Selective and augmented β-glucuronidase expression combined with DOX-GA3 application elicits the potent suppression of prostate cancer

Oncolytic virus: A catalyst for the treatment of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading contributor to global cancer incidence and mortality. According to the GLOBOCAN 2020 estimates of incidence and mortality for 36 cancers in 185 countries produced by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), GC ranks fifth and fourth, respectively, and seriously threatens the survival and health of people all over the world. Therefore, how to effectively treat GC has become an urgent problem for medical personnel and scientific workers at this stage. Due to the unobvious early symptoms and the influence of some adverse factors such as tumor heterogeneity and low immunogenicity, patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) cannot benefit significantly from treatments such as radical surgical resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. As an emerging cancer immunotherapy, oncolytic virotherapies (OVTs) can not only selectively lyse cancer cells, but also induce a systemic antitumor immune response. This unique ability to turn unresponsive 'cold' tumors into responsive 'hot' tumors gives them great potential in GC therapy. This review integrates most experimental studies and clinical trials of various oncolytic viruses (OVs) in the diagnosis and treatment of GC. It also exhaustively introduces the concrete mechanism of invading GC cells and the viral genome composition of adenovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). At the end of the article, some prospects are put forward to determine the developmental directions of OVTs for GC in the future.

Recent advances in mesoporous silica nanoparticle-based targeted drug-delivery systems for cancer therapy

Targeted drug-delivery systems are a growing research topic in tumor treatment. In recent years, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been extensively studied and applied in noninvasive and biocompatible drug-delivery systems for tumor therapy due to their outstanding advantages, which include high surface area, large pore volume, tunable pore size, easy surface modification and stable framework. The advances in the application of MSNs for anticancer drug targeting are covered and highlighted in this review, and the challenges and prospects of MSN-based targeted drug-delivery systems are discussed. This review provides new insights for researchers interested in targeted drug-delivery systems against cancer.

Dietary polyphenol and microbiota interactions in the context of prostate health

Recent data strongly indicate a relationship between prostate health and gut microbiota, in which composition and physiological function strictly depend on dietary patterns. The bidirectional interplay of foods containing polyphenols, such as ellagitannins, condensed tannins, lignans, isoflavones, and prenylated flavonoids with human gut microbiota, has been proven to contribute to their impact on prostate health. Considering the attributed role of dietary polyphenols in the prevention of prostate diseases, this paper aims to critically review the studies concerning the influence of polyphenols' postbiotic metabolites on processes associated with the pathophysiology of prostate diseases. Clinical, in vivo, and in vitro studies on polyphenols have been juxtaposed with the current knowledge regarding their pharmacokinetics, microbial metabolism, and potential interactions with microbiota harboring different niches of the human organism. Directions of future research on dietary polyphenols regarding their interaction with microbiota and prostate health have been indicated.

Gene-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy by Dendrimer-Like Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles against Tumor Cells

We report herein a gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) system using gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) in an attempt to combine the reduction of side effects characteristic of GDEPT with improved pharmacokinetics promoted by gated MSNs. The system consists of the transfection of cancer cells with a plasmid controlled by the cytomegalovirus promoter, which promotes β-galactosidase (β-gal) expression from the bacterial gene lacZ (CMV-lacZ). Moreover, dendrimer-like mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) are loaded with the prodrug doxorubicin modified with a galactose unit through a self-immolative group (DOXO-Gal) and modified with a disulfide-containing polyethyleneglycol gatekeeper. Once in tumor cells, the reducing environment induces disulfide bond rupture in the gatekeeper with the subsequent DOXO-Gal delivery, which is enzymatically converted by β-gal into the cytotoxic doxorubicin drug, causing cell death. The combined treatment of the pair enzyme/DMSNs-prodrug are more effective in killing cells than the free prodrug DOXO-Gal alone in cells transfected with β-gal.

Targeting strategies of adenovirus‑mediated gene therapy and virotherapy for prostate cancer (Review)

Prostate cancer (PCa) poses a high risk to older men and it is the second most common type of male malignant tumor in western developed countries. Additionally, there is a lack of effective therapies for PCa at advanced stages. Novel treatment strategies such as adenovirus-mediated gene therapy and virotherapy involve the expression of a specific therapeutic gene to induce death in cancer cells, however, wild-type adenoviruses are also able to infect normal human cells, which leads to undesirable toxicity. Various PCa-targeting strategies in adenovirus-mediated therapy have been developed to improve tumor-targeting effects and human safety. The present review summarizes the relevant knowledge regarding available adenoviruses and PCa-targeting strategies. In addition, future directions in this area are also discussed. In conclusion, although they remain in the early stages of basic research, adenovirus-mediated gene therapy and virotherapy are expected to become important therapies for tumors in the future due to their potential targeting strategies.