Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Upconversion Nanoparticles on Normal and Tumor Brain Cells

Potential Applications of Rare Earth Metal Nanoparticles in Biomedicine

In recent years, the world scientific community has shown increasing interest in rare earth metals in general and their nanoparticles in particular. Medicine and pharmaceuticals are no exception in this matter. In this review, we have considered the main opportunities and potential applications of rare earth metal (gadolinium, europium, ytterbium, holmium, lutetium, dysprosium, erbium, terbium, thulium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, europium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, praseodymium, cerium) nanoparticles in biomedicine, with data ranging from single reports of effects found in vitro to numerous independent in vivo studies, as well as a number of challenges to their potential for wider application. The main areas of application of rare earth metals, including in the future, are diagnosis and treatment of malignant neoplasms, therapy of infections, as well as the use of antioxidant and regenerative properties of a number of nanoparticles. These applications are determined both by the properties of rare earth metal nanoparticles themselves and the need to search for new approaches to solve a number of urgent biomedical and public health problems. Oxide forms of lanthanides are most often used in biomedicine due to their greatest biocompatibility and nanoscale size, providing penetration through biological membranes. However, the existing contradictory or insufficient data on acute and chronic toxicity of lanthanides still make their widespread use difficult. There are various modification methods (addition of excipients, creation of nanocomposites, and changing the morphology of particles) that can reduce these effects. At the same time, despite the use of some representatives of lanthanides in clinical practice, further studies to establish the full range of pharmacological and toxic effects, as well as the search for approaches to modify nanoparticles remain relevant.

Enhancing glioma treatment with 3D scaffolds laden with upconversion nanoparticles and temozolomide in orthotopic mouse model

Targeted drug delivery for primary brain tumors, particularly gliomas, is currently a promising approach to reduce patient relapse rates. The use of substitutable scaffolds, which enable the sustained release of clinically relevant doses of anticancer medications, offers the potential to decrease the toxic burden on the patient's organism while also enhancing their quality of life and overall survival. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are being actively explored as promising agents for detection and monitoring of tumor growth, and as therapeutic agents that can provide isolated therapeutic effects and enhance standard chemotherapy. Our study is focused on the feasibility of constructing scaffolds using methacrylated hyaluronic acid with additional impregnation of UCNPs and the chemotherapeutic drug temozolomide (TMZ) for glioma treatment. The designed scaffolds have been demonstrated their efficacy as a drug and UCNPs delivery system for gliomas. Using the aggressive orthotopic glioma model in vivo, it was found that the scaffolds possess the capacity to ameliorate neurological disorders in mice. Moreover, upon intracranial co-implantation of the scaffolds and glioma cells, the constructs disintegrate into distinct segments, augmenting the release of UCNPs into the surrounding tissue and concurrently reducing postoperative damage to brain tissue. The use of TMZ in the scaffold composition contributed to restraining glioma development and the reduction of tumor invasiveness. Our findings unveil promising prospects for the application of photopolymerizable biocompatible scaffolds in the realm of neuro-oncology.

Design and Study of Nanoceria Modified by 5-Fluorouracil for Gel and Polymer Dermal Film Preparation

In this work we studied nanoceria (CeO2NPs) and nanoceria modified by 5-fluorouracil (5FU) as potential APIs. Nanoceria were synthesized by precipitation in a matrix of hydroxyethyl cellulose or hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, using cerium (III) nitrate and meglumine. Nanoceria properties were estimated by UV, FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectra; scanning electron and atomic force microscopy; powder X-ray diffraction patterns and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The cytotoxicity of nanoceria and polymer-protected nanoparticles was evaluated using the established cell line NCTC clone 929 (C3H/An mouse, subcutaneous connective tissue, clone of L. line). The morphology and metabolic activity of nanoparticles at 10 μg∙mL-1 of cells was not significant. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of nanoceria were assessed on two human colorectal cancer cell lines (HT29 and HCT116), murine melanoma B16 cells and normal human skin fibroblasts. An inhibitory effect was shown for HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells. The IC50 values for pure CeO2NPs and CeO2NPs-5FU were 219.0 ± 45.6 μg∙mL-1 and 89.2 ± 14.0 μg∙mL-1, respectively. On the other hand, the IC50 of 5FU in the combination of CeO2NPs-5FU was 2-fold higher than that of pure 5FU, amounting to 5.0 nmol∙mL-1. New compositions of nanoceria modified by 5-fluorouracil in a polymer matrix were designed as a dermal polymer film and gel. The permeability of the components was studied using a Franz cell.

Design and Study of Nanoceria Modified by 5-Fluorouracil for Gel and Polymer Dermal Film Preparation

In this work we studied nanoceria (CeO2NPs) and nanoceria modified by 5-fluorouracil (5FU) as potential APIs. Nanoceria were synthesized by precipitation in a matrix of hydroxyethyl cellulose or hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, using cerium (III) nitrate and meglumine. Nanoceria properties were estimated by UV, FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectra; scanning electron and atomic force microscopy; powder X-ray diffraction patterns and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The cytotoxicity of nanoceria and polymer-protected nanoparticles was evaluated using the established cell line NCTC clone 929 (C3H/An mouse, subcutaneous connective tissue, clone of L. line). The morphology and metabolic activity of nanoparticles at 10 μg∙mL−1 of cells was not significant. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of nanoceria were assessed on two human colorectal cancer cell lines (HT29 and HCT116), murine melanoma B16 cells and normal human skin fibroblasts. An inhibitory effect was shown for HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells. The IC50 values for pure CeO2NPs and CeO2NPs-5FU were 219.0 ± 45.6 μg∙mL−1 and 89.2 ± 14.0 μg∙mL−1, respectively. On the other hand, the IC50 of 5FU in the combination of CeO2NPs-5FU was 2-fold higher than that of pure 5FU, amounting to 5.0 nmol∙mL−1. New compositions of nanoceria modified by 5-fluorouracil in a polymer matrix were designed as a dermal polymer film and gel. The permeability of the components was studied using a Franz cell.

Recent advances in NIR-II fluorescence based theranostic approaches for glioma

Gliomas are among the most common malignant tumors in the central nervous system and lead to poor life expectancy. However, the effective treatment of gliomas remains a considerable challenge. The recent development of near infrared (NIR) II (1000-1700 nm) theranostic agents has led to powerful strategies in diagnosis, targeted delivery of drugs, and accurate therapy. Because of the high capacity of NIR-II light in deep tissue penetration, improved spatiotemporal resolution can be achieved to facilitate the in vivo detection of gliomas via fluorescence imaging, and high contrast fluorescence imaging guided surgery can be realized. In addition to the precise imaging of tumors, drug delivery nano-platforms with NIR-II agents also allow the delivery process to be monitored in real-time. In addition, the combination of targeted drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, and photothermal therapy in the NIR region significantly improves the therapeutic effect against gliomas. Thus, this mini-review summarizes the recent developments in NIR-II fluorescence-based theranostic agents for glioma treatment.

Nanobiotechnology-assisted therapies to manage brain cancer in personalized manner

There are numerous investigated factors that limit brain cancer treatment efficacy such as ability of prescribed therapy to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), tumor specific delivery of a therapeutics, transport within brain interstitium, and resistance of tumor cells against therapies. Recent breakthroughs in the field of nano-biotechnology associated with developing multifunctional nano-theranostic emerged as an effective way to manage brain cancer in terms of higher efficacy and least possible adverse effects. Keeping challenges and state-of-art accomplishments into consideration, this review proposes a comprehensive, careful, and critical discussion focused on efficient nano-enabled platforms including nanocarriers for drug delivery across the BBB and nano-assisted therapies (e.g., nano-immunotherapy, nano-stem cell therapy, and nano-gene therapy) investigated for brain cancer treatment. Besides therapeutic efficacy point-of-view, efforts are being made to explore ways projected to tune such developed nano-therapeutic for treating patients in personalized manner via controlling size, drug loading, delivery, and retention. Personalized brain tumor management based on advanced nano-therapies can potentially lead to excellent therapeutic benefits based on unique genetic signatures in patients and their individual disease profile. Moreover, applicability of nano-systems as stimulants to manage the brain cancer growth factors has also been discussed in photodynamic therapy and radiotherapy. Overall, this review offers a comprehensive information on emerging opportunities in nanotechnology for advancing the brain cancer treatment.

Rare-earth nanoparticles induce depression, anxiety-like behavior, and memory impairment in mice

Rare-earth nanoparticles have been widely studied for disease diagnosis, in vivo optical imaging, biosensing, and drug delivery. However, the effects of rare-earth nanoparticles on a central nervous system remain unclear. Here, we report that the continuous exposure to rare-earth nanoparticles in mice can cause behavioral alterations including cognitive deficits, anxiety, and depression-like behavior. Using an open-field test and a morris water maze, we showed that long-term exposure to rare-earth nanoparticles may lead to significant depression, anxiety-like behavior, and memory impairment. The histopathological investigation on the neurotoxicological effects of nanoparticles indicated a significant decrease in cell viability after seven days' nanoparticle exposure. Western blotting analysis suggested that the changes of ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) and O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT, a unique glycosyltransferase enzyme) played important roles in neurobehavioral disorders in mice. These findings provide a pathway to understand the cytotoxicity of rare-earth nanoparticles for medial applications and offer insights into the risk of these nanoparticles in biological systems.