Escheriosome-mediated cytosolic delivery of PLK1-specific siRNA: potential in treatment of liver cancer in BALB/c mice

Potential of siRNA-Bearing Subtilosomes in the Treatment of Diethylnitrosamine-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Therapeutics, based on small interfering RNA (siRNA), have demonstrated tremendous potential for treating cancer. However, issues such as non-specific targeting, premature degradation, and the intrinsic toxicity of the siRNA, have to be solved before they are ready for use in translational medicines. To address these challenges, nanotechnology-based tools might help to shield siRNA and ensure its specific delivery to the target site. Besides playing a crucial role in prostaglandin synthesis, the cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme has been reported to mediate carcinogenesis in various types of cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We encapsulated COX-2-specific siRNA in Bacillus subtilis membrane lipid-based liposomes (subtilosomes) and evaluated their potential in the treatment of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. Our findings suggested that the subtilosome-based formulation was stable, releasing COX-2 siRNA in a sustained manner, and has the potential to abruptly release encapsulated material at acidic pH. The fusogenic property of subtilosomes was revealed by FRET, fluorescence dequenching, content-mixing assay, etc. The subtilosome-based siRNA formulation was successful in inhibiting TNF-α expression in the experimental animals. The apoptosis study indicated that the subtilosomized siRNA inhibits DEN-induced carcinogenesis more effectively than free siRNA. The as-developed formulation also suppressed COX-2 expression, which in turn up-regulated the expression of wild-type p53 and Bax on one hand and down-regulated Bcl-2 expression on the other. The survival data established the increased efficacy of subtilosome-encapsulated COX-2 siRNA against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hypothesis: Designation of Liposomal Scavenger System for Fighting against 2019-nCoV

2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or COVID-19 virus, is a member of the family Coronaviridae, which is responsible for the current pandemic of disease COVID-19. It is the seventh member of the family Coronaviridae, which infects humans, after 229E, OC43, NL63, HKU1, SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Fever, dry cough and severe pneumonia are seen as common symptoms at the early stages of COVID-19. Some cases progress to acute respiratory stress syndrome, septic shock, organ failure, and death. The development of an effective treatment or vaccination for treating or preventing this lethal condition is an urgent need in order to fight this crisis. Up to now, some effective vaccines with different efficacy profiles have been introduced. Herein, we have theoretically designed a scavenger system for gathering 2019-nCoVs, breaking them, and re-introducing them to the immune system.

The Why, Where, Who, How, and What of the vesicular delivery systems

Though vesicular delivery systems have been widely explored and reviewed, no comprehensive review exists that covers their development from the inception of the concept to its culmination in the form of regulated marketed formulations. With the advancement of scientific research in the field of nanomedicine, certain category of vesicular delivery systems have successfully reached the global market. Despite extensive research and highly encouraging results in a plethora of pathological conditions in the preclinical studies, translation of these nanomedicines from laboratory to market has been very limited. Aim of this review is to describe comprehensively the various colloidal delivery systems, focusing mainly on their conventional and advanced methods of preparation, different characterization techniques and main success stories of their journey from bench to bedside of the patient. The review also touches the finer nuances of the use of modern formulation approach of DoE (Design of Experiments) in their formulation and the status of regulatory guidelines for the approval of these nanomedicines.

Molecular and enzoinformatics perspectives of targeting Polo-like kinase 1 in cancer therapy

Cancer is a disease that has been the focus of scientific research and discovery and continues to remain so. Polo-like kinases (PLKs) are basically serine/threonine kinase enzymes that control cell cycle from yeast to humans. PLK-1 stands for 'Polo-like kinase-1'. It is the most investigated protein among PLKs. It is crucial for intracellular processes, hence a 'hot' anticancer drug-target. Accelerating innovations in Enzoinformatics and associated molecular visualization tools have made it possible to literally perform a 'molecular level walk' traversing through and observing the minutest contours of the active site of relevant enzymes. PLK-1 as a protein consists of a kinase domain at the protein N-terminal and a Polo Box Domain (PBD) at the C-terminal connected by a short inter-domain linking region. PBD has two Polo-Boxes. PBD of PLK-1 gives the impression of "a small clamp sandwiched between two clips", where the two Polo Boxes are the 'clips' and the 'phosphopeptide' is the small 'clamp'. Broadly, two major sites of PLK-1 can be potential targets: one is the adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP)-binding site in the kinase domain and the other is PBD (more preferred due to specificity). Targeting PLK-1 RNA and the interaction of PLK-1 with a key binding partner can also be approached. However, the list of potent small molecule inhibitors targeting the PBD site of PLK-1 is still not long enough and needs due input from the scientific community. Recently, eminent scientists have proposed targeting the 'Y'-shaped pocket of PLK-1-PBD and encouraged design of ligands that should be able to concurrently bind to two or more modules of the 'Y' pocket. Hence, it is suggested that during molecular interaction analyses, particular focus should be kept on the moiety in each ligand/drug candidate which directly interacts with the amino acid residue(s) that belong(s) to one of the three binding modules which together create this Y-shaped cavity. This obviously includes (but it is not limited to) the 'shallow cleft'-forming residues i.e. Trp414, H538 and K540, as significance of these binding residues has been consistently highlighted by many studies. The present article attempts to give a concise yet critically updated overview of targeting PLK-1 for cancer therapy.

Screening and function analysis of hub genes and pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma via bioinformatics approaches

BACKGROUND

Liver carcinoma is a major cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Up to date, the mechanisms of liver cancerigenesis and development have not been fully understood. Multi-genes and pathways were involved in the tumorigenesis of liver cancer.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to screen key genes and pathways in liver cancerigenesis and development by using bioinformatics methods.

METHODS

A dataset GSE64041 were retrieved from GEO database and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out. Then the DEG functions were annotated by gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis, respectively. The hub genes were further selected by protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis. Afterwards, the mRNA and protein expressions as well as the prognostic values of the hub genes were assessed.

RESULTS

As a result, 208 up-regulated and 82 down-regulated genes were screened out. These DEGs were mainly enriched in cell cycle and metabolism-related pathways. Through PPI analysis, TOP2A, PRDM10, CDK1, AURKA, BUB1, PLK1, CDKN3, NCAPG, BUB1B and CCNA2 were selected as hub genes, which were all over-expressed in liver cancers relative to those in normal tissues, respectively. Among them, PLK1 and CCNA2 were suggested to be prognostic factors for liver carcinoma.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the present study identified several hub genes, and cell cycle and metabolism-related pathways that may play critical roles in the tumorigenesis of liver cancer. Future validation laboratory experiments are required to confirm the results.

Nanoparticle-Based Mycosis Vaccine

Many diseases that were considered major affliction of mankind in the past have been successfully eradicated with introduction of appropriate vaccine strategies. In order to expedite new challenges coming up to deal with various infectious diseases, nano-particulate-based subunit vaccines seem to be the demand of ordeal. The nano-vaccines can find better scope for the diseases that were not rampant in the semi-advanced world few years back. For example in present-day circumstances that corroborate with advancement in the field of medical sciences in terms of cancer chemotherapy, organ transplantation, therapy of autoimmune diseases, etc.; along with prevalence of altogether unheard diseases such as HIV infection, people are at risk of infliction with many more pathogens. In this regard, development of an effective prophylactic strategy against many opportunistic infections primarily caused by fungal pathogens needs better understanding of host pathogen relation and role of active immunity against pathogenic fungi. In the present study, we have tried to decipher effectiveness of a nano-sized vaccine delivery system in imparting protection against fungal pathogens.

Delivery strategies and potential targets for siRNA in major cancer types

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has gained attention as a potential therapeutic reagent due to its ability to inhibit specific genes in many genetic diseases. For many years, studies of siRNA have progressively advanced toward novel treatment strategies against cancer. Cancer is caused by various mutations in hundreds of genes including both proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. In order to develop siRNAs as therapeutic agents for cancer treatment, delivery strategies for siRNA must be carefully designed and potential gene targets carefully selected for optimal anti-cancer effects. In this review, various modifications and delivery strategies for siRNA delivery are discussed. In addition, we present current thinking on target gene selection in major tumor types.

Dendrosome mediated topical gene silencing by PLK-1 specific siRNA: implication in treatment of skin cancer in mouse model

Topical application of PLK-1 siRNA bearing dendrosomes on DMBA induced skin papillomas in mice exhibit potent anti-cancer effect. The treatment leads to reduced number and sizes of papillomas.

Nano-Sized Drug Delivery Systems: Development and Implication in Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Liver cancer results in enormous human toll worldwide. Over the years, various chemotherapeutic entities have been employed for treatment of advanced HCC; however, as of yet none embody attributes to improve overall survival. Following rapid advancement in nanotechnology, it is envisage that nanoscale systems may emerge as intriguing platforms to improve chemotherapeutic strategies against various cancers including liver cancer; with better insight in the understanding of pathophysiology of liver cancer and material science, the field of nanotechnology may bring newer hope to liver cancer treatment. Reckoning with these, we detailed the arsenal of nanoformulations that are in various stages of clinical development/ preclinical settings for the treatment of liver cancer together with providing a glimpse of the attributes of nanotechnology in revolutionizing the status of chemotherapeutic modalities.

Immunotherapy for Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Although multimodal therapies including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have improved clinical outcomes of patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas, the prognosis of patients has plateaued over these 20 years. Immunotherapies have shown the effectiveness for several types of advanced tumors. Immunotherapies, such as cytokine therapies, vaccinations, and adoptive cell transfers, have also been investigated for bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Cytokine therapies with interleukin-2 or interferons have limited efficacy because of their cytotoxicities. Liposomal muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (L-MTP-PE), an activator of the innate immune system, has been approved as adjuvant therapeutics in combination with conventional chemotherapy in Europe, which has improved the 5-year overall survival of patients. Vaccinations and transfer of T cells transduced to express chimeric antigen receptors have shown some efficacy for sarcomas. Ipilimumab and nivolumab are monoclonal antibodies designed to inhibit immune checkpoint mechanisms. These antibodies have recently been shown to be effective for patients with melanoma and also investigated for patients with sarcomas. In this review, we provide an overview of various trials of immunotherapies for bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and discuss their potential as adjuvant therapies in combination with conventional therapies.

miR-451a Inhibited Cell Proliferation and Enhanced Tamoxifen Sensitive in Breast Cancer via Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor

This study aims to investigate the regulative effects of microRNA-451a (miR-451a) on cell proliferation and sensitivity to tamoxifen in breast cancer cells. In cell culture experiments, the lentiviral vectors of pHBLV-miR-451a and pHBLV-miR-451a sponge were constructed and used to transfect MCF-7 and LCC2 cells. The transfection efficiency was tested by fluorescent observation, and cell lines with stable over- or downregulated expression of miR-451a were established. The expression of miR-451a and the target gene macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) were detected by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and/or western blot. Moreover, MTT assay, colony formation, and Transwell invasion assays were also performed. Data showed that the recombinant lentiviral vectors were constructed correctly, and the virus titer was 1 × 10(8) CFU/mL. The stable transfected cells were obtained. Overexpression of miR-451a downregulated MIF expression in mRNA and protein levels and inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, and invasion of breast cancer cells. Downregulation of miR-451a upregulated MIF expression and increased breast cancer cell growth, invasion, and tamoxifen sensitivity. In summary, the miR-451a/MIF pathway may play important roles in the biological properties of breast cancer cells and may be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Dendrimer-PLGA based multifunctional immuno-nanocomposite mediated synchronous and tumor selective delivery of siRNA and cisplatin: potential in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

The in-house synthesized PLK-1 siRNA and cisplatin loaded innovative dendrimer-PLGA immuno-nanocomposite bears the capacity of delivering both the cargos simultaneously to the same liver cancer cell in a targeted manner.