scholarly journals Lipid-Head-Polymer-Tail Chimeric Nanovesicles

Author(s):  
Kan Hu ◽  
Aoyuan Cheng ◽  
Dingcheng Zhou ◽  
Yi Luo ◽  
Guoqing Zhang

Lipid nanovesicles (LNVs) and polymer nanovesicles (PNVs), also known as liposomes and polymersomes, are becoming increasingly vital in global health. One recent example is the widely distributed mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. However, the two major classes of nanovesicles both exhibit their own issues that significantly limit potential applications. Here, by covalently attaching a naturally occurring phosphate “lipid head” and a synthetic polylactide “polymer tail” via facile ring-opening polymerization on a 500-gram scale, a type of “chimeric” nanovesicles (CNVs) can be easily produced. Compared to LNVs, the reported CNVs exhibit reduced permeability for small and large molecules; on the other hand, the CNVs are less hydrophobic and exhibit enhanced tolerance toward proteins in buffer solutions without the need for hydrophilic polymeric corona such as poly(ethylene glycol), in contrast to conventional PNVs. The proof-of-concept in vitro delivery experiments using hydrophilic solutions of fluorescein-PEG, rhodamine-PEG, and anti-cancer drug doxorubicin demonstrate that these CNVs, as a structurally diverse class of nano-materials, are highly promising as alternative carriers for therapeutic molecules in translational nanomedicine.

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-311
Author(s):  
Shulin Dai ◽  
Yucheng Feng ◽  
Shuyi Li ◽  
Yuxiao Chen ◽  
Meiqing Liu ◽  
...  

Background: Micelles as drug carriers are characterized by their inherent instability due to the weak physical interactions that facilitate the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers. As one of the strong physical interactions, the stereocomplexation between the equal molar of enantiomeric polylactides, i.e., the poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA), may be harnessed to obtain micelles with enhanced stability and drug loading capacity and consequent sustained release. </P><P> Aims/Methods: In this paper, stereocomplexed micelles gama-PGA-g-PLA micelles) were fabricated from the stereocomplexation between poly(gama-glutamic acid)-graft-PLLA gama-PGA-g-PLA) and poly(gamaglutamic acid)-graft-PDLA gama-PGA-g-PLA). These stereocomplexed micelles exhibited a lower CMC than the corresponding enantiomeric micelles. Result: Furthermore, they showed higher drug loading content and drug loading efficiency in addition to more sustained drug release profile in vitro. In vivo imaging confirmed that the DiR-encapsulated stereocomplexed gama-PGA-g-PLA micelles can deliver anti-cancer drug to tumors with enhanced tissue penetration. Overall, gama-PGA-g-PLA micelles exhibited greater anti-cancer effects as compared with the free drug and the stereocomplexation may be a promising strategy for fabrication of anti-cancer drug carriers with significantly enhanced efficacy.


Author(s):  
Lauren Marshall ◽  
Isabel Löwstedt ◽  
Paul Gatenholm ◽  
Joel Berry

The objective of this study was to create 3D engineered tissue models to accelerate identification of safe and efficacious breast cancer drug therapies. It is expected that this platform will dramatically reduce the time and costs associated with development and regulatory approval of anti-cancer therapies, currently a multi-billion dollar endeavor [1]. Existing two-dimensional (2D) in vitro and in vivo animal studies required for identification of effective cancer therapies account for much of the high costs of anti-cancer medications and health insurance premiums borne by patients, many of whom cannot afford it. An emerging paradigm in pharmaceutical drug development is the use of three-dimensional (3D) cell/biomaterial models that will accurately screen novel therapeutic compounds, repurpose existing compounds and terminate ineffective ones. In particular, identification of effective chemotherapies for breast cancer are anticipated to occur more quickly in 3D in vitro models than 2D in vitro environments and in vivo animal models, neither of which accurately mimic natural human tumor environments [2]. Moreover, these 3D models can be multi-cellular and designed with extracellular matrix (ECM) function and mechanical properties similar to that of natural in vivo cancer environments [3].


Author(s):  
Mateusz Kutyła ◽  
Aleksandra Maciejczyk ◽  
Mariusz Trytek ◽  
Joanna Jakubowicz-Gil

Background: Gliomas are highly malignant brain tumors with high resistance to chemotherapy. Therefore, investigations of new therapeutic molecules with high anti-glioma activity are of great importance. Objective: In this work, biocatalytic esterification of terpene alcohols with proven anti-cancer activity was performed to enhance their potency to induce cell death in human glioblastoma multiforme T98G and anaplastic astrocytoma MOGGCCM cell lines in vitro. Method and Results: We used primary terpene alcohols and carboxylic acids with a length of two to nine carbon atoms. The structure of the drinks influenced the esterification efficiency, which decreased in the following order: monocyclic > linear > bicyclic. Terpene alcohols and their esters only induced apoptotic cell death, which is highly desirable from a therapeutic point of view but did not induce autophagy and necrosis. The esterification of perillyl alcohol with butyric acid caused a 4-fold increase in cell death induction in the T98G line. Citronellol valerate, caprylate, and pelargonate and myrtenol butyrate, caprylate, and pelargonate also showed higher activity than their alcohol precursors. Conclusion: We have herein shown that esterification of natural alcohols by biocatalysis can improve the activity for other compounds investigated for their anti-glioma activity.


Author(s):  
Laura Guarnaccia ◽  
Stefania Elena Navone ◽  
Matteo Maria Masseroli ◽  
Melissa Balsamo ◽  
Manuela Caroli ◽  
...  

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primitive tumor in adult central nervous system (CNS), classified as grade IV according to WHO 2016 classification. GBM shows a poor prognosis with an average survival of approximately 15 months, representing an extreme therapeutic challenge. One of its distinctive and aggressive features is aberrant angiogenesis, which drives tumor neovascularization, representing a promising candidate for molecular target therapy. Although several pre-clinical studies and clinical trials have shown promising results, anti-angiogenic drugs have not led to a significant improvement in overall survival (OS), suggesting the necessity of identifying novel therapeutic strategies. Metformin, an anti-hyperglycemic drug of the Biguanides family, used as first line treatment in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), demonstrated in vitro and in vivo antitumoral efficacy in many different tumors, including GBM. From this evidence, a process of repurposing of the drug has begun, leading to the demonstration of the inhibition of various oncopromoter mechanisms and, consequently, to the identification of the molecular pathways involved. Here, we review and discuss the potential metformin&rsquo;s antitumoral effects on GBM, inspecting if it could properly act as an anti-angiogenic compound to be considered as a safely add-on therapy in the treatment and management of GBM patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junjie Zeng ◽  
Wenying Zhao ◽  
Shuhua Yue

The high attrition rates of anti-cancer drugs during clinical development remains a bottleneck problem in pharmaceutical industry. This is partially due to the lack of quantitative, selective, and rapid readouts of anti-cancer drug activity in situ with high resolution. Although fluorescence microscopy has been commonly used in oncology pharmacological research, fluorescent labels are often too large in size for small drug molecules, and thus may disturb the function or metabolism of these molecules. Such challenge can be overcome by coherent Raman scattering microscopy, which is capable of chemically selective, highly sensitive, high spatial resolution, and high-speed imaging, without the need of any labeling. Coherent Raman scattering microscopy has tremendously improved the understanding of pharmaceutical materials in the solid state, pharmacokinetics of anti-cancer drugs and nanocarriers in vitro and in vivo. This review focuses on the latest applications of coherent Raman scattering microscopy as a new emerging platform to facilitate oncology pharmacokinetic research.


Author(s):  
Kensuke Osada ◽  
R. James Christie ◽  
Kazunori Kataoka

Dramatic advances in biological research have revealed the mechanisms underlying many diseases at the molecular level. However, conventional techniques may be inadequate for direct application of this new knowledge to medical treatments. Nanobiotechnology, which integrates biology with the rapidly growing field of nanotechnology, has great potential to overcome many technical problems and lead to the development of effective therapies. The use of nanobiotechnology in drug delivery systems (DDS) is attractive for advanced treatment of conditions such as cancer and genetic diseases. In this review paper for a special issue on biomaterial research in Japan, we discuss the development of DDS based on polymeric micelles mainly in our group for anti-cancer drug and gene delivery, and also address our challenges associated with developing polymeric micelles as super-functionalized nanodevices with intelligent performance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. e419-e419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadassa Hirschfield ◽  
C Billie Bian ◽  
Takaaki Higashi ◽  
Shigeki Nakagawa ◽  
Tizita Z Zeleke ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuzhu Hu ◽  
Xiaoye Chen ◽  
Zongyuan Li ◽  
Songping Zheng ◽  
Yongzhong Cheng

Luteolin (Lut) is a natural flavonoid mainly extracted from vegetables and fruits. Lut shows great anti-tumor potential in many malignant cancers, which are hindered by poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Peritoneal metastasis is a challenge for colorectal cancer treatment, usually indicating unfavorable prognosis of patients. Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) micelles containing Luteolin (Lut-M) and thermosensitive Pluronic®F127 coated Lut-M (Lut-M-F127) were synthesized and applied in the local therapy of colorectal cancer. Drug release study of Lut-M-F127 and Lut-M suggested extended drug release, and the release of Lut from Lut-M-F127 was slower than Lut-M. It was also proved that Lut-M-F127 could transit from solution to gel at body temperature. Moreover, both Lut-Free and Lut-M micelles were capable of inducing tumor cell apoptosis and reducing cell viability in vitro. Our results further demonstrated the therapeutic effect of Lut-M-F127 treatment was much better than that of Lut-M treatment in vivo. Lut-M-F127 has shown strong ability to promote tumor apoptosis, suppress tumor proliferation and block tumor angiogenesis. In summary, Lut-M-F127 formulation may be a very promising treatment option for peritoneal metastasis in colorectal cancer in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-67
Author(s):  
Yepeng Luan ◽  
Jinyi Liu ◽  
Jianjun Gao ◽  
Jinhua Wang

Background: Cancer incidence and mortality have been increasing and cancer is still the leading cause of death all over the world. Despite the enormous progress in cancer treatment, many patients died of ineffective chemotherapy and drug resistance. Therefore, the design and development of anti-cancer drugs with high efficiency and low toxicity is still one of the most challenging tasks. Tricyclic heterocycles, such as phenothiazine, are always important sources of scaffolds for anti-cancer drug discovery. Methods: In this work, ten new urea-containing derivatives of phenothiazine coupled with different kinds of amine motifs at the endpoint through a three carbon long spacer were designed and synthesized. The structures of the synthesized compounds were elucidated and confirmed by 1H NMR and HRMS. All the synthesized compounds were tested for their antitumor activity in vitro against the proliferation of PC-3 cells, and the compounds with best potency entered further cytotoxicity evaluations against other 22 human tumor cell lines. Mechanism was also studied. Results: From all data, it showed that among all 10 target compounds, TTi-2 showed the best effect in inhibiting the proliferation of 23 human cancer cell lines while TTi-2 without obvious inhibitory effect on normal cell. Furthermore, our results also showed that TTi-2 could inhibit migration, invasion and colony formation of MDA-MB-231 cells. Finally, TTi-2 can induce arrest of cell cycle at G0/G1 phase and cell apoptosis by activating the caspase 3 activity. Conclusion: All these results suggested that TTi-2 might be used as a promising lead compound for anticancer drug development.


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