MPEG-PCL Nanomicelles Platform for Synergistic Metformin and Chrysin Delivery to Breast Cancer in Mice

Author(s):  
Daiqin Luo ◽  
Xinjun Wang ◽  
Xiaomei Zhong ◽  
Jianying Chang ◽  
Mingyuan He ◽  
...  

Background: Metformin (MET) is a well-known anti-diabetic drug that also has anti-cancer effects. However, high therapeutic doses of MET on cancer cells and the low efficacy of combinatory therapeutic approaches limit its clinical application. Recent studies have shown that chrysin (CHR) can improve the pharmaceutical efficacy of MET by suppressing human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and cyclin D1 gene expression. Objective: This study aimed to develop different ratios of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(e-caprolactone) (MPEG-PCL) micelles for breast cancer to co-deliver a synergistic CHR/MET combination. Methods: CHR/MET drug-loaded micelles were prepared by modified thin-film hydration. Fourier infrared spectrum, gel permeation chromatography, transmission electron microscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography were used to evaluate the physicochemical properties of nanostructures. Cell proliferation and cell apoptosis were assessed by MTT and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining method. The gene expression of hTERT and cyclin D1 was measured by real-time PCR assay. A subcutaneous mouse T47D xenograft model was established to evaluate the in vivo efficiency. Results: When the ratio of MPEG-PCL was 1:1.7, the highest drug loading rate and encapsulation efficiency of CHR (11.31±0.37) and MET (12.22±0.44) were observed. Uniform MPEG-PCL micelles of 51.70±1.91 nm allowed MET to incorporate with CHR, which were co-delivered to breast cancer cells. We demonstrated that CHR/MET co-delivery micelles showed a good synergistic effect on inhibiting proliferation in T47D cells (combination index=0.87) by suppressing hTERT and cyclin D1 gene expression. Compared with the free CHR/MET group, the apoptosis rate on T47D cells by CHR/MET nano-micelles significantly improved from 71.33% to 79.25%. The tumour volume and tumour weight of the CHR/MET group increased more slowly than that of the single-drug treatment group (P<0.05). Compared with the CHR/MET group, the tumour volume and tumour weight of the CHR/MET nano-micelle group decreased by 42% and 59%, respectively. Conclusions: We demonstrated that ratiometric CHR/MET micelles could provide an effective technique for the treatment of breast cancer.

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Bakhtou ◽  
Asiie Olfatbakhsh ◽  
Abdolkhaegh Deezagi ◽  
Ghasem Ahangari

Background:Breast cancer is one of the common causes of mortality for women in Iran and other parts of the world. The substantial increasing rate of breast cancer in both developed and developing countries warns the scientists to provide more preventive steps and therapeutic measures. This study is conducted to investigate the impact of neurotransmitters (e.g., Dopamine) through their receptors and the importance of cancers via damaging immune system. It also evaluates dopamine receptors gene expression in the women with breast cancer at stages II or III and dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) related agonist and antagonist drug effects on human breast cancer cells, including MCF-7 and SKBR-3.Methods:The patients were categorized into two groups: 30 native patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer at stages II and III, with the mean age of 44.6 years and they were reported to have the experience of a chronic stress or unpleasant life event. The second group included 30 individuals with the mean age of 39 years as the control group. In order to determine the RNA concentration in all samples, the RNA samples were extracted and cDNA was synthesized. The MCF-7 cells and SKBR-3 cells were treated with dopamine receptors agonists and antagonists. The MTT test was conducted to identify oxidative and reductive enzymes and to specify appropriate dosage at four concentrations of dopamine and Cabergoline on MCF-7 and SKBR-3 cells. Immunofluorescence staining was done by the use of a mixed dye containing acridine orange and ethidiume bromide on account of differentiating between apoptotic and necrotic cells. Flow cytometry assay was an applied method to differentiate necrotic from apoptotic cells.Results:Sixty seven and thirty three percent of the patients were related to stages II and III, respectively. About sixty three percent of the patients expressed ER, while fifty seven percent expressed PR. Thirty seven percent of the patients were identified as HER-2 positive. All types of D2-receptors were expressed in PBMC of patients with breast cancer and healthy individuals. The expression of the whole dopamine receptor subtypes (DRD2-DRD4) was carried out on MCF-7 cell line. The results of RT-PCR confirmed the expression of DRD2 on SKBR-3 cells, whereas the other types of D2- receptors did not have an expression. The remarkable differences in gene expression rates between patients and healthy individuals were revealed in the result of the Real-time PCR analysis. The over expression in DRD2 and DRD4 genes of PBMCs was observed in the patients with breast cancer at stages II and III. The great amount of apoptosis and necrosis occurred after the treatment of MCF-7 cells by Cabergoline from 25 to 100 µmolL-1 concentrations.Conclusion:This study revealed the features of dopamine receptors associated with apoptosis induction in breast cancer cells. Moreover, the use of D2-agonist based on dopamine receptors expression in various breast tumoral cells could be promising as a new insight of complementary therapy in breast cancer.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 1138-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esra Metin ◽  
Pelin Mutlu ◽  
Ufuk Gündüz

Background: Although conventional chemotherapy is the most common method for cancer treatment, it has several side effects such as neuropathy, alopecia and cardiotoxicity. Since the drugs are given to body systemically, normal cells are also affected, just like cancer cells. However, in recent years, targeted drug delivery has been developed to overcome these drawbacks. Objective: The aim of this study was targeted co-delivery of doxorubicin (Dox) which is an anticancer agent and D-α-Tocopherol polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (vitamin E TPGS or simply TPGS) to breast cancer cells. For this purpose, Magnetic Nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized and coated with Oleic Acid (OA). Coated nanoparticles were encapsulated in Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) and TPGS polymers and loaded with Dox. The Nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, zetapotential analysis, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. Results: The results showed that NPs were spherical, superparamagnetic and in the desired range for use in drug targeting. The targetability of NPs was confirmed. Moreover, TPGS and Dox loading was shown by TGA and FTIR analyses. NPs were internalized by cells and the cytotoxic effect of drug loaded NPs on sensitive (MCF-7) and drug-resistant (MCF-7/Dox) cells were examined. It was seen that the presence of TPGS increased cytotoxicity significantly. TPGS also enhanced drug loading efficiency, release rate, cellular internalization. In MCF- 7/Dox cells, the drug resistance seems to be decreased when Dox is loaded onto TPGS containing NPs. Conclusion: This magnetic PLGA nanoparticle system is important for new generation targeted chemotherapy and could be used for breast cancer treatment after in vivo tests.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1232
Author(s):  
Sadaf Harandi-Zadeh ◽  
Cayla Boycott ◽  
Megan Beetch ◽  
Tony Yang ◽  
Benjamin J. E. Martin ◽  
...  

Epigenetic aberrations are linked to sporadic breast cancer. Interestingly, certain dietary polyphenols with anti-cancer effects, such as pterostilbene (PTS), have been shown to regulate gene expression by altering epigenetic patterns. Our group has proposed the involvement of DNA methylation and DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) as vital players in PTS-mediated suppression of candidate oncogenes and suggested a role of enhancers as target regions. In the present study, we assess a genome-wide impact of PTS on epigenetic marks at enhancers in highly invasive MCF10CA1a breast cancer cells. Following chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-sequencing in MCF10CA1a cells treated with 7 μM PTS for 9 days, we discovered that PTS leads to increased binding of DNMT3B at enhancers of 77 genes, and 17 of those genes display an overlapping decrease in the occupancy of trimethylation at lysine 36 of histone 3 (H3K36me3), a mark of active enhancers. We selected two genes, PITPNC1 and LINC00910, and found that their enhancers are hypermethylated in response to PTS. These changes coincided with the downregulation of gene expression. Of importance, we showed that 6 out of 17 target enhancers, including PITPNC1 and LINC00910, are bound by an oncogenic transcription factor OCT1 in MCF10CA1a cells. Indeed, the six enhancers corresponded to genes with established or putative cancer-driving functions. PTS led to a decrease in OCT1 binding at those enhancers, and OCT1 depletion resulted in PITPNC1 and LINC00910 downregulation, further demonstrating a role for OCT1 in transcriptional regulation. Our findings provide novel evidence for the epigenetic regulation of enhancer regions by dietary polyphenols in breast cancer cells.


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