Novel multi-responsive polymer magnetic microgels with folate or methyltetrahydrofolate ligand as anticancer drug carriers

MP-PNAAEF or MP-PNAAEM microgels exhibiting good thermo- and pH-sensitivity have been prepared for targeted delivery to FR(+) cancer cells. The DOX-loaded microgels showed higher cellular uptake by the Hela cells, but not by the L02 cells.

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Recent Advances in Curcumin Nanocarriers for the Treatment of Different Types of Cancer with Special Emphasis on In Vitro Cytotoxicity and Cellular Uptake Studies

Nanoscience &Nanotechnology-Asia ◽

10.2174/2210681209666190417144126 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 577-590

Author(s):

Jai B. Sharma ◽

Shailendra Bhatt ◽

Asmita Sharma ◽

Manish Kumar

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Cellular Uptake ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Targeted Delivery ◽

In Vitro Cytotoxicity ◽

Curcumin Nanoparticles ◽

Cytotoxicity Studies ◽

Delivery Technique ◽

Different Types

Background: The potential use of nanocarriers is being explored rapidly for the targeted delivery of anticancer agents. Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound obtained from rhizomes of turmeric, belongs to family Zingiberaceae. It possesses chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity with low toxicity in almost all types of cancer. The low solubility and bioavailability of curcumin make it unable to use for the clinical purpose. The necessity of an effective strategy to overcome the limitations of curcumin is responsible for the development of its nanocarriers. Objective: This study is aimed to review the role of curcumin nanocarriers for the treatment of cancer with special emphasis on cellular uptake and in vitro cytotoxicity studies. In addition to this, the effect of various ligand conjugated curcumin nanoparticles on different types of cancer was also studied. Methods: A systematic review was conducted by extensively surfing the PubMed, science direct and other portals to get the latest update on recent development in nanocarriers of curcumin. Results: The current data from recent studies showed that nanocarriers of curcumin resulted in the targeted delivery, higher efficacy, enhanced bioavailability and lower toxicity. The curcumin nanoparticles showed significant inhibitory effects on cancer cells as compared to free curcumin. Conclusion: It can be concluded that bioavailability of curcumin and its cytotoxic effect to cancer cells can be enhanced by the development of curcumin based nanocarriers and it was found to be a potential drug delivery technique for the treatment of cancer.

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Super Magnetic Niosomal Nanocarrier as a New Approach for Treatment of Breast Cancer: A Case Study on SK-BR-3 and MDA-MB-231 Cell Lines

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22157948 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (15) ◽

pp. 7948

Author(s):

Elham Jamshidifar ◽

Faten Eshrati Yeganeh ◽

Mona Shayan ◽

Mohammad Tavakkoli Yaraki ◽

Mahsa Bourbour ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Cellular Uptake ◽

Targeted Delivery ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Breast Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Silica Layer

In the present study, a magnetic niosomal nanocarrier for co-delivery of curcumin and letrozole into breast cancer cells has been designed. The magnetic NiCoFe2O4 core was coated by a thin layer of silica, followed by a niosomal structure, allowing us to load letrozole and curcumin into the silica layer and niosomal layer, respectively, and investigate their synergic effects on breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the nanocarriers demonstrated a pH-dependent release due to the niosomal structure at their outer layer, which is a promising behavior for cancer treatment. Additionally, cellular assays revealed that the nanocarriers had low cellular uptake in the case of non-tumorigenic cells (i.e., MCF-10A) and related high viability but high cellular uptake in cancer cell lines (i.e., MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3) and related low viability, which is evidenced in their high cytotoxicity against different breast cancer cell lines. The cytotoxicity of the letrozole/curcumin co-loaded nanocarrier is higher than that of the aqueous solutions of both drugs, indicating their enhanced cellular uptake in their encapsulated states. In particular, NiCoFe2O4@L-Silica-L@C-Niosome showed the highest cytotoxicity effects on MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. The observed cytotoxicity was due to regulation of the expression levels of the studied genes in breast cancer cells, where downregulation was observed for the Bcl-2, MMP 2, MMP 9, cyclin D, and cyclin E genes while upregulation of the expression of the Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 genes was observed. The flow cytometry results also revealed that NiCoFe2O4@L-Silica-L@C-Niosome enhanced the apoptosis rate in both MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells compared to the control samples. The findings of our research show the potential of designing magnetic niosomal formulations for simultaneous targeted delivery of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs into cancer cells in order to enhance their synergic chemotherapeutic effects. These results could open new avenues into the future of nanomedicine and the development of theranostic agents.

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Quantum Dots as a Good Carriers of Unsymmetrical Bisacridines for Modulating Cellular Uptake and the Biological Response in Lung and Colon Cancer Cells

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11020462 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 462 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joanna Pilch ◽

Patrycja Kowalik ◽

Piotr Bujak ◽

Anna M. Nowicka ◽

Ewa Augustin

Keyword(s):

Quantum Dots ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cellular Uptake ◽

Laser Scanning ◽

Biological Response ◽

Drug Carriers ◽

Confocal Laser ◽

Normal Cells ◽

H460 Cells ◽

Hct116 Cells

Nanotechnology-based drug delivery provides a promising area for improving the efficacy of cancer treatments. Therefore, we investigate the potential of using quantum dots (QDs) as drug carriers for antitumor unsymmetrical bisacridine derivatives (UAs) to cancer cells. We examine the influence of QD–UA hybrids on the cellular uptake, internalization (Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope), and the biological response (flow cytometry and light microscopy) in lung H460 and colon HCT116 cancer cells. We show the time-dependent cellular uptake of QD–UA hybrids, which were more efficiently retained inside the cells compared to UAs alone, especially in H460 cells, which could be due to multiple endocytosis pathways. In contrast, in HCT116 cells, the hybrids were taken up only by one endocytosis mechanism. Both UAs and their hybrids induced apoptosis in H460 and HCT116 cells (to a greater extent in H460). Cells which did not die underwent senescence more efficiently following QDs–UAs treatment, compared to UAs alone. Cellular senescence was not observed in HCT116 cells following treatment with both UAs and their hybrids. Importantly, QDgreen/red themselves did not provoke toxic responses in cancer or normal cells. In conclusion, QDs are good candidates for targeted UA delivery carriers to cancer cells while protecting normal cells from toxic drug activities.

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Natural and Designed Toxins for Precise Therapy: Modern Approaches in Experimental Oncology

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22094975 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. 4975

Author(s):

Olga Shilova ◽

Elena Shramova ◽

Galina Proshkina ◽

Sergey Deyev

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Targeted Delivery ◽

Combined Therapy ◽

Drug Carriers ◽

Cytotoxic Action ◽

Growth And Survival ◽

Surface Receptors ◽

Nanosized Materials ◽

Natural Toxins ◽

Protein Toxins

Cancer cells frequently overexpress specific surface receptors providing tumor growth and survival which can be used for precise therapy. Targeting cancer cell receptors with protein toxins is an attractive approach widely used in contemporary experimental oncology and preclinical studies. Methods of targeted delivery of toxins to cancer cells, different drug carriers based on nanosized materials (liposomes, nanoparticles, polymers), the most promising designed light-activated toxins, as well as mechanisms of the cytotoxic action of the main natural toxins used in modern experimental oncology, are discussed in this review. The prospects of the combined therapy of tumors based on multimodal nanostructures are also discussed.

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Epigallocatechin Gallate-Gold Nanoparticles Exhibit Superior Antitumor Activity Compared to Conventional Gold Nanoparticles: Potential Synergistic Interactions

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano9030396 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 396 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Suhash Chavva ◽

Sachin Deshmukh ◽

Rajashekhar Kanchanapally ◽

Nikhil Tyagi ◽

Jason Coym ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gold Nanoparticles ◽

Antitumor Activity ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cellular Uptake ◽

Nuclear Translocation ◽

Epigallocatechin Gallate ◽

Drug Carriers ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Tetrazolium Salt ◽

Uptake Studies

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) possesses significant antitumor activity and binds to laminin receptors, overexpressed on cancer cells, with high affinity. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) serve as excellent drug carriers and protect the conjugated drug from enzymatic metabolization. Citrate-gold nanoparticles (C-GNPs) and EGCG-gold nanoparticles (E-GNPs) were synthesized by reduction methods and characterized with UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Cytotoxicity of citrate, EGCG, C-GNPs, and E-GNPs was evaluated by the water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) assay. Nanoparticle cellular uptake studies were performed by TEM and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Dialysis method was employed to assess drug release. Cell viability studies showed greater growth inhibition by E-GNPs compared to EGCG or C-GNPs. Cellular uptake studies revealed that, unlike C-GNPs, E-GNPs were taken up more efficiently by cancerous cells than noncancerous cells. We found that E-GNP nanoformulation releases EGCG in a sustained fashion. Furthermore, data showed that E-GNPs induced more apoptosis in cancer cells compared to EGCG and C-GNPs. From the mechanistic standpoint, we observed that E-GNPs inhibited the nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) with greater potency than EGCG, whereas C-GNPs were only minimally effective. Altogether, our data suggest that E-GNPs can serve as potent tumor-selective chemotoxic agents.

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Peptide modified gold nanoparticles for improved cellular uptake, nuclear transport, and intracellular retention

Nanoscale ◽

10.1039/c4nr02535k ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (20) ◽

pp. 12026-12033 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

C. Yang ◽

J. Uertz ◽

D. Yohan ◽

B. D. Chithrani

Keyword(s):

Gold Nanoparticles ◽

Radiation Dose ◽

Hyperspectral Imaging ◽

Anticancer Drug ◽

Cellular Uptake ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Cancer Therapeutics ◽

Drug Carriers ◽

Nuclear Targeting ◽

First Time

A novel hyperspectral imaging technique is used to image GNPs: a combination of three peptides is used for efficient nuclear targeting and improved retention of GNPs targeted into the nucleus is shown for the first time. This is important for future cancer therapeutics as GNPs can be used as radiation dose enhancers and anticancer drug carriers.

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Development and Characterization of Nanoliposomal Hydroxyurea Against BT-474 Breast Cancer Cells

Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin ◽

10.15171/apb.2020.005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 39-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Azam Akbari ◽

Azim Akbarzadeh ◽

Morteza Rafiee Tehrani ◽

Reza Ahangari Cohan ◽

Mohsen Chiani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Drug Release ◽

Zeta Potential ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cellular Uptake ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Drug Carriers ◽

Diffusion Method ◽

Diphenyl Tetrazolium Bromide

Purpose: Hydroxyurea (HU) is a well-known chemotherapy drug with several side effects which limit its clinical application. This study was conducted to improve its therapeutic efficiency against breast cancer using liposomes as FDA-approved drug carriers. Methods: PEGylated nanoliposomes-containing HU (NL-HU) were made via a thin-film hydration method, and assessed in terms of zeta potential, size, morphology, release, stability, cellular uptake, and cytotoxicity. The particle size and zeta potential of NL-HU were specified by zeta-sizer. The drug release from liposomes was assessed by dialysis diffusion method. Cellular uptake was evaluated by flow cytometry. The cytotoxicity was designated by methyl thiazolyl diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test. Results: The size and zeta value of NL-HU were gotten as 85 nm and -27 mV, respectively. NL-HU were spherical.NL-HU vesicles were detected to be stable for two months. The slow drug release and Weibull kinetic model were obtained. Liposomes considerably enhanced the uptake of HU into BT-474 human breast cancer cells. The cytotoxicity of NL-HU on BT-474 cells was found to be significantly more than that of free HU. Conclusion: The results confirmed these PEGylated nanoliposomes containing drug are potentially suitable against in vitro model of breast cancer.

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Preparation and In Vitro Cellular Uptake Assessment of Multifunctional Rubik-Like Magnetic Nano-Assemblies

Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology ◽

10.1166/jnn.2019.16129 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 3301-3309

Author(s):

Xiawen Zheng ◽

Yuejian Chen ◽

Zhiming Wang ◽

Lina Song ◽

Yu Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oleic Acid ◽

Folic Acid ◽

Cellular Uptake ◽

Hela Cells ◽

Drug Loading ◽

Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide ◽

Drug Carriers ◽

High Drug ◽

High Drug Loading

Through self-assembly of nanoparticles into high-order and stable structures of cubic clusters, high drug-loading rubik-like magnetic nano-assemblies (MNAs), possessing folic acid targeting and strong magnetism-enhanced cellular uptake capabilities, were built. In this study, the core of the cubic drug assemblies consisted of four monodisperse superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with layers of oleic acid (Fe3O4@OA), simultaneously encapsulating fluorescein, and Paclitaxol (Flu-MNAs and PTX-MNAs) for imaging and therapeutic applications. To enable preferential tumor cellular uptake by the nanocarriers, the outermost layer of Fe3O4 was functionalized with the new dual-oleic acid-polyethylene glycol-folic acid polymer (FA-PEG-Lys-OA2) as a “shell.” The drug carriers exhibited excellent stability and biocompatibility, and showed high drug loading and excellent magnetic response In Vitro. Furthermore, preliminary evaluations of the drug carriers with Hela cells showed effective cellular targeting capability. In addition, the cubic assemblies enhanced anticancer efficiency for Hela cells compared to bare drugs. Especially, the applied external magnetic field further improved the uptake of the vectors, and thereby enhanced the inhibitory effect. In brief, all these results suggested that cubic assemblies could serve as potential strategies for targeted anticancer therapies.

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