

BACKGROUND

Radiotherapy is one of the main clinical methods for the treatment of malignant tumors at present. However, its application is limited by the radiation resistance of some tumor cells and the irradiation damage to the surrounding normal tissues, and the limitation of radiotherapy dose also affects the therapeutic effect. Therefore, developing diagnostic and therapeutic agents with imaging and radiosensitizing functions is urgently needed to improve the accuracy and efficacy of radiotherapy.

MATERIALS AND STRATEGY

Herein, we synthesized multifunctional nanotheranostic FRNPs nanoparticles based on gold nanocages (GNCs) and MnO2 for magnetic resonance (MR)/photoacoustic (PA) imaging and combined photothermal, radiosensitive and chemical therapy. A programmed therapy strategy based on FRNPs is proposed. First, photothermal therapy is applied to ablate large tumors and increase the sensitivity of the tumor tissue to radiotherapy, then X-ray radiation is performed to further reduce the tumor size, and finally chemotherapeutic agents are used to eliminate smaller residual tumors and distant metastases.

RESULTS

As revealed by fluorescence, MR and PA imaging, FRNPs achieved efficient aggregation and retention at tumor sites of mice after intravenous injection. In vivo studies have shown that the programmed treatment of FRNPs-injected nude mice which were exposed to X-ray after 808 laser irradiation achieved the greatest inhibition of tumor growth compared with other treatment groups. Moreover, no obvious systemic toxicity was observed in all groups of mice, indicating the good biocompatibility of FRNPs and the safety of the treatment scheme.

CONCLUSION

To sum up, our work not only showed a new radiosensitizer, but also provided a promising theranostic strategy for cancer treatment.

Multiple therapeutic approaches of glioblastoma multiforme: From terminal to therapy

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain cancer showing poor prognosis. Currently, treatment methods of GBM are limited with adverse outcomes and low survival rate. Thus, advancements in the treatment of GBM are of utmost importance, which can be achieved in recent decades. However, despite aggressive initial treatment, most patients develop recurrent diseases, and the overall survival rate of patients is impossible to achieve. Currently, researchers across the globe target signaling events along with tumor microenvironment (TME) through different drug molecules to inhibit the progression of GBM, but clinically they failed to demonstrate much success. Herein, we discuss the therapeutic targets and signaling cascades along with the role of the organoids model in GBM research. Moreover, we systematically review the traditional and emerging therapeutic strategies in GBM. In addition, we discuss the implications of nanotechnologies, AI, and combinatorial approach to enhance GBM therapeutics.

Near-Infrared Fluorescent Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles for Targeted Photothermal Cancer Therapy

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores have attracted great attention due to their excellent optical and photothermal properties. Among them, a bone-targeted NIR fluorophore (named P800SO3) contains two phosphonate groups, which play important roles in binding with hydroxyapatite (HAP) as the main mineral component of bones. In this study, biocompatible and NIR fluorescent HAP nanoparticles functionalized with P800SO3 and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were readily prepared for tumor-targeted imaging and photothermal therapy (PTT). The PEGylated HAP nanoparticle (HAP800-PEG) demonstrated improved tumor targetability with high tumor-to-background ratios (TBR). Moreover, the HAP800-PEG also showed excellent photothermal properties, and the temperature of tumor tissue reached 52.3 °C under NIR laser irradiation, which could completely ablate the tumor tissue without recurrence. Therefore, this new type of HAP nanoparticle has great potential as a biocompatible and effective phototheranostic material, which enables the use of P800SO3 for targeted photothermal cancer treatment.

Radionuclide Labeled Nanocarrier for Imaging Guided Combined Radionuclide, Sonodynamic, and Photothermal Therapy of Pancreatic Tumours

Radionuclide therapy (RNT) is an effective method for the clinical precise treatment of cancer. However, the uneven dose distribution and rapid metabolism of nuclides limit the effective killing of tumors. To overcome the limitations of radionuclide therapeutic approaches, combining different therapeutic strategies to treat cancer has manifested great promise in basic and clinical research. Here, a new combination therapy strategy was developed to combine radionuclide therapy, sonodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy (RNT-SDT-PTT) under radionuclide imaging guided achieve highly effective combination therapy. We prepared a polydopamine-modified Au nanostar (AN), then loaded with the acoustic sensitizer protoporphyrin (IX) and labeled with diagnostic (^99mTc) or therapeutic (¹³¹I) radionuclides (¹³¹I/^99mTc-AN@D/IX) for the precise diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer. After intratumor administration, single photon emission computed tomography imaging showed that the nanocarriers were mostly retained in the tumor compared to free radionuclide. As well as using near-infrared light to trigger PTT and ultrasound with high penetration depth to activate IX to generate reactive oxygen species achieved SDT of tumor. The ultimate significantly improved the inhibitory effects by the RNT-SDT-PTT combined therapy for pancreatic cancer. Therefore, this study proposes an effective radionuclide combination therapy regimen consisting of three widely used treatments, offering promising prospects for the future of oncology.

Liquid exfoliation of ultrasmall zirconium carbide nanodots as a noninflammatory photothermal agent in the treatment of glioma

Photothermal therapy (PTT), like other clinical translational tumor ablation techniques, requires a temperature increase above 50 °C to cause necrosis and death of tumor cells. Although the tumor can be eliminated rapidly by PTT, the inflammatory response is triggered by the large amounts of released reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, liquid exfoliation was used to create ultrasmall zirconium carbide nanodots (NDs) with an average diameter of approximately 4.5 nm as noninflammatory/anti-inflammatory photosensitizers for PTT of glioma. Ultrasmall ZrC NDs showed excellent photothermal stability and biocompatibility but no obvious toxicity. Moreover, the ultrasmall ZrC NDs effectively ablated glioma at relatively low concentrations and inhibited tumor migration and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the excellent ROS-scavenging ability of ultrasmall ZrC NDs suppressed the inflammatory response to PTT. Intriguingly, we found that ZrC had the capability of performing CT imaging. We demonstrated that the ultrasmall ZrC NDs created in this study could effectively and safely treat glioma without inflammation.

Bibliometric analysis of ferroptosis: a comprehensive evaluation of its contribution to cancer immunity and immunotherapy

Background

In the past 5 years, ferroptosis-associated cancer immunity has been attracted significant research interest.

Objective

This study was performed to identify and analyze the global output trend for ferroptosis in cancer immunity.

Methods

Relevant studies were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on Feb 10^th, 2023. The VOSviewer and Histcite softwares were utilized to perform the visual bibliometric and deep mining analyses.

Results

A total of 694 studies (530 articles (76.4%) and 164 (23.6%) review articles) were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection for visualization analyses. The top 3 key keywords were ferroptosis, prognosis and immunotherapy. The top 30 local citation score (LCS) authors were all collaborators of Zou Weiping. Deep mining of 51 nanoparticle-related articles showed that BIOMATERIALS was the most popular journal. The primary goal of gene signatures related to ferroptosis and cancer immunity was to establish prognostic predictions.

Conclusion

There has been a significant increase in ferroptosis-associated immune publications in the recent 3 years. The key research hotspots include mechanisms, prediction and therapeutic outcomes. The most influential article was from the Zou Weiping's group, which proposed that system xc-mediated ferroptosis is induced by CD8(+) T cell-secreted IFNγ after PD-L1 blockage for immunotherapy. The frontier of research in the field of ferroptosis-associated immune is the study on nanoparticle and gene signature The limitation of this bibliometric study is that publications on this topic are few.

miRNA-130a-3p/CPEB4 Axis Modulates Glioblastoma Growth and Progression

Glioblastoma is the most frequent form of malignant brain tumor. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 4 (CPEB4) is overexpressed and involved in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of glioblastoma. miR-130a-3p has been revealed to be aberrantly expressed in tumors and has aroused wide attention. In present study, we would like to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of miR-130a-3p on the proliferation and migration in glioblastoma. The relative expression levels of miR-130a-3p and CPEB4 in glioblastoma cell lines were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cell viability and migration were detected by methylthiazolyl tetrazolium assay and transwell assay, and cell cycle analysis was detected by flow cytometry. The expression of CPEB4 protein and epithelial-mesenchymal transition associated markers were detected by western blot. Bioinformatics and luciferase activity analysis were used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-130a-3p and CPEB4. We observed that the expression of CPEB4 was upregulated while that of miR-130a-3p was downregulated in glioblastoma cell lines. CPEB4 was validated as a target of miR-130a-3p by luciferase activity assay. Increased levels of miR-130a-3p inhibited the proliferation and migration of the glioblastoma cells and the overexpression of miR-130a-3p inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition. However, CPEB4 overexpression resisted the inhibitory effects of miR-130a-3p. Our study elucidates CPEB4 is upregulated because of the downregulated miR-130a-3p in glioblastoma, which enhances the glioblastoma growth and migration, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for the disease.

Advanced diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in nanotechnology for lung cancer

As a highly invasive thoracic malignancy with increasing prevalence, lung cancer is also the most lethal cancer worldwide due to the failure of effective early detection and the limitations of conventional therapeutic strategies for advanced-stage patients. Over the past few decades, nanotechnology has emerged as an important technique to obtain desired features by modifying and manipulating different objects on a molecular level and gained a lot of attention in many fields of medical applications. Studies have shown that in lung cancer, nanotechnology may be more effective and specific than traditional methods for detecting extracellular cancer biomarkers and cancer cells in vitro, as well as imaging cancer in vivo; Nanoscale drug delivery systems have developed rapidly to overcome various forms of multi-drug resistance and reduce detrimental side effects to normal tissues by targeting cancerous tissue precisely. There is no doubt that nanotechnology has the potential to enhance healthcare systems by simplifying and improving cancer diagnostics and treatment. Throughout this review, we summarize and highlight recent developments in nanotechnology applications for lung cancer in diagnosis and therapy. Moreover, the prospects and challenges in the translation of nanotechnology-based diagnostic and therapeutic methods into clinical applications are also discussed.