Nanomedicine for multimodality treatment of cancer

Docetaxel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles to increase pharmacological sensitivity in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells

This study aimed to develop docetaxel (DTX) loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (DTX-NPs) and to evaluate the different pharmacological sensitivity of NPs to MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. NPs containing DTX or coumarin-6 were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method using PLGA as a polymer and d-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) as a surfactant. The physicochemical properties of NPs were characterized. In vitro anticancer effect and cellular uptake were evaluated in breast cancer cells. The particle size and zeta potential of the DTX-NPs were 160.5 ± 3.0 nm and –26.7 ± 0.46 mV, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were 81.3 ± 1.85% and 10.6 ± 0.24%, respectively. The in vitro release of DTX from the DTX-NPs was sustained at pH 7.4 containing 0.5% Tween 80. The viability of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells with DTX-NPs was 37.5 ± 0.5% and 30.3 ± 1.13%, respectively. The IC₅₀ values of DTX-NPs were 3.92- and 6.75-fold lower than that of DTX for MDA-MB-231 cells and MCF-7 cells, respectively. The cellular uptake of coumarin-6-loaded PLGA-NPs in MCF-7 cells was significantly higher than that in MDA-MB-231 cells. The pharmacological sensitivity in breast cancer cells was higher on MCF-7 cells than on MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, we successfully developed DTX-NPs that showed a great potential for the controlled release of DTX. DTX-NPs are an effective formulation for improving anticancer effect in breast cancer cells.

The reversal of chemotherapy-induced multidrug resistance by nanomedicine for cancer therapy

Multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer is a persistent problem in chemotherapy. Scientists have considered the overexpressed efflux transporters responsible for MDR and chemotherapy failure. MDR extremely limits the therapeutic effect of chemotherapy in cancer treatment. Many strategies have been applied to solve this problem. Multifunctional nanoparticles may be one of the most promising approaches to reverse MDR of tumor. These nanoparticles can keep stability in the blood circulation and selectively accumulated in the tumor microenvironment (TME) either by passive or active targeting. The stimuli-sensitive or organelle-targeting nanoparticles can release the drug at the targeted-site without exposure to normal tissues. In order to better understand reversal of MDR, three main strategies are concluded in this review. First strategy is the synergistic effect of chemotherapeutic drugs and ABC transporter inhibitors. Through directly inhibiting overexpressed ABC transporters, chemotherapeutic drugs can enter into resistant cells without being efflux. Second strategy is based on nanoparticles circumventing over-expressed efflux transporters and directly targeting resistance-related organelles. Third approach is the combination of multiple therapy modes overcoming cancer resistance. At last, numerous researches demonstrated cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) had a deep relation with drug resistance. Here, we discuss two different drug delivery approaches of nanomedicine based on CSC therapy.

Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles: Advances in Biodistribution, Toxicity, and Preclinical Exploration

Antioxidant nanoparticles have recently gained tremendous attention for their enormous potential in biomedicine. However, discrepant reports of either medical benefits or toxicity, and lack of reproducibility of many studies, generate uncertainties delaying their effective implementation. Herein, the case of cerium oxide is considered, a well-known catalyst in the petrochemistry industry and one of the first antioxidant nanoparticles proposed for medicine. Like other nanoparticles, it is now described as a promising therapeutic alternative, now as threatening to health. Sources of these discrepancies and how this analysis helps to overcome contradictions found for other nanoparticles are summarized and discussed. For the context of this analysis, what has been reported in the liver is reviewed, where many diseases are related to oxidative stress. Since well-dispersed nanoparticles passively accumulate in liver, it represents a major testing field for the study of new nanomedicines and their clinical translation. Even more, many contradictory works have reported in liver either cerium-oxide-associated toxicity or protection against oxidative stress and inflammation. Based on this, finally, the intention is to propose solutions to design improved nanoparticles that will work more precisely in medicine and safely in society.

Cancer resistance to treatment and antiresistance tools offered by multimodal multifunctional nanoparticles

Chemotherapeutic agents have limited efficacy and resistance to them limits today and will limit tomorrow our capabilities of cure. Resistance to treatment with anticancer drugs results from a variety of factors including individual variations in patients and somatic cell genetic differences in tumours. In front of this, multimodality has appeared as a promising strategy to overcome resistance. In this context, the use of nanoparticle-based platforms enables many possibilities to address cancer resistance mechanisms. Nanoparticles can act as carriers and substrates for different ligands and biologically active molecules, antennas for imaging, thermal and radiotherapy and, at the same time, they can be effectors by themselves. This enables their use in multimodal therapies to overcome the wall of resistance where conventional medicine crash as ageing of the population advance. In this work, we review the cancer resistance mechanisms and the advantages of inorganic nanomaterials to enable multimodality against them. In addition, we comment on the need of a profound understanding of what happens to the nanoparticle-based platforms in the biological environment for those possibilities to become a reality.

The “click-on-tube” approach for the production of efficient drug carriers based on oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

An efficient drug delivery system through a straightforward approach to multi-walled carbon nanotube decoration.

The study on the preparation and characterization of gene-loaded immunomagnetic albumin nanospheres and their anti-cell proliferative effect combined with magnetic fluid hyperthermia on GLC-82 cells

As one of the most common malignant tumors, the clinical and socio-economic consequences of lung cancer are significant. Currently, surgery is the main treatment strategy for this disease, but the survival rates of lung cancer patients are not ideal due to the high recurrence rate of the disease. Therefore, many researchers are exploring new specific therapeutic methods that are highly curative and minimally cytotoxic to healthy tissues. To this end, albumin nanospheres simultaneously were loaded with super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (as gene vector and anticancer gene), and plasmid pDONR223-IFNG, and modified with anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody cetuximab as therapy. Targeting agents, namely gene-loaded immunomagnetic albumin nanospheres (cetuximab [C225]-IFNG-IMANS), were prepared for targeted lung carcinoma cells (GLC-82 cell lines). Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the C225-IFNG-IMANS were successfully prepared, and the ability of the nanospheres to target GLC-82 cells in vitro was confirmed by Prussian blue staining, immunofluorescence experiments, and magnetic resonance imaging. Transfection photographs and agarose gel electrophoresis proved that pDONR223-IFNG could be encased in the albumin nanospheres. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay showed that the combination therapy group had significantly more therapeutic effects on GLC-82 cells than other therapy groups. A flow cytometry assay showed that the apoptotic index of the combined treatment group was 67.68%, whereas the indices of the C225 group, gene therapy group, and magnetic fluid hyperthermia group were 12.2%, 16.34%, and 20.04% respectively. Therefore, the combination of thermal treatment, molecular targeted treatment, and gene treatment synergistically targets GLC-82 cells, and the use of C225-IFNG-IMANS as a gene or drug carrier offers a novel and promising approach for the treatment of lung cancer.

Design and pharmacokinetical aspects for the use of inorganic nanoparticles in radiomedicine

The potential use of nanoparticles (NPs) in medicine is determined by the pharmacokinetical and biodistribution aspects that govern NP behaviour. In this context, diagnosis (low irradiation dose) and therapy (high irradiation dose) is about the same for the NP, as much as to deliver toxic doses of radiation or toxic doses of a chemotherapeutic agent. The NP effects also have to be correlated with how they interact, evolve and are transformed during their exposure to the human body, during their administration, distribution, metabolization and expulsion. Indeed, owing to interactions between NPs and components from the biological medium, NPs are known to suffer different types of alterations, such as loss of colloidal stability (aggregation and sedimentation), protein adsorption (and consequent exposure to or escape from the immune system) and chemical transformation (oxidation, corrosion and dissolution). Their original performance and these alterations have a major impact on NP behaviour and have to be taken into account for any intended use of them in medicine, also including their use for enhanced radiodiagnosis, radiotherapy and radiochemotherapy.

Porphine functionalized nanoparticles of star-shaped poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate biodegradable copolymer for chemophotodynamic therapy on cervical cancer

We developed a system of biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)-21H,23H-porphine (TAPP) centered, 4 arm star-shaped copolymers based on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) for combinatory chemophotodynamic therapy by using docetaxel (DTX) as a model anticancer drug and TAPP as photodynamic sensitizer. TPGS component in the copolymer plays an important role in enhancing the drug encapsulation efficiency, drug release kinetics and cellular uptake of the NPs, as well as in overcoming the multidrug resistance due to inhibition of P-glycoproteins (P-gp) of the cancer cells. We demonstrated in vitro by using the MCF7/ADR breast cancer cells of P-gp overexpression and the HeLa cervical cancer cells that the proposed chemophotodynamic therapy by the DTX-loaded TAPP-PCL-b-TPGS NPs could have much higher therapeutic effect than the original drug Taxotere®. IC50 data showed that the DTX-loaded TAPP-PCL-b-TPGS NPs chemophotodynamic therapy could be 9.36 and 56.5-fold efficient after 24 and 48h treatment, respectively in comparison with the Taxotere® chemotherapy. The in vivo investigation by employing a cervical cancer xenograft model further confirmed the advantages of the proposed chemophotodynamic therapy by the DTX-loaded TAPP-PCL-b-TPGS NPs versus the Taxotere® chemotherapy.

GEM-loaded magnetic albumin nanospheres modified with cetuximab for simultaneous targeting, magnetic resonance imaging, and double-targeted thermochemotherapy of pancreatic cancer cells

Background

Targeted delivery is a promising strategy to improve the diagnostic imaging and therapeutic effect of cancers. In this paper, novel cetuximab (C225)-conjugated, gemcitabine (GEM)-containing magnetic albumin nanospheres (C225-GEM/MANs) were fabricated and applied as a theranostic nanocarrier to conduct simultaneous targeting, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and double-targeted thermochemotherapy against pancreatic cancer cells.

Methods

Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) and GEM co-loaded albumin nanospheres (GEM/MANs) were prepared, and then C225 was further conjugated to synthesize C225-GEM/MANs. Their morphology, mean particle size, GEM encapsulation ratio, specific cell-binding ability, and thermal dynamic profiles were characterized. The effects of discriminating different EGFR-expressing pancreatic cancer cells (AsPC-1 and MIA PaCa-2) and monitoring cellular targeting effects were assessed by targeted MRI. Lastly, the antitumor efficiency of double/C225/magnetic-targeted and nontargeted thermochemotherapy was compared with chemotherapy alone using 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and flow cytometry (FCM) assay.

Results

When treated with targeted nanospheres, AsPC-1 cells showed a significantly less intense MRI T2 signal than MIA PaCa-2 cells, while both cells had similar signal strength when incubated with nontargeted nanospheres. T2 signal intensity was significantly lower when magnetic and C225 targeting were combined, rather than used alone. The inhibitory and apoptotic rates of each thermochemotherapy group were significantly higher than those of the chemotherapy-alone groups. Additionally, both MTT and FCM analysis verified that double-targeted thermochemotherapy had the highest targeted killing efficiency among all groups.

Conclusion

The C225-GEM/MANs can distinguish various EGFR-expressing live pancreatic cancer cells, monitor diverse cellular targeting effects using targeted MRI imaging, and efficiently mediate double-targeted thermochemotherapy against pancreatic cancer cells.

No king without a crown – impact of the nanomaterial-protein corona on nanobiomedicine

Besides the wide use of nanomaterials in technical products, their application spectrum in biotechnology and biomedicine is steadily increasing. Whereas the physico-chemical properties and behavior of nanomaterials can be engineered and characterized accurately under idealized conditions, this is no longer the case in complex physiological environments. In biological fluids, proteins rapidly bind to nanomaterials forming the protein corona, critically affecting the nanomaterials’ biological identity. As the corona impacts in vitro and/or in vivo nanomaterial applications, we here review the concept of the protein corona and its analytical dissection. We comment on how corona signatures may be linked to effects at the nano–bio interface and conclude how such knowledge is offering novel opportunities for improved nanomedicine.

Magnetic nanoparticles for targeted therapeutic gene delivery and magnetic-inducing heating on hepatoma

Gene therapy holds great promise for treating cancers, but their clinical applications are being hampered due to uncontrolled gene delivery and expression. To develop a targeted, safe and efficient tumor therapy system, we constructed a tissue-specific suicide gene delivery system by using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as carriers for the combination of gene therapy and hyperthermia on hepatoma. The suicide gene was hepatoma-targeted and hypoxia-enhanced, and the MNPs possessed the ability to elevate temperature to the effective range for tumor hyperthermia as imposed on an alternating magnetic field (AMF). The tumoricidal effects of targeted gene therapy associated with hyperthermia were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The experiment demonstrated that hyperthermia combined with a targeted gene therapy system proffer an effective tool for tumor therapy with high selectivity and the synergistic effect of hepatoma suppression.

Multifunctional gold nanostar conjugates for tumor imaging and combined photothermal and chemo-therapy

Uniform gold nanostars (Au NS) were conjugated with cyclic RGD (cRGD) and near infrared (NIR) fluorescence probe (MPA) or anti-cancer drug (DOX) to obtain multi-functional nanoconstructs, Au-cRGD-MPA and Au-cRGD-DOX respectively. The NIR contrast agent Au-cRGD-MPA was shown to have low cytotoxicity. Using tumor cells and tumor bearing mice, these imaging nanoparticles demonstrated favorable tumor-targeting capability mediated by RGD peptide binding to its over-expressed receptor on the tumor cells. The multi-therapeutic analogue, Au-cRGD-DOX, integrates targeting tumor, chemotherapy and photo-thermotherapy into a single system. The synergistic effect of photo-thermal therapy and chemotherapy was demonstrated in different tumor cell lines and in vivo using S180 tumor-bearing mouse models. The viability of MDA-MB-231 cells was only 40 % after incubation with Au-cRGD-DOX and irradiation with NIR light. Both tail vein and intratumoral injections showed Au-cRGD-DOX treated mice exhibiting the slowest tumor increase. These results indicate that the multifunctional nanoconstruct is a promising combined therapeutic agent for tumor-targeting treatment, with the potential to enhance the anti-cancer treatment outcomes.