scholarly journals pH-responsive delivery vehicle based on RGD-modified polydopamine-paclitaxel-loaded poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) nanoparticles for targeted therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingfang Wu ◽  
Chen Zhong ◽  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Lu Wang ◽  
Lingling Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractA limitation of current anticancer nanocarriers is the contradiction between multiple functions and favorable biocompatibility. Thus, we aimed to develop a compatible drug delivery system loaded with paclitaxel (PTX) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy. A basic backbone, PTX-loaded poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) PHBV nanoparticle (PHBV-PTX-NPs), was prepared by emulsion solvent evaporation. As a gatekeeper, the pH-sensitive coating was formed by self-polymerization of dopamine (PDA). The HCC-targeted arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-peptide and PDA-coated nanoparticles (NPs) were combined through the Michael addition. Subsequently, the physicochemical properties of RGD-PDA-PHBV-PTX-NPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering-autosizer, transmission electron microscope, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and X-ray spectroscopy. As expected, the RGD-PDA-PHBV-PTX-NPs showed robust anticancer efficacy in a xenograft mouse model. More importantly, they exhibited lower toxicity than PTX to normal hepatocytes and mouse in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Taken together, these results indicate that the RGD-PDA-PHBV-PTX-NPs are potentially beneficial for easing conflict between multifunction and biocompatible characters of nanocarriers.

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1310
Author(s):  
Muhammad Abdur Rahim ◽  
Asadullah Madni ◽  
Nayab Tahir ◽  
Nasrullah Jan ◽  
Hassan Shah ◽  
...  

The current study is aimed to fabricate doxorubicin (Dox) loaded mild temperature responsive liposomes (MTLs) by thin film hydration technique for enhanced in vitro and in vivo anticancer efficacy against hepatocellular carcinoma. The aforementioned Dox loaded MTLs were developed and optimized with extrusion and drug loading techniques. The optimized MTLs were in optimum size range (118.20 ± 2.81–187.13 ± 4.15 nm), colloidal stability (−13.27 ± 0.04 to −32.34 ± 0.15 mV), and enhanced entrapment of Dox (28.71 ± 2.01–79.24 ± 2.16). Furthermore, the optimized formulation (MTL1-E(AL)) embodied improved physicochemical stability deducted by Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy and mild hyperthermia-based phase transition demonstrated from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). An in vitro drug release study revealed mild hyperthermia assisted rapid in vitro Dox release from MTLs-E(AL) (T100% ≈ 1 h) by Korsmeyer–Peppas model based Fickian diffusion (n < 0.45). Likewise, an in vitro cytotoxicity study and lower IC50 values also symbolized mild hyperthermia (40.2 °C) based quick and improved cytotoxicity of MTL1-E(AL) in HepG2 and MCF-7 cells than Dox. The fluorescence microscopy also represented enhanced cellular internalization of MTL1-E(AL) at mild hyperthermia compared to the normothermia (37.2 °C). In addition, an in vivo animal study portrayed the safety, improved anticancer efficacy and healing of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through MTL1-E(AL). In brief, the Dox loaded MTLs could be utilized as safe and effective therapeutic strategy against HCC.


Drug Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (08) ◽  
pp. 457-464
Author(s):  
Yabing Hua ◽  
Wanqing Li ◽  
Zhou Cheng ◽  
Ziming Zhao ◽  
Xiaoxing Yin ◽  
...  

To enhance the bioavailability of testosterone undecanoate (TU) and overcome the current problem of soft capsules (Andriol Testocaps®), Nano-structured lipid carriers (NLC) for TU was developed. First, suspension of TU-loaded NLC (TU-NLC) was prepared by high pressure homogenization; then adsorbent or a protective agent β-cyclodextrin was used to solidify the suspension through a vacuum system; finally, the solid powder of TU-loaded NLC (solid TU-NLC) was filled into hard capsules. The characteristics of solid TU-NLC, were investigated in vitro and vivo. The particle size of TU-NLC was about 273.3 nm, the potential was 0.156±0.04. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed that the NLC was spherical and uniform. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) suggested the drug had been encapsulated into NLC lipid matrix. The drug release proved that solid TU-NLC showed a higher dissolution in vitro. The CaCO-2 cell permeability showed that solid TU-NLC could enhance trans-membrane absorption of the TU. Moreover, the AUC of solid TU-NLC formulations (4304±550.50 μg/L*min) was higher than commercial product Andriol Testocaps® (3075±372.50 μg/L*min). In conclusion, solid TU-NLC could enhance the rate of dissolution, and had a relatively higher bioavailability than Andriol Testocaps® in vivo Graphical Abstract.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (22) ◽  
pp. 6990
Author(s):  
Hamid Saeed Shah ◽  
Usman Nasrullah ◽  
Sumera Zaib ◽  
Faisal Usman ◽  
Ajmal Khan ◽  
...  

The rapidly growing global burden of cancer poses a major challenge to public health and demands a robust approach to access promising anticancer therapeutics. In parallel, nanotechnology approaches with various pharmacological properties offer efficacious clinical outcomes. The use of new artificial variants of nanosponges (NS) as a transporter of chemotherapeutic drugs to target cells has emerged as a very promising tool. Therefore, in this research, ethylcellulose (EC) NS were prepared using the ultrasonication assisted-emulsion solvent evaporation technique. Withaferin-A (WFA), an active ingredient in Withania somnifera, has been implanted into the nanospongic framework with enhanced anticancer properties. Inside the polymeric structure, WFA was efficiently entrapped (85 ± 11%). The drug (WFA) was found to be stable within polymeric nanosponges, as demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies. The WFA-NS had a diameter of 117 ± 4 nm and zeta potential of −39.02 ± 5.71 mV with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.419 ± 0.073. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the porous surface texture of WFA-NS. In vitro anticancer activity (SRB assay) results showed that WFA–NS exhibited almost twice the anticancer efficacy against MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 1.57 ± 0.091 µM), as quantified by flow cytometry and comet tests. Moreover, fluorescence microscopy with DAPI staining and analysis of DNA fragmentation revealed apoptosis as a mechanism of cancer cell death. The anticancer activity of WFA-NS was further determined in vivo and results were compared to cisplatin. The anticancer activity of WFA-NS was further investigated in vivo, and the data were consistent to those obtained with cisplatin. At Day 10, WFA-NS (10 mg/kg) significantly reduced tumour volume to 72 ± 6%, which was comparable to cisplatin (10 mg/kg), which reduced tumour volume to 78 ± 8%. Finally, the outcomes of molecular modeling (in silico) also suggested that WFA established a stable connection with nanosponges, generating persistent hydrophobic contacts (polar and nonpolar) and helping with the attractive delayed-release features of the formulation. Collectively, all the findings support the use of WFA in nanosponges as a prototype for cancer treatment, and opened up new avenues for increasing the efficacy of natural product-derived medications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiling Ren ◽  
Huanji Xu ◽  
Hongwei Xia ◽  
Qiulin Tang ◽  
Feng Bi

AbstractLipid homeostasis plays a fundamental role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanisms that regulate lipid homeostasis to avoid lipotoxicity in HCC remain elusive. Here, we found high-fat diet (HFD) improved the expression of sterol o-acyltransferase1 (SOAT1) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) in diethylnitrosamine-induced HCC. Bioinformatic analysis showed that SOAT1-mediated fatty acid storage and CPT1A-mediated fatty acids oxidation (FAO) formed a double-negative feedback loop in HCC. We verified that SOAT1 inhibition enhanced CPT1A protein, which shuttled the released fatty acids into the mitochondria for oxidation in vivo and in vitro. Besides, we further confirmed that CPT1A inhibition converted excess fatty acids into lipid drops by SOAT1 in vitro. Simultaneously targeting SOAT1 and CPT1A by the small-molecule inhibitors avasimibe and etomoxir had synergistic anticancer efficacy in HCC in vitro and in vivo. Our study provides new mechanistic insights into the regulation of lipid homeostasis and suggests the combination of avasimibe and etomoxir is a novel strategy for HCC treatment.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Νικόλαος Ναζίρης

Η επιστήμη έχει σημαντικά επιτεύγματα μέσω της Νανοτεχνολογίας, με εφαρμογές οι οποίες ξεπερνούν κατά πολύ τις δυνατότητες των συμβατικών μέσων σε πολλά επιστημονικά πεδία, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της Ιατρικής και της Φαρμακευτικής. Η Νανοϊατρική ευδοκιμεί μετά την ανάπτυξη των πρώτων νανοτεχνολογικών φαρμάκων στα τέλη του 20ου αιώνα και αναπτύχθηκε ώστε να αποτελεί μία από τις πιο υποσχόμενες προσπάθειες στον αγώνα κατά των ανθρωπίνων ασθενειών. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο, τα λιποσώματα από καιρού αξιοποιούνται ως νανοτεχνολογικοί φορείς φαρμακομορίων και θεωρούνται ως μία από τις πιο καλώς μελετημένες πλατφόρμες για αυτόν τον σκοπό. Αυτοί οι νανοφορείς ομοιάζουν με τα κύτταρα και χαρακτηρίζονται από δομή και ιδιότητες στη μεσοκλίμακα τα οποία είναι δυναμικά, κυριαρχούμενα από το μηχανισμό και τους νόμους που διέπουν την αυτο-συναρμολόγηση. Η διαδικασία αυτή φέρει κρίσιμη σημασία για την ανάπτυξη νέων και καινοτόμων φαρμακευτικών προϊόντων, όπως και για τη νομοθετική ρύθμιση των ακολούθων “νανο-ομοειδών” φαρμάκων.Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή πραγματεύεται το σύγχρονο θέμα των αποκρινόμενων σε ερεθίσματα χιμαιρικών/μικτών νανοφορέων για τη θεραπεία του καρκίνου, οι οποίοι ανήκουν στην τάξη των καινοτόμων νανοσυστημάτων μεταφοράς φαρμακομορίων για πολύπλοκες ασθένειες. Σκοπός της έρευνας ήταν ο ορθολογικός σχεδιασμός και η ανάπτυξη χιμαιρικών νανοσυστημάτων, οι οποίοι θα αποκρίνονται σε συγκεκριμένες φυσικές και φυσιολογικές συνθήκες, όπως αλλαγές στη θερμοκρασία και μεταβολές του pH, αλλά και η αξιολόγηση της συμπεριφοράς τους κατά την αυτο-συναρμολόγηση, των τελικών ιδιοτήτων τους και της in vitro και in vivo δράσης τους. Αυτά τα νανοσυστήματα αποτελούνται από δύο διαφορετικές τάξεις βιοϋλικών, ήτοι φωσφολιπίδια και αμφίφιλα δισυσταδικά συμπολυμερή και είναι υποσχόμενοι φαρμακοφορείς για τη θεραπεία διαφόρων τύπων καρκίνου, μεταφέροντας και απελευθερώνοντας θεραπευτικούς παράγοντες επιλεκτικά στο σημείο της νόσου.Τα αναλυτικά εργαλεία τα οποία χρησιμοποιήθηκαν για την αξιολόγηση των αλληλεπιδράσεων μεταξύ των βιοϋλικών και της αυτο-συναρμολογήσεώς τους συνεισφέρουν στην ανάπτυξη ποιοτικών νανοτεχνολογικών σκευασμάτων, προσφέροντας γνώση επί των ιδιοτήτων στη νανοκλίμακα αυτών των συστημάτων και της σχέσεις τους με τον τελικό νανοφορέα. Τα εργαλεία αυτά σχετίζονται με τη θερμοδυναμική, τις φυσικοχημικές ιδιότητες, τη σταθερότητα, τη μορφολογία, τη βιοφυσική και τη λειτουργικότητα και τελικώς, με τη βιολογική τοξικότητα και αποτελεσματικότητα των χιμαιρικών νανοσυστημάτων. Συγκεκριμένα, αυτά περιλαμβάνουν τη θερμική ανάλυση, όπως είναι η διαφορική θερμιδομετρία σαρώσεως (differential scanning calorimetry, DSC) ή η micro-DSC, τη σκέδαση φωτός, τεχνικές απεικονίσεως, όπως είναι η ηλεκτρονική μικροσκοπία διαπερατότητας (transmission electron microscopy, TEM) και η κρυογονική ηλεκτρονική μικροσκοπία μεταδόσεως διαπερατότητας (cryogenic TEM, cryo-TEM) και τέλος, βιολογικές δοκιμασίες, μέσω in vitro και in vivo μοντέλων. Ο πλήρης χαρακτηρισμός ενός νανοσυστήματος, όπως τα λιποσώματα, βάσει των εργαλείων αυτών, όχι μόνο συνδράμει στην ανάπτυξη καινοτόμων νανοσυστημάτων μεταφοράς φαρμακομορίων, αλλά και στην κατανόηση του ρόλου του κάθε μοριακού συστατικού του συστήματος και της διαδικασίας της αυτo-οργανώσεως στο τελικό φαρμακευτικό προϊόν.Τελικώς, η παρούσα διδακτορική έρευνα οδήγησε στην ανάπτυξη βιοσυμβατών και λειτουργικών χιμαιρικών νανοσυστημάτων, τα οποία είναι υποσχόμενα ως πλατφόρμες μεταφοράς φαρμακομορίων για καρκίνο, μέσω της αποκρινόμενης σε ερεθίσματα συμπεριφοράς τους. Η αξία της εγκαθιδρύσεως μιας λογικής για την αξιολόγηση των νανοσυστημάτων τέτοιου τύπου μέσω του συνδυασμού συγκεκριμένων και σημαντικών εργαλείων είναι επίσης εμφανής και θα προσφέρει γνώση για την περαιτέρω ανάπτυξη καινοτόμων φαρμάκων. Επιπλέον, θα συνδράμει και στη μελέτη και έγκριση των ακολούθων προϊόντων αυτών, τα οποία είναι γνωστά ως “νανο-ομοειδοί”. Τα εργαλεία αυτά αφορούν την αξιολόγηση του μηχανισμού της αυτο-συναρμολογήσεως και της σχέσης της με τις ιδιότητες, την τοξικότητα και τη λειτουργικότητα των καινοτόμων νανοσυστημάτων μεταφοράς φαρμακομορίων, με τελικό στόχο την ανάπτυξη ποιοτικών, ασφαλών και αποτελεσματικών καινοτόμων φαρμάκων για τη θεραπεία του καρκίνου.


Gut ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1309-1321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Ping Xu ◽  
Jin-Pei Liu ◽  
Ji-Feng Feng ◽  
Chang-Peng Zhu ◽  
Yuan Yang ◽  
...  

ObjectiveAutophagy participates in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the resistance of HCC cells to sorafenib. We investigated the feasibility of sensitising HCC cells to sorafenib by modulating miR-541-initiated microRNA-autophagy axis.DesignGain- and loss-of-function assays were performed to evaluate the effects of miR-541 on the malignant properties and autophagy of human HCC cells. Autophagy was quantified by western blotting of LC3, transmission electron microscopy analyses and confocal microscopy scanning of mRFP-GFP-LC3 reporter construct. Luciferase reporter assays were conducted to confirm the targets of miR-541. HCC xenograft tumours were established to analyse the role of miR-541 in sorafenib-induced lethality.ResultsThe expression of miR-541 was downregulated in human HCC tissues and was associated with malignant clinicopathologic phenotypes, recurrence and survival of patients with HCC. miR-541 inhibited the growth, metastasis and autophagy of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Prediction software and luciferase reporter assays identified autophagy-related gene 2A (ATG2A) and Ras-related protein Rab-1B (RAB1B) as the direct targets of miR-541. Consistent with the effects of the miR-541 mimic, inhibition of ATG2A or RAB1B suppressed the malignant phenotypes and autophagy of HCC cells. Furthermore, siATG2A and siRAB1B partially reversed the enhancement of the malignant properties and autophagy in HCC cells mediated by the miR-541 inhibitor. More interestingly, higher miR-541 expression predicted a better response to sorafenib treatment, and the combination of miR-541 and sorafenib further suppressed the growth of HCC cells in vivo compared with the single treatment.ConclusionsDysregulation of miR-541-ATG2A/RAB1B axis plays a critical role in patients’ responses to sorafenib treatment. Manipulation of this axis might benefit survival of patients with HCC, especially in the context of the highly pursued strategies to eliminate drug resistance.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 243
Author(s):  
Yan Liao ◽  
Yue Yang ◽  
Di Pan ◽  
Youxiang Ding ◽  
Heng Zhang ◽  
...  

As one of the most common malignancies worldwide, Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been treated by Sorafenib, which is the first approved target drug by FDA for advanced HCC. However, drug resistance is one of the obstacles to its application. As a typical characteristic of most solid tumors, hypoxia has become a key cause of resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It is important to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of Sorafenib resistance under hypoxia. In this study, the morphological changes of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were observed by Live Cell Imaging System and Transmission Electron Microscope; Sorafenib was found to induce necroptosis in liver cancer. Under hypoxia, the distribution of necroptosis related proteins was changed, which contributed to Sorafenib resistance. HSP90α binds with the necrosome complex and promotes chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) degradation, which leads necroptosis blocking and results in Sorafenib resistance. The patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) model has been established to investigate the potential therapeutic strategies to overcome Sorafenib resistance. 17-AAG inhibited HSP90α and presented obvious reversal effects of Sorafenib resistance in vivo and in vitro. All the results emphasized that HSP90α plays a critical role in Sorafenib resistance under hypoxia and 17-AAG combined with Sorafenib is a promising therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.


Author(s):  
Shuang-Shuang Dong ◽  
Dan-Dan Dong ◽  
Zhang-Fu Yang ◽  
Gui-Qi Zhu ◽  
Dong-Mei Gao ◽  
...  

BackgroundAngiogenesis is a crucial process in tumorigenesis and development. The role of exosomes derived from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in angiogenesis has not been clearly elucidated.Methods and ResultsExosomes were isolated from HCC cell lines (HCCLM3, MHCC97L, and PLC/RFP/5) by ultracentrifugation and identified by nano transmission electron microscopy (TEM), NanoSight analysis and western blotting, respectively. In vitro and in vivo analyses showed that exosomes isolated from highly metastatic HCC cells enhanced the migration, invasion and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) compared to exosomes derived from poorly metastatic HCC cells. In addition, microarray analysis of HCC-Exos was conducted to identify potential functional molecules, and miR-3682-3p expression was found to be significantly downregulated in exosomes isolated from highly metastatic HCC cells. By in vitro gain-of-function experiments, we found that HCC cells secreted exosomal miR-3682-3p, which negatively regulates angiopoietin-1 (ANGPT1), and this led to inhibition of RAS-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling in endothelial cells and eventually impaired angiogenesis.ConclusionOur study elucidates that exosomal miR-3682-3p attenuates angiogenesis by targeting ANGPT1 through RAS-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling and provides novel potential targets for liver cancer therapy.


Author(s):  
Lígia Nunes de Morais Ribeiro ◽  
Eneida de Paula ◽  
Daise Aparecida Rossi ◽  
Flávia Alves Martins ◽  
Roberta Torres de Melo ◽  
...  

Campylobacter jejuni (CJ) is the most prevalent zoonotic pathogen of chicken meat and related products, which may lead to gastroenteritis and autoimmune diseases in humans. Although controlling this bacterium is important, CJ strains resistance against traditional antibiotic therapy has been increased. Vegetable oils and fats are natural biomaterials explored since the Ancient times, due to their therapeutic properties. Nanotechnology has promoted the miniaturization of materials, improving bioavailability and efficacy, while reducing the toxicity of loaded active molecules. In this work, a screening of 28 vegetable oils was firstly performed, in order to select anti-CJ candidates by the disc diffusion test. Thus, the selected liquid lipids were used as active molecules in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) formulations. The three resultant systems were characterized in terms of particle size (~200 nm), polydispersity index (~0.15), and zeta potential (~-35mV), and its physicochemical stability was confirmed for a year, at 25°C. The structural properties of NLC were assessed by infrared (FTIR-ATR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. The spherical nanoparticle morphology and narrow size distribution was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron (FE-SEM) analyses, respectively. Then, the in vitro antimicrobial activity test determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each formulation against CJ strains, in both free (1–3 mg/ml−1) and sessile (0.78 mg/ml−1) forms. Finally, the in vitro biocompatibility of NLC was demonstrated through cell viability using VERO cell line, in which F6 was found twice less cytotoxic than pure olibanum oil. Considering the abovementioned achieved, F6 formulation is able to be evaluated in the in vivo anti-CJ efficacy assays.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-268
Author(s):  
Parth Patel ◽  
Tejas Barot ◽  
Pratik Kulkarni

Background: Nanocarriers improve the efficacy of drugs by facilitating their specific delivery and protecting them from external environment resulting in a better performance against diseases. Objective: In this study, it was aimed to improve the efficacy of capecitabine against colorectal cancer by its entrapment in niosomes. Ether injection method was used to prepare niosomes composed of span 20 and cholesterol. Methods: Niosomes were evaluated by evaluating the entrapment efficiency, in-vitro drug release and cytotoxicity of capecitabine loaded niosomes. Niosomes were characterized by particle size analysis, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry for surface morphology and drug excipient interactions. Results: High encapsulation efficiency (90.55%) was observed, which is anticipated to resolve the multi-drug resistance problem. Reported particle size was 180.9 + 5 nm with a negative zeta potential - 21 + 0.5 mV and the kinetic study showed a concentration-dependent release of the drug from the niosome. DSC study proved entrapment of the entire drug and its non-covalent bonding with the excipients. Cytotoxicity study of niosomes on CaCO2 cell line showed an improved IC>50 value as compared to the free drug. Conclusion: Enhanced cytotoxicity observed in the results further supports the suitability of niosome as a nanocarrier for pharmaceutical drug delivery.


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