Modulating exosomal communication between macrophages and melanoma cancer cells via cyclodextrin-based nanosponges loaded with doxorubicin.

The cellular components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) comprise cancer cells and nonmalignant cells including stromal and immune cells. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by various types of cells that play a crucial role in intercellular communications within TME. The main goal of this study was to elucidate how exosomes of macrophage cells treated with doxorubicin (DOX) and DOX-loaded cyclodextrin-based nanosponges (DOX-CDNSs), affect melanoma cancer cell proliferation.

Liposomal drug delivery systems for organ-specific cancer targeting: early promises, subsequent problems, and recent breakthroughs.

Introduction: Targeted liposomal systems for cancer intention have been recognized as a specific and robust approach compared to conventional liposomal delivery systems. Cancer cells have a unique microenvironment with special over-expressed receptors on their surface, providing opportunities for discovering novel and effective drug delivery systems using active targeting.

Areas Covered: Smartly targeted liposomes, responsive to internal or external stimulations, enhance the delivery efficiency by increasing accumulation of the encapsulated anti-cancer agent in the tumor site.

The sealing ability of different endodontic biomaterials as an intra-orifice barrier: evaluation with high-performance liquid chromatography.

Objective: This study evaluated the sealing ability of different biomaterials as intra-orifice barriers in the internal bleaching of discolored teeth with the walking bleaching technique. The release of hydroxyl ions from the bleaching materials can cause cervical root resorption, making it necessary to use intra-orifice barrier materials to prevent this issue.

Materials And Methods: In the current study, the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was used to measure the released hydroxyl ions.

How do lipid-based drug delivery systems affect the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution of amiodarone? A comparative study of liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanoemulsions.

Objectives: Lipid-based drug delivery systems (DDS) can improve the pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of some drugs. Especially those with a high volume of distribution (Vd) leading to off-target accumulation and toxicity. Amiodarone as an anti-arrhythmic agent induces hypothyroidism and liver disorders limiting its clinical indication.

An update review of smart nanotherapeutics and liver cancer: opportunities and challenges.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer, typically diagnosed in advanced stages. Chemotherapy is necessary for treating advanced liver cancer; however, several challenges affect its effectiveness. These challenges include low specificity, high dosage requirements, high systemic toxicity and severe side effects, which significantly limit the efficacy of chemotherapy.

Investigating the Effect of Basic Amino Acids and Glucosamine on the Solubility of Ibuprofen and Piroxicam.

Purpose: Poor aqueous solubility hampers the development of several compounds as pharmacological agents. Hence, preparing novel formulations with augmented absorption is a challenge in pharmaceutical industries. In this paper, we have examined the effect of basic amino acids including arginine (ARG), lysine (LYS), and glucosamine (GlucN) on the solubility of ibuprofen (IBU) and piroxicam (PXM) as drugs with limited solubility.

Intratumoural Delivery of mRNA Loaded on a Cationic Hyper-Branched Cyclodextrin-Based Polymer Induced an Anti-Tumour Immunological Response in Melanoma.

mRNA technology has demonstrated potential for use as an effective cancer immunotherapy. However, inefficient in vivo mRNA delivery and the requirements for immune co-stimulation present major hurdles to achieving anti-tumour therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, we used a cationic hyper-branched cyclodextrin-based polymer to increase mRNA delivery in both in vitro and in vivo melanoma cancer.

Amphotericin B liposomal formulation: applicable preparation methods, challenges, and tips.

Objective: This study was intended to explore and evaluate the appropriate methods for preparation of Amphotericin B (AmB) liposomes with acceptable characteristics.

Significance: This project provides pre-formulations for industrial manufacturing of liposomal AmB which confers improved properties, besides reduced toxicity compared with the plain drug.

Methods: At first, Solubility screening tests were performed, and in the following, three liposome preparation methods including ethanol injection, solvent evaporation, and solvent-free method were examined.

Hyper-Branched Cationic Cyclodextrin Polymers for Improving Plasmid Transfection in 2D and 3D Spheroid Cells.

In this article, we used monolayer two dimensional (2D) and 3D multicellular spheroid models to improve our understanding of the gene delivery process of a new modified cationic hyper-branched cyclodextrin-based polymer (Ppoly)-loaded plasmid encoding Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP). A comparison between the cytotoxicity effect and transfection efficiency of the plasmid DNA (pDNA)-loaded Ppoly system in 2D and 3D spheroid cells determined that the transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity of Ppoly-pDNA nanocomplexes were lower in 3D spheroids than in 2D monolayer cells. Furthermore, histopathology visualization of Ppoly-pDNA complex cellular uptake in 3D spheroids demonstrated that Ppoly penetrated into the inner layers.

Hyper-Branched Cyclodextrin-Based Polymers as Anticoagulant Agents: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

This study tested the anticoagulant effect of cyclodextrin (CD) hyper-branched-based polymers (HBCD-Pols). These polymers were synthesized and tested for their coagulant characteristics in vitro and in vivo. Due to their polymeric structure and anionic nature, the polymers can chelate Ca, reducing the free quantity in blood.

Oral supplementation of solvent-free kynurenic acid/cyclodextrin nanosponges complexes increased its bioavailability.

Many nutraceuticals present problems due to their poor water solubility or stability, which prevents the final bioactivity achievement. For that reason, the oral administration of KYNA complexed with HPβ-CD and βNS-CDI nanosponges was evaluated in mice. The solvent-free technology was used to prepare the complexes in a complete comparison between kneading in ball milling and classical inclusion complex preparation.

Advances in Aptamers-Based Applications in Breast Cancer: Drug Delivery, Therapeutics, and Diagnostics.

Aptamers are synthetic single-stranded oligonucleotides (such as RNA and DNA) evolved in vitro using Systematic Evolution of Ligands through Exponential enrichment (SELEX) techniques. Aptamers are evolved to have high affinity and specificity to targets; hence, they have a great potential for use in therapeutics as delivery agents and/or in treatment strategies. Aptamers can be chemically synthesized and modified in a cost-effective manner and are easy to hybridize to a variety of nano-particles and other agents which has paved a way for targeted therapy and diagnostics applications such as in breast tumors.

Overcoming multidrug resistance through targeting ABC transporters: lessons for drug discovery.

Introduction: The argument around cancer therapy is an old one. Using chemotherapeutic drugs, as one of the most effective strategies in treatment of malignancies, is restricted by various issues that progress during therapy and avoid achieving clinical endpoints. Multidrug resistance (MDR), frequently mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, is one of the most recognized obstacles in the success of pharmacological anticancer approaches.

Synthesis and preparation of vitamin A coupled butein-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for liver fibrosis therapy in rats.

The development of a therapeutic system for hepatic fibrosis has become a research hotspot to date. Butein, a simple chalcone derivative, displays anti-fibrotic effects through different pathways. However, impurities, low solubility, and low concentration in the target tissue hinder therapy with herbal ingredients.

Cyclodextrin-Based Nanosponges as Perse Antimicrobial Agents Increase the Activity of Natural Antimicrobial Peptide Nisin.

At present, antibiotic resistance is considered a real problem. Therefore, for decades scientists have been looking for novel strategies to treat bacterial infections. Nisin Z, an antimicrobial peptide (AMP), can be considered an option, but its usage is mainly limited by the poor stability and short duration of its antimicrobial activity.

Stabilization and Anticancer Enhancing Activity of the Peptide Nisin by Cyclodextrin-Based Nanosponges against Colon and Breast Cancer Cells.

The great variability of cancer types demands novel drugs with broad spectrum, this is the case of Nisin, a polycyclic antibacterial peptide that recently has been considered for prevention of cancer cells growth. As an accepted food additive, this drug would be very useful for intestinal cancers, but the peptide nature would make easier its degradation by digestion procedures. For that reason, the aim of present study to investigate the protective effect of two different β-cyclodextrin-based nanosponges (carbonyl diimidazole and pyromellitic dianhydride) and their anti-cancer enhancement effect of Nisin-Z encapsulated with against colon cancer cells (HT-29).

Comparison of three synthetic transferrin mimetic small peptides to promote the blood-brain barrier penetration of vincristine liposomes for improved glioma targeted therapy.

The existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) makes the clinical chemotherapy of glioma a formidable challenge, because it hinders the passage of different chemotherapeutics into the brain and reduces the overall therapeutic efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to design a drug delivery system in way that would favor the transportation of anti-cancer agents across the BBB and increase their selective accumulation within the tumor cells without affecting the normal tissues. Transferrin receptor (TfR) that shows an elevated level of expression on the BBB and glioma cells emerges as a promising tool for brain targeted delivery and glioma therapy.

Cytotoxicity and Immunogenicity Evaluation of Synthetic Cell-penetrating Peptides for Methotrexate Delivery.

Methotrexate (MTX) is one of the most effective therapeutics to treat different types of solid tumors; however, it suffers low permeability limiting its bioavailability and cellular uptake. To tackle this, we aim to design and fabricate different types of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to improve the intracellular uptake of MTX without causing any immunogenic response. CPPs were synthesized by the solid-phase peptide synthesis method.

Surface modification with cholesteryl acetyl carnitine, a novel cationic agent, elevates cancer cell uptake of the PEGylated liposomes.

The present study aimed to synthesize cholesteryl acetyl carnitine (CAC), and surface modify the PEGylated liposomes with the intention of enhanced cancer cell uptake. For this, CAC synthesis was performed in amine-free esterification conditions and then four liposomal formulations of unmodified, CAC/PEG, and CAC + PEG-modified were prepared by ethanol injection method. Cytotoxicity of the liposomes was investigated in A549 cells, followed by cellular uptake assessments of coumarin 6 (C6)-loaded liposomes.

Oral delivery of solid lipid nanoparticles: underlining the physicochemical characteristics and physiological condition affecting the lipolysis rate.

Introduction: Lipid-based nano-drug delivery systems (LBNDDSs) have gained widespread attention in oral drug delivery due to their tunable and versatile properties such as biocompatibility and biodegradability, which makes them promising delivery systems for a variety of therapeutics. Currently, different types of LBNDDSs including liposomes, micelles, nanoemulsions, and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are developed for drug delivery applications. SLNs can be used as a controlled drug delivery system for oral delivery applications.

Effects of self-assembled cell-penetrating peptides and their nano-complexes on ABCB1 expression and activity.

Objectives: Doxorubicin (Dox) is one of the most well-known chemotherapeutics that are commonly applied for a wide range of cancer treatments. However, in most cases, efflux pumps like P-glycoprotein (P-gp), expel the taken drugs out of the cell and decrease the Dox bioavailability. Expression of P-gp is associated with elevated mRNA expression of the ATP-binding cassette B1 (ABCB1) gene.

An update on actively targeted liposomes in advanced drug delivery to glioma.

High-grade glioma is one of the most aggressive types of cancer with a low survival rate ranging from 12 to 15 months after the first diagnosis. Though being the most common strategy for glioma therapy, conventional chemotherapy suffers providing the therapeutic dosage of common therapeutics mostly because of limited permeability of blood-brain barrier (BBB), and blood-brain tumor barrier (BBTB) to anticancer agents. Among various nanoformulations, liposomes are considered as the most popular carriers aimed for glioma therapy.

Preparation and Characterization of Enoxaparin Nano-liposomes through Different Methods.

Enoxaparin has been widely used as a choice drug for treatment and prevention of different coagulation disorders. Orally administered enoxaparin encounters with gastrointestinal barrier because of its high water solubility, high molecular weight and significant negative charge. Since, the nano-liposomes has gained great interest for oral drug delivery, we decided to introduce the best protocol for preparing enoxaparin nano-liposomes through characterization.

Bortezomib-loaded lipidic-nano drug delivery systems; formulation, therapeutic efficacy, and pharmacokinetics.

Aim: Nano drug delivery systems can provide the opportunity to reduce side effects and improve the therapeutic aspect of a variety of drugs. Bortezomib (BTZ) is a proteasome inhibitor approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. Severe side effects of BTZ are the major dose-limiting factor.