Direct and Abscopal Antitumor Responses Elicited by AlPcNE-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy in a Murine Melanoma Model.

Melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, presents a major clinical challenge due to its tendency to metastasize and recalcitrance to traditional therapies. Despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the outlook for advanced melanoma remains bleak, reinforcing the urgent need for more effective treatments. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising alternative, leading to targeted tumor destruction with minimal harm to surrounding tissues.

Doxorubicin-induced Immunogenic Cell Death Impairs Tumor Progression and Distant Metastasis in a 4T1 Breast Cancer Tumor Model.

Introduction: Cancer is an individual disease and its formation and development are specific to each host. Conventional treatments are ineffective in complex cases, such as metastasis, and have severe adverse side effects. New strategies are needed to address the problem, and the use of immunogenic cell death (ICD) as a trigger or booster of the immune system through the exposure of damage-associated molecular patterns, along with tumor antigens, by cancerous cells is presented as an immunization approach in this work.

Hurdles in translating science from lab to market in delivery systems for Cosmetics: An industrial perspective.

In recent decades, a sweeping technological wave has reshaped the global economic landscape. Fueled by the unceasing forces of digital innovation and venture capital investment, this transformative machine has left a significant mark across numerous economic sectors. More recently, the emergence of 'deep tech' start-ups, focusing on areas such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and biotechnology, has infused a fresh wave of innovation into various sectors, including the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry.

Application of Nanomedicine in Immunotherapy: Recent Advances and Prospects.

Nanomedicine is a special medical field focused on the application of nanotechnology to provide innovations for healthcare in different areas, including the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, including cancer [...

Innovative Pre-Clinical Data Using Peptides to Intervene in the Evolution of Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, relentless, and deadly disease. Little is known about its pathogenetic mechanisms; therefore, developing efficient pharmacological therapies is challenging. This work aimed to apply a therapeutic alternative using immunomodulatory peptides in a chronic pulmonary fibrosis murine model.

Nucleotides Entrapped in Liposome Nanovesicles as Tools for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Use in Biomedical Applications.

The use of nucleotides for biomedical applications is an old desire in the scientific community. As we will present here, there are references published over the past 40 years with this intended use. The main problem is that, as unstable molecules, nucleotides require some additional protection to extend their shelf life in the biological environment.

Development of New Natural Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Loaded with Aluminum-Phthalocyanine for Photodynamic Therapy against Melanoma.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) mediated by photosensitizers loaded in nanostructures as solid lipid nanoparticles has been pinpointed as an effective and safe treatment against different skin cancers. Amazon butters have an interesting lipid composition when it comes to forming solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN). In the present report, a new third-generation photosensitizing system consisting of aluminum-phthalocyanine associated with Amazon butter-based solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN-AlPc) is described.

Recent approaches in nanocarrier-based therapies for neglected tropical diseases.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) remain major public health problems in developing countries. Reducing the burden of NTDs requires sustained collaborative drug discovery efforts to achieve the goals of the new NTDs roadmap launched by the World Health Organization. Oral drugs are the most convenient choice and usually the safest and least expensive.

An Overview on Immunogenic Cell Death in Cancer Biology and Therapy.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a modality of regulated cell death that is sufficient to promote an adaptive immune response against antigens of the dying cell in an immunocompetent host. An important characteristic of ICD is the release and exposure of damage-associated molecular patterns, which are potent endogenous immune adjuvants. As the induction of ICD can be achieved with conventional cytotoxic agents, it represents a potential approach for the immunotherapy of cancer.

Fish Oil Nanoemulsion Supplementation Attenuates Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis BALB/c Mice.

Diets rich in omega-3 or -6 fatty acids will produce different profiles for cell membranes phospholipid constitutions. Omegas 3 and 6 are part of the diet and can modulate the inflammatory profile. We evaluated the effects of the oral absorption of fish oil, when associated with a lipid nanoemulsion in an experimental pulmonary inflammatory model.

Recent trends in praziquantel nanoformulations for helminthiasis treatment.

Introduction: Infections caused by parasitic flatworms impose a considerable worldwide health burden. Recently, World Health Organization launched its roadmap for neglected diseases for the period 2021 to 2030 and oral treatment with praziquantel (PZQ) in tablet form is the main drug therapy for combating these diseases, but its use is limited by many drawbacks, including the high therapeutic dose due to the drug's low solubility and bioavailability. Among the strategies to improve PZQ performance, the use of drug nanocarriers has been cited as an interesting approach to overcome these pharmacological issues.

Induction of Immunogenic Cell Death by Photodynamic Therapy Mediated by Aluminum-Phthalocyanine in Nanoemulsion.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been clinically employed to treat mainly superficial cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma. This approach can eliminate tumors by direct cytotoxicity, tumor ischemia, or by triggering an immune response against tumor cells. Among the immune-related mechanisms of PDT, the induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in target cells is to be cited.

Liposomal paclitaxel induces apoptosis, cell death, inhibition of migration capacity and antitumoral activity in ovarian cancer.

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the paclitaxel (PTX) drug formulated with a liposomal nanosystem (L-PTX) in a peritoneal carcinomatosis derived from ovarian cancer. In vitro cell viability studies with the human ovarian cancer line A2780 showed a 50% decrease in the inhibitory concentration for L-PTX compared to free PTX. A2780 cells treated with the L-PTX formulation demonstrated a reduced capacity to form colonies in comparison to those treated with PTX.

Oral delivery of fish oil in oil-in-water nanoemulsion: development, colloidal stability and modulatory effect on in vivo inflammatory induction in mice.

To improve the oral absorption of fish oil and test its anti-inflammatory effect, a fish oil nanoemulsion was developed using cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic fatty acid as a biomarker for oral administration. The colloidal stability tests of the fish oil nanoemulsion showed an average size of 155.44 nm ± 6.

Issues affecting nanomedicines on the way from the bench to the market.

The development of innovative nanomedicine has raised the standards over the last few decades. The establishment of research institutes with robust budgets dedicated to nanomedicine has created promise for the development of products based on biomedical applications of nanotechnology. Currently, this development meets obstacles because some of the scientific community has raised concerns regarding the launch of nanomedicine in the market.

A xanthene derivative, free or associated to nanoparticles, as a new potential agent for anticancer photodynamic therapy.

The efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) have drawn much attention from clinicians and researchers in the field of anticancer treatments since the last century. Despite the numerous positive outcomes, the works on PDT have brought to light over the last decades, much room remains for improvements in PDT tools, mainly on the photosensitizer molecules. This work reports the first experiments evidencing the photosensitizing activity of DHX-1, a xanthene derivative-based near-infrared probe recently described in the literature, both as a free molecule and associated to a nanostructured lipid carrier.

Efficacy of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy with chloro-aluminum phthalocyanine on periodontal clinical parameters and salivary GSH and MDA levels in patients with periodontitis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) with chloro-aluminum phthalocyanine (AlClPc) on several periodontal parameters includingsalivary glutathione (GSH) and MDA (malondialdehyde) levels in periodontal sites presenting with periodontitis. Randomized clinical trial, comprising 40 test group (TG) sites and 23 control group (CG) sites. The TG was treated with scaling and root planning (SRP) and aPDT, and CG, only with SRP.

Docetaxel-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles prevent tumor growth and lung metastasis of 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma cells.

Background: Metastasis causes the most breast cancer-related deaths in women. Here, we investigated the antitumor effect of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN-DTX) when used in the treatment of metastatic breast tumors using 4T1-bearing BALB/c mice.

Results: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were produced using the high-energy method.

Photodynamic therapy mediated by aluminium-phthalocyanine nanoemulsion eliminates primary tumors and pulmonary metastases in a murine 4T1 breast adenocarcinoma model.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is effective in the treatment of different types of cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma and other superficial cancers. However, improvements in photosensitizer delivery are still needed, and the use of PDT against more deeply located tumors has been the subject of many studies. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a nanoemulsion containing aluminium-phthalocyanine (AlPc-NE) as a mediator of photodynamic therapy (PDT-AlPc-NE) against grafted 4T1 breast adenocarcinoma tumors in mice (BALB/c).

Oily core/amphiphilic polymer shell nanocapsules change the intracellular fate of doxorubicin in breast cancer cells.

The aim of this work was to develop and test the in vitro biological activity of nanocapsules loaded with a doxorubicin (DOX) free base dissolved in a core of castor oil shelled by poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride) conjugated to n-octadecylamine residues. This system was stable and monodisperse, with a hydrodynamic diameter of about 300 nm. These nanocapsules changed the intracellular distribution of DOX, from the nuclei to the cytoplasm, and exhibited higher toxicity towards cancer cells - 4T1 and MCF-7 - and significantly lower toxicity towards normal cells - NIH-3T3 and MCF-10A - in vitro.

Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy Using a Chloro-Aluminum Phthalocyanine Adjuvant to Nonsurgical Periodontal Treatment Does Not Improve Clinical Parameters in Patients with Chronic Periodontitis.

To evaluate the effects of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) with chloro-aluminum phthalocyanine (AlClFc) adjuvant to scaling and root planing (SRP) on periodontal clinical parameters of patients with chronic periodontitis. Fifty-four periodontal sites were randomly distributed into two groups: 27 in the test group (SRP+aPDT)-using a low-power laser application Photon Lase III (DMC Equipamentos Ltda, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil) with operational parameters of 660 nm and 100 mW for 15 sec, and 27 in the control group (SRP). SRP was performed in a single session and the periodontal clinical parameters such as visible plaque index, bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level were assessed at the baseline (T) and 3 months after aPDT (T).

The effectiveness of photodynamic therapy as a complementary therapy to mechanical instrumentation on residual periodontal pocket clinical parameters: A clinical split-mouth test.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy as complementary therapy to mechanical instrumentation on periodontal residual pockets. This longitudinal, prospective, double-blind and controlled split-mouth clinical trial included one hundred and fourteen residual periodontal sites with probing depth ≥ 4 mm and bleeding on probing, which were distributed into two groups: 57 in the test group (SRP + aPDT) - using a low power laser application Therapy XT (DMC Equipamentos Ltda, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil) with operational parameters of 660 nm and 110 mW for 15s, and 57 in the control group (SRP). Oral hygiene conditions were evaluated, through the Visible Plaque Index (VPI) and Gingival Bleeding Index (GBI), as well as periodontal clinical outcomes, comprising the Bleeding on Probing (BOP), Probing Depth (PD) and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) at baseline and after 3 months.

Exposure to Maghemite Nanoparticles Induces Epigenetic Alterations in Human Submandibular Gland Cells.

Even though nanotechnology has revolutionized the biomedical research, a plethora of studies debate the nanoparticles safety. In order to contribute to these studies, we evaluated the cytotoxic and epigenetic effects of maghemite nanoparticles covered with citric acid on human submandibular gland cells. This work objective was to evaluate the cytotoxic effects and epigenetic alterations induced in human salivary gland cells after treatment with maghemite nanoparticles covered with citric acid.