Enabling tumor-specific drug delivery by targeting the Warburg effect of cancer.

Metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells is an emerging hallmark of cancer. Among all the changes in cancer metabolism, increased glucose uptake and the accumulation of lactate under normoxic conditions (the "Warburg effect") is a common feature of cancer cells. In this study, we develop a lactate-responsive drug delivery platform by targeting the Warburg effect.

SWM-008 red mold rice and its components, monascinol and monascin, reduce obesity in a high-fat diet-induced rat model through synergistic modulation of gut microbiota and anti-lipogenesis.

This study is the first to explore the effects of the novel yellow pigment monascinol (Msol) from red mold rice (RMR) on reducing body fat and to compare its effects with those of monascin (MS) and ankaflavin (AK). In a high-fat diet-induced rat model, different doses of RMR fermented rice (RL, RM, RH) and purified Msol, MS, and AK were administered over an 8-week period. The results showed that all treatment groups significantly reduced body weight and fat mass.

Effect of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists dulaglutide on kidney outcomes in db/db mice.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD), a microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, represents a significant clinical challenge. This study investigated the reno-protective effects of dulaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) widely used in the management of diabetes, and aimed to elucidate its underlying mechanisms. Mice with db/db and db/m genotypes were allocated into four experimental groups and treated with either dulaglutide or a saline control for 10 weeks.

An Albumin-Photosensitizer Supramolecular Assembly with Type I ROS-Induced Multifaceted Tumor Cell Deaths for Photodynamic Immunotherapy.

Photodynamic therapy holds great potentials in cancer treatment, yet its effectiveness in hypoxic solid tumor is limited by the oxygen-dependence and insufficient oxidative potential of conventional type II reactive oxygen species (ROS). Herein, the study reports a supramolecular photosensitizer, BSA@TPE-BT-SCT NPs, through encapsulating aggregation-enhanced emission photosensitizer by bovine serum albumin (BSA) to significantly enhance ROS, particularly less oxygen-dependent type I ROS for photodynamic immunotherapy. The abundant type I ROS generated by BSA@TPE-BT-SCT NPs induce multiple forms of programmed cell death, including apoptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis.