Encapsulation of Thermo-Sensitive Lauric Acid in Silica Shell: A Green Derivate for Chemo-Thermal Therapy in Breast Cancer Cell

An Acyl Carrier Protein Gene Affects Fatty Acid Synthesis and Growth of Hermetia illucens

Acyl carrier protein (ACP) is an acyl carrier in fatty acid synthesis and is an important cofactor of fatty acid synthetase. Little is known about ACP in insects and how this protein may modulate the composition and storage of fatty acids. We used an RNAi-assisted strategy to study the potential function of ACP in Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). We identified a HiACP gene with a cDNA length of 501 bp and a classical conserved region of DSLD. This gene was highly expressed in the egg and late larval instars and was most abundant in the midgut and fat bodies of larvae. Injection of dsACP significantly inhibited the expression level of HiACP and further regulated the fatty acid synthesis in treated H. illucens larvae. The composition of saturated fatty acids was reduced, and the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) was increased. After interfering with HiACP, the cumulative mortality of H. illucens increased to 68.00% (p < 0.05). H. illucens growth was greatly influenced. The development duration increased to 5.5 days, the average final body weights of larvae and pupae were decreased by 44.85 mg and 14.59 mg, respectively, and the average body lengths of larvae and pupae were significantly shortened by 3.09 mm and 3.82 mm, respectively. The adult eclosion rate and the oviposition of adult females were also severely influenced. These results demonstrated that HiACP regulates fatty acid content and influences multiple biological processes of H. illucens.

Advances in single-cell nanoencapsulation and applications in diseases

Single-cell nanoencapsulation is a method of coating the surface of single cell with nanomaterials. In the early 20th century, with the introduction of various types of organic or inorganic nano-polymer materials, the selection of cell types, and the functional modification of the outer coating, this technology has gradually matured. Typical preparation methods include interfacial polycondensation, complex condensation, spray drying, microdroplet ejection, and layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly. The LbL assembly technology utilises nanomaterials with opposite charges deposited on cells by strong interaction (electrostatic interaction) or weak interaction (hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interaction), which drives compounds to spontaneously form films with complete structure, stable performance and unique functions on cells. According to the needs of the disease, choosing appropriate cell types and biocompatible and biodegradable nanomaterials could achieve the purpose of promoting cell proliferation, immune isolation, reducing phagocytosis of the reticuloendothelial system, prolonging the circulation time in vivo, and avoiding repeated administration. Therefore, encapsulated cells could be utilised in various biomedical fields, such as cell catalysis, biotherapy, vaccine manufacturing and antitumor therapy. This article reviews cell nanoencapsulation therapies for diseases, including the various cell sources used, nanoencapsulation technology and the latest advances in preclinical and clinical research.

Synergistic Effect Induced by Gold Nanoparticles with Polyphenols Shell during Thermal Therapy: Macrophage Inflammatory Response and Cancer Cell Death Assessment

BACKGROUND

In recent decades, gold nanoparticle (Au NP)-based cancer therapy has been heavily debated. The physico-chemical properties of AuNPs can be exploited in photothermal therapy, making them a powerful tool for selectively killing cancer cells. However, the synthetic side products and capping agents often induce a strong activation of the inflammatory pathways of macrophages, thus limiting their further applications in vivo.

METHODS

Here, we described a green method to obtain stable polyphenol-capped AuNPs (Au NPs@polyphenols), as polyphenols are known for their anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. These NPs were used in human macrophages to test key inflammation-related markers, such as NF-κB, TNF-α, and interleukins-6 and 8. The results were compared with similar NPs obtained by a traditional chemical route (without the polyphenol coating), proving the potential of Au NPs@polyphenols to strongly promote the shutdown of inflammation. This was useful in developing them for use as heat-synergized tools in the thermal treatment of two types of cancer cells, namely, breast cancer (MCF-7) and neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. The cell viability, calcium release, oxidative stress, HSP-70 expression, mitochondrial, and DNA damage, as well as cytoskeleton alteration, were evaluated.

RESULTS

Our results clearly demonstrate that the combined strategy markedly exerts anticancer effects against the tested cancer cell, while neither of the single treatments (only heat or only NPs) induced significant changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Au NP@polyphenols may be powerful agents in cancer treatment.

Dietary Fat and Cancer-Which Is Good, Which Is Bad, and the Body of Evidence

A high-fat diet (HFD) induces changes in gut microbiota leading to activation of pro-inflammatory pathways, and obesity, as a consequence of overnutrition, exacerbates inflammation, a known risk factor not only for cancer. However, experimental data showed that the composition of dietary fat has a greater impact on the pathogenesis of cancer than the total fat content in isocaloric diets. Similarly, human studies did not prove that a decrease in total fat intake is an effective strategy to combat cancer. Saturated fat has long been considered as harmful, but the current consensus is that moderate intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), including palmitic acid (PA), does not pose a health risk within a balanced diet. In regard to monounsaturated fat, plant sources are recommended. The consumption of plant monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), particularly from olive oil, has been associated with lower cancer risk. Similarly, the replacement of animal MUFAs with plant MUFAs decreased cancer mortality. The impact of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on cancer risk depends on the ratio between ω-6 and ω-3 PUFAs. In vivo data showed stimulatory effects of ω-6 PUFAs on tumour growth while ω-3 PUFAs were protective, but the results of human studies were not as promising as indicated in preclinical reports. As for trans FAs (TFAs), experimental data mostly showed opposite effects of industrially produced and natural TFAs, with the latter being protective against cancer progression, but human data are mixed, and no clear conclusion can be made. Further studies are warranted to establish the role of FAs in the control of cell growth in order to find an effective strategy for cancer prevention/treatment.

Lauric Acid Modulates Cancer-Associated microRNA Expression and Inhibits the Growth of the Cancer Cell

BACKGROUND

microRNAs are known to regulate various protein-coding gene expression posttranscriptionally. Fatty acids are cell membrane constituents and are also known to influence the biological activities of the cells like signal transduction, growth and differentiation of the cells, apoptosis induction, and other physiological functions. In our experiments, we used lauric acid to analyse its effects on human cancerous cell lines.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to speculate the miRNA expression profile in lauric acid treated and untreated cancerous cell lines and further study the metabolic pathways of the targeted tumour suppressor and oncogenes.

METHODS

The KB cells and HepG2 cells were treated with lauric acid and miRNA was isolated and the expression of tumour suppressor and oncogenic miRNA was measured by quantitative PCR. The untreated cells were used as control. The metabolic pathways of the target tumour suppressor and oncogenes were examined by GeneMANIA software.

RESULTS

Interestingly, the lauric acid treatment suppresses the expression of oncogenic miRNA and significantly upregulated the expression of some tumour suppressor miRNAs. GeneMANIA metabolic pathway revealed that the upregulated tumour suppressor miRNAs regulate several cancer-associated pathways such as DNA damage, signal transduction p53 class mediator, stem cell differentiation, cell growth, cell cycle phase transition, apoptotic signalling pathway, cellular response to stress and radiation, etc. whereas oncogenic miRNAs regulate the cancer-associated pathway like cell cycle phase transition, apoptotic signalling pathway, cell growth, response to oxidative stress, immune response activating cell surface protein signalling pathway, cyclin-dependent protein kinase activity, epidermal growth factor receptor signalling pathways, etc. Conclusion: In our study, we found that lauric acid works as an anticancer agent by altering the expression of miRNAs.