Covalent organic polyrotaxanes based on β-cyclodextrin for iodine capture.

Herein, covalent organic polyrotaxanes (COPRs) were integrated with supermolecule self-assembly and dynamic imine bond formation to act as absorbents that captured radioactive iodine from water. The aromatic building blocks were initially complexed with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to form pseudorotaxanes, which were then condensed with aromatic tri-aldehyde mechanical grinding and solvothermal synthesis in sequence. The threading of β-CD throughout the polymer skeleton effectively reduced the usage of expensive building blocks and significantly lowered the cost, while also remarkably enhancing the skeleton polarity, which is closely related to many special applications.

pH-responsive drug-loaded peptides enhance drug accumulation and promote apoptosis in tumor cells.

The efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs in tumor treatment is limited by their toxicity and side effects due to their inability to selectively accumulate in tumor tissue. In addition, chemotherapeutic agents are easily pumped out of tumor cells, resulting in their inadequate accumulation. To overcome these challenges, a drug delivery system utilizing the amphiphilic peptide Pep1 was designed.

Targeted Drug Nanodelivery and Immunotherapy for Combating Tumor Resistance.

Chemotherapy resistance is a common cause of tumor treatment failure. Various molecular responses, such as increased expression of efflux transporter proteins, including Pglycoprotein (P-gp), changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME), the role of platelets, and the effects of cancer stem cells (CSCs), can lead to drug resistance. Through extensive research on the mechanisms of drug resistance, more effective anti-resistance drugs and therapeutic approaches are being developed.

An inulin-based glycovesicle for pathogen-targeted drug delivery to ameliorate salmonellosis.

The gut microbiota plays a significant role in the pathogenesis and remission of inflammatory bowel disease. However, conventional antibiotic therapies may alter microbial ecology and lead to dysbiosis of the gut microbiome, which greatly limits therapeutic efficacy. To address this challenge, novel nanomicelles that couple inulin with levofloxacin via disulfide bonds for the treatment of salmonellosis were developed in this study.

Targeted drug-loaded peptides induce tumor cell apoptosis and immunomodulation to increase antitumor efficacy.

Immunotherapy is an emerging approach for the treatment of solid tumors. Although chemotherapy is generally considered immunosuppressive, specific chemotherapeutic agents can induce tumor immunity. In this study, we developed a targeted, acid-sensitive peptide nanoparticle (DT/Pep1) to deliver doxorubicin (DOX) and triptolide (TPL) to breast cancer cells via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and the breast cancer-targeting effect of peptide D8.

pH-Triggered Transformable Peptide Nanocarriers Extend Drug Retention for Breast Cancer Combination Therapy.

Increasing the penetration and accumulation of antitumor drugs at the tumor site are crucial in chemotherapy. Smaller drug-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) typically exhibit increased tumor penetration and more effective permeation through the nuclear membrane, whereas larger drug-loaded NPs show extended retention at the tumor site. In addition, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have unlimited proliferative potential and are crucial for the onset, progression, and metastasis of cancer.

Identification and characterization of a PL35 GAGs lyase with 4-O-sulfated N-acetylgalactosamine (A-type)-rich structures producing property.

Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) lyases are important tools for investigating the structure of GAGs and preparing low-molecular-weight GAGs. The PL35 family, a recently established polysaccharide lyase family, should be further investigated. In this study, we discovered a new GAG lyase, CHa1, which belongs to the PL35 family.

Design of Nanodrug Delivery Systems for Tumor Bone Metastasis.

Tumor metastasis is a complex process that is controlled at the molecular level by numerous cytokines. Primary breast and prostate tumors most commonly metastasize to bone, and the development of increasingly accurate targeted nanocarrier systems has become a research focus for more effective anti-bone metastasis therapy. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms of bone metastasis and the principles and methods for designing bone-targeted nanocarriers and then provides an in-depth review of bone-targeted nanocarriers for the treatment of bone metastasis in the context of chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, gene therapy, and combination therapy.

Key processes in tumor metastasis and therapeutic strategies with nanocarriers: a review.

Cancer metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related death. Metastasis occurs at all stages of tumor development, with unexplored changes occurring at the primary site and distant colonization sites. The growing understanding of the metastatic process of tumor cells has contributed to the emergence of better treatment options and strategies.

Enzyme-Induced Shape-Shifting Peptide Nanocarrier Coloaded with Paclitaxel and Dipyridamole Inhibits Platelet Function and Tumor Metastasis.

Tumor-associated platelets can bind to tumor cells and protect circulating tumor cells from NK-mediated immune surveillance. Tumor-associated platelets secrete cytokines to induce the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tumor cells, which promotes tumor metastasis. Combining chemotherapeutic agents with antiplatelet drugs can reduce the occurrence of metastasis, but the systemic application of chemotherapeutic agents and antiplatelet drugs is prone to causing serious side effects.

Morphologically transformable peptide nanocarriers coloaded with doxorubicin and curcumin inhibit the growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

In tumor treatment, the highly disordered vascular system and lack of accumulation of chemotherapeutic drugs in tumors severely limit the therapeutic role of nanocarriers. Smaller drug-containing nanoparticles (NPs) can better penetrate the tumor but are easily removed, which severely limits the tumor-killing properties of the drug. The chemotherapeutic medication doxorubicin (DOX) is highly toxic to the heart, but this toxicity can be effectively mitigated and the combined anticancer effect can be enhanced by clinically incorporating curcumin (CUR) as part of the dual therapy.

A dual drug-loaded peptide system with morphological transformation prolongs drug retention and inhibits breast cancer growth.

The treatment of breast cancer relies heavily on chemotherapy, but chemotherapy is limited by the disadvantages of poor targeting, susceptibility to extracellular matrix (ECM) interference and a short duration of action in tumor cells. To address these limitations, we developed an amphipathic peptide containing an RGD motif, Pep1, that encapsulated paclitaxel (PTX) and losartan potassium (LP) to form the drug-loaded peptide PL/Pep1. PL/Pep1 self-assembled into spherical nanoparticles (NPs) under normal physiological conditions and transformed into aggregates containing short nanofibers at acidic pH.

Recent progress in nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems for antitumour metastasis.

Tumour metastasis is one of the major factors leading to poor prognosis as well as lower survival among cancer patients. A number of studies investigating the inhibition of tumour metastasis have been conducted. It is difficult to achieve satisfactory results with surgery alone for distant metastatic tumours, and chemotherapy can boost the healing rate and prognosis of patients.

Analysis of the expression and prognostic significance of DDK complex in Hepatocarcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most common and lethal malignancies worldwide. Although DBF4-dependent kinase (DDK) complex composed of CDC7 kinase and its regulatory subunit DBF4 has been shown to be overexpressed in primary tumors and promotes tumor development, while its role and prognostic value in HCC remain largely unknown. In the present study, the expression of DBF4 and CDC7 and their relationship with clinical characteristics were comprehensively analyzed.

PNA-Modified Liposomes Improve the Delivery Efficacy of CAPIRI for the Synergistic Treatment of Colorectal Cancer.

Tumor-associated antigen mucin 1 (MUC1) is highly expressed in colorectal cancer and is positively correlated with advanced stage at diagnosis and poor patient outcomes. The combination of irinotecan and capecitabine is standard chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer and is known as XELIRI or CAPIRI, which significantly prolongs the progression-free survival and overall survival of colorectal cancer patients compared to a single drug alone. We previously reported that peanut agglutinin (PNA)-conjugated liposomes showed enhanced drug delivery efficiency to MUC1-positive liver cancer cells.

Enzyme-Induced Transformable Peptide Nanocarriers with Enhanced Drug Permeability and Retention to Improve Tumor Nanotherapy Efficacy.

Temporal persistence is as important for nanocarriers as spatial accuracy. However, because of the insufficient aggreagtion and short retention time of chemotherapy drugs in tumors, their clinical application is greatly limited. A drug delivery approach dependent on the sensitivity to an enzyme present in the microenvironment of the tumor is designed to exhibit different sizes in different sites, achieving enhanced drug permeability and retention to improve tumor nanotherapy efficacy.

Enzyme-induced morphological transformation of drug carriers: Implications for cytotoxicity and the retention time of antitumor agents.

Nanocarriers have been widely employed to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer treatment. However, the insufficient accumulation of nanoparticles in tumors is an important reason for the poor efficacy of nanodrugs. In this study, a novel drug delivery system with a self-assembled amphiphilic peptide was designed to respond specifically to alkaline phosphatase (ALP), a protease overexpressed in cancer cells.

Preparation of docetaxel-loaded, glycyrrhetinic acid-modified nanoparticles and their liver-targeting and antitumor activity.

Liver cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and poses a serious threat to human health. The most important treatment method, liver cancer chemotherapy, is limited due to its high toxicity and poor specificity. Targeted drug delivery systems have emerged as novel therapeutic strategies that deliver precise, substantial drug doses to target sites via targeting vectors and enhance the therapeutic efficacy.

The absence of muscle segment homeobox 2 leads to the pyroptosis of ameloblasts by inducing squamous epithelial hyperplasia in the enamel organ.

Muscle segment homeobox 2 (MSX2) has been confirmed to be involved in the regulation of early tooth development. However, the role of MSX2 has not been fully elucidated in enamel development. To research the functions of MSX2 in enamel formation, we used a Msx2 (KO) mouse model with no full Msx2 gene.

Tumor acidic microenvironment-induced drug release of RGD peptide nanoparticles for cellular uptake and cancer therapy.

Spatial accuracy is crucial in drug delivery, especially to increase the efficacy and reduce the side effects of antitumor drugs. In this study, we developed a simple and broadly applicable strategy in which a target peptide ligand was introduced to construct a pH-responsive drug-loading system to achieve targeted delivery and drug release in lesions. In addition to reaching the tumor tissue through passive targeting modalities such as the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, active targeting nanoparticles used RGD motifs coupled to nanocarriers to specifically bind certain integrins, such as ανβ3, which is expressed on the surface of tumor cells, to achieve active tumor cell targeting.

Enhanced targeted delivery of adenine to hepatocellular carcinoma using glycyrrhetinic acid-functionalized nanoparticles in vivo and in vitro.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common malignancy in China and globally, is primarily treated through surgical resection and liver transplantation, with chemotherapy as a significant synergistic option. Adenine (Ade), a nucleobase, exhibits antitumor effects by blocking human hepatic carcinoma cells in S phase and inhibiting tumor cell proliferation. However, its use is limited owing to its low solubility, poor targeting ability, and nephrotoxicity.

Improved efficacy of doxorubicin delivery by a novel dual-ligand-modified liposome in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liposomes have been widely used as drug carriers in both biomedical research and for clinical applications, allowing the stabilisation of therapeutic compounds and overcoming obstacles to cellular and tissue uptake. However, liposomes still have low targeting efficiency, resulting in insufficient killing of tumour cells and unnecessary damage to normal cells. In this study, glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and peanut agglutinin (PNA) were used as ligands to prepare dual-ligand-modified doxorubicin-loaded liposomes (DOX-GA/PNA-Lips) to enhance the targeting accuracy and efficacy of drug delivery against malignant liver cancer.

pH-Triggered geometrical shape switching of a cationic peptide nanoparticle for cellular uptake and drug delivery.

The geometry of nanoparticles plays an important role in their performance as drug carriers. However, the pH-triggered geometrical shape switching of a cationic peptide consisting of isoleucine and lysine is seldom reported. In this work, we designed a cationic peptide with acid reactivity that can be loaded with the poorly soluble antitumor drug (doxorubicin (DOX)) to enhance tumor cell uptake and drug delivery.