A Bibliometric analysis of folate receptor research

Folic acid modified precision nanocarriers: charting new frontiers in breast cancer management beyond conventional therapies

Breast cancer presents a significant global health challenge, ranking highest incidence rate among all types of cancers. Functionalised nanocarriers offer a promising solution for precise drug delivery by actively targeting cancer cells through specific receptors, notably folate receptors. By overcoming the limitations of passive targeting in conventional therapies, this approach holds the potential for enhanced treatment efficacy through combination therapy. Encouraging outcomes from studies like in vitro and in vivo, underscore the promise of this innovative approach. This review explores the therapeutic potential of FA (Folic acid) functionalised nanocarriers tailored for breast cancer management, discussing various chemical modification techniques for functionalization. It examines FA-conjugated nanocarriers containing chemotherapeutics to enhance treatment efficacy and addresses the pharmacokinetic aspect of these functionalised nanocarriers. Additionally, the review integrates active targeting via folic acid with theranostics, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy, offering a comprehensive management strategy. Emphasising rigorous experimental validation for practical utility, the review underscores the need to bridge laboratory research to clinical application. While these functionalised nanocarriers show promise, their credibility and applicability in real-world settings necessitate thorough validation for effective clinical use.

In Vivo Comparative Study of Radioiodinated Folate Receptor Targeting Albumin Probes for Atherosclerosis Plaque Imaging

The objective of this study is to compare a series of albumin-based folate radiotracers for the potential imaging of folate receptor (FR) positive macrophages in advanced atherosclerotic plaques. Diversified radioiodinated FR-targeting albumin-binding probes ([131I]IBAbHF, [131I]IBNHF, and [131I]HF) were developed through various strategies. Among the three radiotracers, [131I]IBAbHF and [131I]IBNHF showed excellent in vitro stability (>98%) in saline and PBS 7.4 for 24 h. Also, good stability of [131I]IBNHF in mouse serum albumin was monitored using an HSA ELISA kit. The experiments in Raw264.7 macrophages activated by ox-LDL confirmed the specificity of tracers for FR-β. Biodistribution studies of radiotracers were performed to verify the prolonged blood half-life. Prolonged blood half-lives of [131I]IBAbHF, [131I]HF, and [131I]IBNHF were 17.26 ± 4.29, 6.33 ± 2.64, and 5.50 ± 1.26 h, respectively. SPECT-CT imaging of ApoE-/- mice at different stages was performed to evaluate the progression and monitor the prognosis of AS. Evident [131I]IBNHF uptake in atherosclerotic lesions could be observed along with a low background signal. In summary, we demonstrated a proof-of-concept of albumin-based radioligands for FR-targeting atherosclerosis imaging and found that different incorporation of radioiodinated groups resulted in different pharmacokinetic properties. Among these candidate compounds, [131I]IBNHF would be a satisfactory radiotracer for SPECT imaging of atherosclerosis.

Targeted magnetochemotherapy modified by 5-Fu-loaded thermally on/off switching nanoheaters for the eradication of CT26 murine colon cancer by inducing apoptotic and autophagic cell death

Despite significant breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC), the extent of morbidity and mortality secondary to CRC is still concerning. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of our new tumor-selective nanoplatforms at induction of apoptosis and autophagy, which was tested using active 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu)-based targeting of tumor cells in a BALB/c murine model of CRC combined with magnetic thermal therapy. Nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized by zeta sizer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The cytotoxicity and tissue uptake of 5-Fu-loaded folic acid (Fa)-modified magnetic nanoparticles (5-Fu/MNPs-Fa) was assessed using MTT, ICP-OES, and HPLC. The rate of apoptosis and autophagy, as two major indicators of antitumor activity, was measured based on protein expression of Bax, Bcl2, Caspase 3, mTOR, P-mTOR, Beclin-1, and LC3B in CT-26 murine CRC, along with tumor volume and survival time. The spherical 5-Fu/MNPs-Fa exhibited sustained thermal on/off switching drug release and higher therapeutic index compared to free 5-Fu. Our de novo synthetized magnetic nanoheaters successfully delivered the therapeutic agent to the tumor site, enhanced the conversion of radio frequency energy to heat in tumor cells, exhibited higher antitumor efficiency based on Bax/Bcl2 ratio and overexpression of Beclin-1 and LC3B, increased the survival time, and decreased the tumor volume (P < 0.05). Our findings indicated that magnetochemotherapy (MHC) was substantially more effective than hyperthermia and/or chemotherapy alone. From a translational standpoint, the 5-Fu/MNPs-Fa would be a promising candidate sustained drug targeting system that could improve cancer cell therapy via inducing apoptosis and autophagy.

Graphical Abstract

Microbiota and plant-derived vesicles that serve as therapeutic agents and delivery carriers to regulate metabolic syndrome

The gut is a fundamental organ in controlling human health. Recently, researches showed that substances in the intestine can alter the course of many diseases through the intestinal epithelium, especially intestinal flora and exogenously ingested plant vesicles that can be transported over long distances to various organs. This article reviews the current knowledge on extracellular vesicles in modulating gut homeostasis, inflammatory response and numerous metabolic disease that share obesity as a co-morbidity. These complex systemic diseases that are difficult to cure, but can be managed by some bacterial and plant vesicles. Vesicles, due to their digestive stability and modifiable properties, have emerged as novel and targeted drug delivery vehicles for effective treatment of metabolic diseases.

Using chord diagrams to explore article themes in 100 top-cited articles citing Hirsch's h-index since 2005: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

The h-index is increasingly being used as a measure of individual research achievement (IRA). More than 4876 citing articles have been published and indexed in Web of Science. The articles citing the h-index that have made the greatest contribution to scientific academics are still unknown. It is also unclear which subject categories (SCs) can be classified based on their keywords.

METHODS

These 4976 citing articles have been collected from the Web of Science since 2005. SCs were classified using chord diagrams to visualize their associations of SCs and documents in 100 top-cited articles (T100hciting). In addition to chord diagrams, 6 visualizations were used to illustrate study results: choropleth maps were used to depict the geographical distribution of publications across countries, network diagrams were created by using coword analysis, box plots were created to complement the network diagrams, Sankey diagrams highlighted the 5 most important elements in each article entity, the dot plot was used for displaying T100hciting, and a radar plot was used to present the top 10 high-IRA elements of countries, institutes, departments, and authors based on category, journal impact factor, authorship, and L-index scores.

RESULTS

A coword cluster analysis indicates that the majority of articles come from the US (918, 18%) and China (603, 12%), the top 2 SCs are h-index and bibliometric analysis, and the top 5 countries account for 55% in T100hciting, such as the US (25%), Spain (10%), Netherlands (9%), China (6%), and Belgium (5%). In T100hciting, 4 SCs are included, namely, the h-index (72%), bibliometric analysis (24%), physics & multidisciplinary (3%), and infectious diseases (1%).

CONCLUSION

A total of 7 visualizations were used to display the results in this study. Chord diagrams are suggested as a tool for future bibliographical studies to classify SCs Future bibliometrics with chord diagrams should not be limited to the topic of h-index-citing articles, as we did in this study.

Past and present: a bibliometric study on polycystic ovary syndrome

BACKGROUND

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common gynecological endocrine disease that has a great impact on women's physical and mental health. It is a burden to social and patients' economy. In recent years, researchers' understanding of PCOS has reached a new level. However, many PCOS reports have different directions, and overlapping phenomena exist. Therefore, clarifying the research status of PCOS is important. This study aims to summarise the research status of PCOS and predict the hot spots of PCOS in the future by Bibliometricx.

RESULTS

The keywords of PCOS research focused on PCOS, insulin resistance (IR), obesity and metformin. Keywords plus co-occurrence network showed that PCOS, IR and prevalence were hot spots in the recent 10 years. Moreover, we found that gut microbiota may be a carrier that can be used to study hormone levels, IR-related mechanisms, prevention and treatment in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is helpful for researchers to quickly grasp the current situation of PCOS research and enlighten researchers to explore new problems in PCOS.

Folic acid-conjugated magnetic triblock copolymer nanoparticles for dual targeted delivery of 5-fluorouracil to colon cancer cells

Background

In the current study, folic acid-conjugated PEG-PCL-PEG triblock copolymer were synthesized and loaded with 5-fluorouracil and magnetite nanoparticles (5-FU-SPION-PEG-PCL-PEG-FA) for targeted delivery of drug to HT29 human colon cancer cells and CT26 mouse colon cancer model. The nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The cellular uptake of nanoparticles was assessed in vitro (on HUVEC and HT29) and in vivo (on CT26 colon tumor tissues). The cytotoxic effect of nanoparticles was assessed on human colon cell lines (HT29, Caco-2, HTC116, and SW480) and normal HUVEC cells. In addition, antitumor effects of nanoparticles were investigated based on tumor volume, survival time and protein expression of Bax and Bcl-2 on CT26 tumor-bearing BALB/c mice.

Results

Characterization of nanoparticles showed 5-FU-SPION-PEG-PCL-PEG-FA (5-FU-NPs-FA) nanoparticles had spherical shape with hydrodynamic diameter of 85 nm. The drug-release profile exhibited sustained pH-responsive release with cumulative release reaching approximately 23% after 24 h. Cellular uptake studies revealed that HT29 cancer cells absorb higher amount of 5-FU-NPs-FA as compared to HUVEC normal cells (P < 0.05). In addition, 5-FU-NPs-FA was found to be more antitumor efficient in comparison to free 5-FU based on Bax/Bcl2 ratio, survival rate of tumoral mouse and inhibitory tumor volume (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The results suggested that 5-FU-NPs-FA could be considered as promising sustained drug delivery platform for in vitro and in vivo conditions, which may provide selective treatment of tumor cancer cells.

Graphical Abstarct

The top 100 most cited articles on triple-negative breast cancer: a bibliometric analysis

Breast cancer is the most frequent cause of death from cancer in 12 regions of the world. Among the breast cancer subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive, leading to an adverse prognosis. Thus, we aimed to identify the top 100 most cited articles regarding TNBC through bibliometric analyses, to explore their current impact and publication status. We searched TNBC-related articles from the Web of Science core database on September 19, 2021, and ranked them by citation in descending order. Information extracted from the top 100 most cited articles, included title, author, institution, country, year, publication, Journal Cited Rank, citation, Web of Science category, were extracted by two researchers independently. VOSviewer was used to analyze data, such as co-authoring institutions, and author cooperation. Descriptive statistical analysis of data was performed using Excel. Citations from the top 100 most cited articles ranged from 225 to 2753, and all were published after 2007. The top 100 most cited articles were published in 38 journals, with the Journal of Clinical Oncology published the most (n = 15), followed by Clinical Cancer Research (n = 11), Lancet Oncology(n = 6). Eric P. Winer from USA, who participated 12 articles, was the most frequently published author. The USA (n = 71) was the country with the most contributions to TNBC. The most prevalent topics included: clinical features, molecular subtypes, relevant influencing factors, exploration of treatment options and prognosis of TNBC. The leading institution was the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (n = 20) from the USA. This is the first bibliometric analysis on the TNBC 100 most cited article. We provided insights into the most cited articles on TNBC and listed a detailed description of their characteristics and trend, which provides ideas for further study.

Extracellular Vesicles from Plants: Current Knowledge and Open Questions

The scientific interest in the beneficial properties of natural substances has been recognized for decades, as well as the growing attention in extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by different organisms, in particular from animal cells. However, there is increasing interest in the isolation and biological and functional characterization of these lipoproteic structures in the plant kingdom. Similar to animal vesicles, these plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) exhibit a complex content of small RNAs, proteins, lipids, and other metabolites. This sophisticated composition enables PDEVs to be therapeutically attractive. In this review, we report and discuss current knowledge on PDEVs in terms of isolation, characterization of their content, biological properties, and potential use as drug delivery systems. In conclusion, we outline controversial issues on which the scientific community shall focus the attention shortly.

Correction to: A Bibliometric analysis of folate receptor research

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.