An Ultrasound Activated Vesicle of Janus Au-MnO Nanoparticles for Promoted Tumor Penetration and Sono-Chemodynamic Therapy of Orthotopic Liver Cancer

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has the advantages of high penetration, non-invasiveness, and controllability, and it is suitable for deep-seated tumors. However, there is still a lack of effective sonosensitizers with high sensitivity, safety, and penetration. Now, ultrasound (US) and glutathione (GSH) dual responsive vesicles of Janus Au-MnO nanoparticles (JNPs) were coated with PEG and a ROS-sensitive polymer. Upon US irradiation, the vesicles were disassembled into small Janus Au-MnO nanoparticles (NPs) with promoted penetration ability. Subsequently, GSH-triggered MnO degradation simultaneously released smaller Au NPs as numerous cavitation nucleation sites and Mn²⁺ for chemodynamic therapy (CDT), resulting in enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. This also allowed dual-modality photoacoustic imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR) window and T₁-MR imaging due to the released Mn²⁺, and inhibited orthotopic liver tumor growth via synergistic SDT/CDT.     

An Ultrasound Activated Vesicle of Janus Au‐MnO Nanoparticles for Promoted Tumor Penetration and Sono‐Chemodynamic Therapy of Orthotopic Liver Cancer

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has the advantages of high penetration, non‐invasiveness, and controllability, and it is suitable for deep‐seated tumors. However, there is still a lack of effective sonosensitizers with high sensitivity, safety, and penetration. Now, ultrasound (US) and glutathione (GSH) dual responsive vesicles of Janus Au‐MnO nanoparticles (JNPs) were coated with PEG and a ROS‐sensitive polymer. Upon US irradiation, the vesicles were disassembled into small Janus Au‐MnO nanoparticles (NPs) with promoted penetration ability. Subsequently, GSH‐triggered MnO degradation simultaneously released smaller Au NPs as numerous cavitation nucleation sites and Mn²⁺ for chemodynamic therapy (CDT), resulting in enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. This also allowed dual‐modality photoacoustic imaging in the second near‐infrared (NIR) window and T₁‐MR imaging due to the released Mn²⁺, and inhibited orthotopic liver tumor growth via synergistic SDT/CDT.     

肿瘤靶向的磁性荧光IR780-Fe3O4纳米颗粒用于循环肿瘤细胞的检测

循环肿瘤细胞(Circulating tumor cells,CTCs)的简单、快速分离和检测是目前临床研究中面临的一项挑战.本研究制备了具有肿瘤靶向识别作用的磁性荧光IR780-Fe3 O4纳米颗粒,并将其用于CTCs的分离和检测.通过电镜、荧光光谱仪和超导量子干涉仪对合成的IR780-Fe3 O4纳米颗粒进行表征;采用激光共聚焦显微镜和流式细胞仪对IR780-Fe3 O4纳米颗粒对肿瘤细胞和正常细胞的靶向效果进行了分析;利用激光共聚焦显微镜对IR780-Fe3 O4纳米颗粒在MCF-7细胞中的位置进行定位;并根据IR780-Fe3 O4纳米颗粒孵育后肿瘤细胞的荧光强度绘制标准曲线.研究结果表明,IR780-Fe3 O4能很好地靶向多种CTCs.细胞定位实验进一步表明,IR780-Fe3 O4主要靶向识别肿瘤细胞的线粒体.通过Fe3 O4磁性纳米颗粒偶联IR780建立的这种方法可很好地区分肿瘤细胞和正常细胞,并对模拟血液中的CTCs进行了分离和检测.     

A C5N2 Nanoparticle Based Direct Nucleus Delivery Platform for Synergistic Cancer Therapy

Intracellular targeting has the same potential as tissue targeting to increase therapy efficacy, especially for drugs that are toxic to DNA. By adjusting intracellular traffic, we developed a novel direct‐nucleus‐delivery platform based on C₅N₂ nanoparticles (NPs). Supramolecular interactions of C₅N₂ NPs with the cell membrane enhanced cell uptake; abundant edge amino groups promoted fast and effective rupture of early endosomes; and the appropriate size of the NPs was also crucial for size‐dependent nuclear entry. As a proof of concept, the platform was not only suitable for the effective delivery of molecular drugs/dyes (doxorubicin, hydroxycamptothecine, and propidium iodide) and MnO₂ nanoparticles to the nucleus, but was also photoresponsive for nucleus‐targeting photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) to further greatly increase anticancer efficacy. This strategy might open the door to a new generation of nuclear‐targeted enhanced anticancer therapy.     

Tailored Synthesis of Octopus‐type Janus Nanoparticles for Synergistic Actively‐Targeted and Chemo‐Photothermal Therapy

A facile, reproducible, and scalable method was explored to construct uniform Au@poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) Janus nanoparticles (JNPs). The as‐prepared JNPs were used as templates to preferentially grow a mesoporous silica (mSiO₂) shell and Au branches separately modified with methoxy‐poly(ethylene glycol)‐thiol (PEG) to improve their stability, and lactobionic acid (LA) for tumor‐specific targeting. The obtained octopus‐type PEG‐Au‐PAA/mSiO₂‐LA Janus NPs (PEG‐OJNP‐LA) possess pH and NIR dual‐responsive release properties. Moreover, DOX‐loaded PEG‐OJNP‐LA, upon 808 nm NIR light irradiation, exhibit obviously higher toxicity at the cellular and animal levels compared with chemotherapy or photothermal therapy alone, indicating the PEG‐OJNP‐LA could be utilized as a multifunctional nanoplatform for in vitro and in vivo actively‐targeted and chemo‐photothermal cancer therapy.     

Activatable Singlet Oxygen Generation from Lipid Hydroperoxide Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced apoptosis is a widely practiced strategy for cancer therapy. Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) takes advantage of the spatial–temporal control of ROS generation, the meticulous participation of light, photosensitizer, and oxygen greatly hinders the broad application of PDT as a first-line cancer treatment option. An activatable system has been developed that enables tumor-specific singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation for cancer therapy, based on a Fenton-like reaction between linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LAHP) tethered on iron oxide nanoparticles (IO NPs) and the released iron(II) ions from IO NPs under acidic-pH condition. The IO-LAHP NPs are able to induce efficient apoptotic cancer cell death both in vitro and in vivo through tumor-specific ¹O₂ generation and subsequent ROS mediated mechanism. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of modulating biochemical reactions as a ROS source to exert cancer death.     

Y2O3 Nanoparticles and X-ray Radiation-Induced Effects in Melanoma Cells

The innovative strategy of using nanoparticles in radiotherapy has become an exciting topic due to the possibility of simultaneously improving local efficiency of radiation in tumors and real-time monitoring of the delivered doses. Yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) are used in material science to prepare phosphors for various applications including X-ray induced photodynamic therapy and in situ nano-dosimetry, but few available reports only addressed the effect induced in cells by combined exposure to different doses of superficial X-ray radiation and nanoparticles. Herein, we analyzed changes induced in melanoma cells by exposure to different doses of X-ray radiation and various concentrations of Y₂O₃ NPs. By evaluation of cell mitochondrial activity and production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), we estimated that 2, 4, and 6 Gy X-ray radiation doses are visibly altering the cells by inducing ROS production with increasing the dose while at 6 Gy the mitochondrial activity is also affected. Separately, high-concentrated solutions of 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL Y₂O₃ NPs were also found to affect the cells by inducing ROS production with the increase of concentration. Additionally, the colony-forming units assay evidenced a rather synergic effect of NPs and radiation. By adding the NPs to cells before irradiation, a decrease of the number of proliferating cell colonies was observed with increase of X-ray dose. DNA damage was evidenced by quantifying the γ-H2AX foci for cells treated with Y₂O₃ NPs and exposed to superficial X-ray radiation. Proteomic profile confirmed that a combined effect of 50 µg/mL Y₂O₃ NPs and 6 Gy X-ray dose induced mitochondria alterations and DNA changes in melanoma cells.     

纳米Fe3O4-TiO2靶向光动力疗法对肝癌细胞的杀伤效应

光动力疗法(PDT)作为一种迅速发展的传统替代疗法,在抗癌治疗中显示出巨大的潜力.为增强靶向性和提高光催化杀伤效率,本研究设计了一种新型光敏剂Fe₃O₄-TiO₂磁性纳米粒.在不同外磁场下,考察其在可见光和紫外光激发下对肝癌细胞的杀伤效应.同时利用流式细胞术检测纳米Fe₃O₄-TiO₂对肝癌细胞凋亡率、细胞周期和线粒体膜电位的影响.根据纳米Fe₃O₄-TiO₂和肝癌细胞的作用方式探讨其抗癌机制.结果表明,可见光激发纳米Fe₃O₄-TiO₂可以杀伤癌细胞,且其杀伤效率与紫外光激发下无明显差别.此外,Fe₃O₄-TiO₂比TiO₂具有更高的细胞摄取率,从而使其具有更高的选择性和光催化杀伤效率.其作用机制是光催化纳米Fe₃O₄-TiO₂产生活性氧ROS抑制癌细胞,然后通过阻滞细胞周期G₀/G₁期,降低线粒体膜电位,线粒体去极化,最终诱导细胞凋亡.     

血红蛋白/光敏剂复合药物体系用于光动力治疗

通过等电点法实现了血红蛋白(Hb)与光敏剂药物七甲川花菁类小分子:11-氯-1,1'-二正丙基-3,3,3',3'-四甲基-10,12-三亚甲基吲哚三碳花青碘盐(IR780)的共担载,并研究了Hb供氧治疗与光动力治疗的联合治疗效果。 通过透射电子显微镜和动态光散射研究了Hb/IR780复合药物载体的形貌与稳定性,证明了药物载体在生理条件下能够稳定存在。 通过对药物在体外溶液和细胞水平的活性氧(ROS)检测,验证了Hb供氧能够有效地促进光敏剂ROS的产生,并且细胞毒性实验也证实了Hb/IR780复合药物载体拥有比单组份IR780药物更明显的肿瘤细胞杀伤效果。     

A cancer cell turn-on protein-CuSMn nanoparticle as the sensor of breast cancer cell and CH3O-PEG-phosphatide

A cancer activated protein-inorganic nanoparticle was used as breast cancer cell turn-on fluorescence sensor and NIR activated attenuator.     

Oxidation Responsive PEGylated Polyamino Acid Bearing Thioether Pendants for Enhanced Anticancer Drug Delivery

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in biological tissues are in a state of dynamic balance. However, many diseases such as cancer and inflammation, are accompanied by a long-term increase in ROS. This situation inspires researchers to use ROS-sensitive nanocarriers for a site-specific release of cargo in pathological areas. Polyamino acid materials with good biodegradability, biocompatibility, and regular secondary structure are widely used in the biomedical field. Herein, a new oxidation responsive PEGylated polyamino acid is synthesised for anticancer drug delivery by ring-opening polymerisation of N-carboxyanhydrides bearing thioether pendants. The obtained block copolymer mPEG-b-PMLG self-assembles into spherical nanoparticles (NPs) in water with diameter ≈68.3 nm. NMR measurement demonstrated that the hydrophobic thioether pendants in the NPs can be selectively oxidised to hydrophilic sulfoxide groups by H₂O₂, which will lead to the disassociation of NPs. In vitro drug release results indicated that the encapsulated Nile red is selectively released in the trigger of 10 mM H₂O₂ in PBS. Finally, anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) is encapsulated to the NPs, and the obtained NPs/DOX exhibits an improved antitumor efficacy in 4T1 tumour-bearing mice and lower cardiotoxicity than free DOX. These results indicates that the mPEG-b-PMLG NPs are promising for anticancer drug delivery.     

DNAzyme‐Loaded Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for Self‐Sufficient Gene Therapy

DNAzymes have been recognized as potent therapeutic agents for gene therapy, while their inefficient intracellular delivery and insufficient cofactor supply precludes their practical biological applications. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising drug carriers without in‐depth consideration of their disassembled ingredients. Herein, we report a self‐sufficient MOF‐based chlorin e6‐modified DNAzyme (Ce6‐DNAzyme) therapeutic nanosystem for combined gene therapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT). The ZIF‐8 nanoparticles (NPs) could efficiently deliver the therapeutic DNAzyme without degradation into cancer cells. The pH‐responsive ZIF‐8 NPs disassemble with the concomitant release of the guest DNAzyme payloads and the host Zn²⁺ ions that serve, respectively, as messenger RNA‐targeting agent and required DNAzyme cofactors for activating gene therapy. The auxiliary photosensitizer Ce6 could produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and provide a fluorescence signal for the imaging‐guided gene therapy/PDT.     

Mitochondria Targeted Nanoparticles Potentiate Tumor Chemo-Phototherapy by Toxic Oxidative Stress Mediated Oxeiptosis

Insufficient accumulation of drug at the tumor site and the low drug response are the main reason for the unsatisfactory effect of cancer therapy. Delivery drugs exquisitely to subcellular level can be employed to reduce side effects, and expand the therapeutic window. Herein, a triphenylphosphine (TPP) modified lipid nanoparticles is designed which are loaded with the photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) and chemotherapeutic paclitaxel (PTX) for mitochondria-targeted chemo-phototherapy. Owing to the movement of majority mitochondria along microtubules in cytoplasm, mitochondrial targeting may enable PTX to act more effectively. Meanwhile, the existence of chemo-drug potentiates the phototherapy to achieve synergistic anti-tumor activity. As expected, mitochondria targeting nanomedicine (M-ICG-PTX NPs) showed improved mitochondria targeted cellular distribution and enhanced cell cytotoxicity in vitro. Also, M-ICG-PTX NPs exhibited higher tumor growth inhibition ability by promoting cell apoptosis and oxeiptosis pathway, and high effective inhibition of primary tumor growth and tumor metastasis. Taken together, M-ICG-PTX NPs may be promising nanoplatforms to achieve potent therapeutic effect for the combination of chemo- and photo-therapy (PTT).     

A Multifunctional Peptide‐Conjugated AIEgen for Efficient and Sequential Targeted Gene Delivery into the Nucleus

Gene therapy has immense potential as a therapeutic approach to serious diseases. However, efficient delivery and real‐time tracking of gene therapeutic agents have not been solved well for successful gene‐based therapeutics. Herein we present a versatile gene‐delivery strategy for efficient and visualized delivery of therapeutic genes into the targeted nucleus. We developed an integrin‐targeted, cell‐permeable, and nucleocytoplasmic trafficking peptide‐conjugated AIEgen named T_DNCP for the efficient and sequential targeted delivery of an antisense single‐stranded DNA oligonucleotide (ASO) and tracking of the delivery process into the nucleus. As compared with T_DNCP/siRNA‐NPs (siRNA functions mainly in the cytoplasm), T_DNCP/ASO‐NPs (ASO functions mainly in the nucleus) exhibited a better interference effect, which further indicates that T_DNCP is a nucleus‐targeting vector. Moreover, T_DNCP/ASO‐NPs showed a favorable tumor‐suppressive effect in vivo.     

Tumor Microenvironment Stimuli-Responsive Fluorescence Imaging and Synergistic Cancer Therapy by Carbon-Dot–Cu2+ Nanoassemblies

A method is developed to fabricate tumor microenvironment (TME) stimuli-responsive nanoplatform for fluorescence (FL) imaging and synergistic cancer therapy via assembling photosensitizer (chlorine e6, Ce6) modified carbon dots (CDs-Ce6) and Cu²⁺. The as-obtained nanoassemblies (named Cu/CC nanoparticles, NPs) exhibit quenched FL and photosensitization due to the aggregation of CDs-Ce6. Their FL imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) functions are recovered efficiently once they entering tumor sites by the stimulation of TME. Introducing of Cu²⁺ not only provides extra chemodynamic therapy (CDT) function through reaction with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), but also depletes GSH in tumors by a redox reaction, thus amplifying the intracellular oxidative stress and enhancing the efficacy of reactive oxygen species (ROS) based therapy. Cu/CC NPs can act as a FL imaging guided trimodal synergistic cancer treatment agent by photothermal therapy (PTT), PDT, and thermally amplified CDT.     

Near‐Infrared Light and pH‐Responsive Polypyrrole@Polyacrylic acid/Fluorescent Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Imaging and Chemo‐Photothermal Cancer Therapy

We have rationally designed a new theranostic agent by coating near‐infrared (NIR) light‐absorbing polypyrrole (PPY) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), in which PAA acts as a nanoreactor and template, followed by growing small fluorescent silica nanoparticles (fSiO₂ NPs) inside the PAA networks, resulting in the formation of polypyrrole@polyacrylic acid/fluorescent mesoporous silica (PPY@PAA/fmSiO₂) core–shell NPs. Meanwhile, DOX‐loaded PPY@PAA/fmSiO₂ NPs as pH and NIR dual‐sensitive drug delivery vehicles were employed for fluorescence imaging and chemo‐photothermal synergetic therapy in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrate that the PPY@PAA/fmSiO₂ NPs show high in vivo tumor uptake by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect after intravenous injection as revealed by in vivo fluorescence imaging, which is very helpful for visualizing the location of the tumor. Moreover, the obtained NPs inhibit tumor growth (95.6 % of tumors were eliminated) because of the combination of chemo‐photothermal therapy, which offers a synergistically improved therapeutic outcome compared with the use of either therapy alone. Therefore, the present study provides new insights into developing NIR and pH‐stimuli responsive PPY‐based multifunctional platform for cancer theranostics.     

甘草次酸修饰海藻酸钠纳米给药系统的肝靶向性评估

通过EDC/NHS偶联反应将疏水性肝靶向小分子甘草次酸(GA)连接到天然多糖海藻酸钠(ALG)上,制备了具有双亲性肝靶向药物载体材料(GA-ALG).采用乳化法对广谱抗癌药物阿霉素(DOX)进行包载,得到肝靶向载药纳米粒子( DOX/GA-ALG NPs).利用单光子发射型计算机断层成像技术(SPECT)和药物体内分布...     

Antitumor efficacy of photodynamic therapy using novel nanoformulations of hypocrellin photosensitizer SL052

Recent preclinical and clinical testing of hypocrellin-based photosensitizer SL052 for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer has shown encouraging results. Further optimization of its formulation for delivery could considerably extend the therapeutic efficiency of this drug. A nanoformulation encapsulating SL052 into biodegradable polymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) was developed using a single-emulsion solvent evaporation technique and characterized in terms of particle size and loading of the photosensitizing agent. This nanoformulation, SL052-PLGA-nanoparticles (NPs), was compared with recently created nanoformulation based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (SL052-PVP-NPs) and standard liposomal SL052 preparation in terms of efficacy when used for PDT treatment of squamous cell carcinomas SCCVII growing subcutaneously in syngeneic mice. The therapeutic effect of PDT using these three different SL052 formulations was tested for both 1 and 4 h intervals between drug injection and tumor light exposure. The longer time interval produced higher tumor cure rates with all SL052 preparations. With both drug-light intervals, PDT based on SL052-PLGA-NPs produced superior therapeutic benefit compared with the other two SL052 formulations.     

Self-oxygenated co-assembled biomimetic nanoplatform for enhanced photodynamic therapy in hypoxic tumor

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown great application potential in cancer treatment and the important manifestation of PDT in the inhibition of tumors is the activation of immunogenic cell death (ICD) effects. However, the strategy is limited in the innate hypoxic tumor microenvironment. There are two key elements for the realization of enhanced PDT: specific cellular uptake and release of the photosensitizer in the tumor, and a sufficient amount of oxygen to ensure photodynamic efficiency. Herein, self-oxygenated biomimetic nanoparticles (CS@M NPs) co-assembled by photosensitizer prodrug (Ce6-S-S-LA) and squalene (SQ) were engineered. In the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), the oxygen carried by SQ can be converted to reactive oxygen species (ROS). Meanwhile, glutathione (GSH) consumption during transformation from Ce6-S-S-LA to chlorin e6 (Ce6) avoided the depletion of ROS. The co-assembled (CS NPs) were encapsulated by homologous tumor cell membrane to improve the tumor targeting. The results showed that the ICD effect of CS@M NPs was confirmed by the significant release of calreticulin (CRT) and high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1), and it significantly activated the immune system by inhibiting the hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α)-CD39-CD73-adenosine a2a receptor (A2AR) pathway, which not only promoted the maturation of dendritic cells (DC) and the presentation of tumor specific antigens, but also induced effective immune infiltration of tumors. Overall, the integrated nanoplatform implements the concept of multiple advantages of tumor targeting, reactive drug release, and synergistic photodynamic therapy-immunotherapy, which can achieve nearly 90% tumor suppression rate in orthotopic TNBC models.     

Rasagiline-encapsulated chitosan-coated PLGA nanoparticles targeted to the brain in the treatment of parkinson's disease

The aim of this study was to investigate the brain targeting potential of rasagiline-encapsulated chitosan-coated PLGA nanoparticles (RSG-CS-PLGA-NPs) delivered intranasally into the brain. Chitosan-coated PLGA nanoparticles (RSG-CS-PLGA-NPs) were developed through double emulsification-solvent evaporation technique. RSG-CS-PLGA-NPs were characterized for particle size, zeta potential, size distribution, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro drug release. The mean particle size, polydispersity index, and encapsulation efficiency were found to be 122.38?±?3.64, 0.212?±?0.009, and 75.83?±?3.76, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectroscopy and mass spectroscopy study showed a significantly high mucoadhesive potential of RSG-CS-PLGA-NPs and least for conventional and homogenized nanoformulation. Pharmacokinetic results of RSG-CS-PLGA-NPs in Wistar rat brain and plasma showed a significantly high (**p?<?0.005) AUC_0-24 and amplified C_max over intravenous treatment group. Finally, the investigation demonstrated that intranasal delivery of mucoadhesive nanocarrier showed significant enhancement of bioavailability in brain, after administration of the RSG-CS-PLGA-NPs which could be a substantial achievement of direct nose to brain targeting in Parkinson’s disease therapy and related brain disorders.