Next-Generation Hydrogels as Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Exploring the Role of Curcumin.

Since the first report on the pharmacological activity of curcumin in 1949, enormous amounts of research have reported diverse activities for this natural polyphenol found in the dietary spice turmeric. However, curcumin has not yet been used for human application as an approved drug. The clinical translation of curcumin has been hampered due to its low solubility and bioavailability.

Dexamethasone: Insights into Pharmacological Aspects, Therapeutic Mechanisms, and Delivery Systems.

Dexamethasone (DEX) has been widely used to treat a variety of diseases, including autoimmune diseases, allergies, ocular disorders, cancer, and, more recently, COVID-19. However, DEX usage is often restricted in the clinic due to its poor water solubility. When administered through a systemic route, it can elicit severe side effects, such as hypertension, peptic ulcers, hyperglycemia, and hydro-electrolytic disorders.

Chitosan: A versatile bio-platform for breast cancer theranostics.

Breast cancer is considered one of the utmost neoplastic diseases globally, with a high death rate of patients. Over the last decades, many approaches have been studied to early diagnose and treat it, such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and MRI and biomarker tests; do not show the optimal efficacy. These existing approaches are accompanied by severe side effects, thus recognizing these challenges, a great effort has been done to find out the new remedies for breast cancer.

LCC-09, a Novel Salicylanilide Derivative, Exerts Anti-Inflammatory Effect in Vascular Endothelial Cells.

Objective: Endothelial cell (EC) activation facilitates leukocyte adhesion to vascular walls, which is implicated in a variety of cardiovascular diseases and is a target for prevention and treatment. Despite the development of anti-inflammatory medications, cost-effective therapies with significant anti-inflammatory effects and lower organ toxicity remain elusive. The goal of this study is to identify novel synthetic compounds that inhibit EC inflammatory response with minimal organ toxicity.

Enriched pharmacokinetic behavior and antitumor efficacy of thymoquinone by liposomal delivery.

Thymoquinone (TQ) has potential anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and anticancer effects but its clinical use is limited by its low solubility, poor bioavailability and rapid clearance. To enhance systemic bioavailability and tumor-specific toxicity of TQ. Cationic liposomal formulation of TQ (D1T) was prepared via ethanol injection method and their physicochemical properties, anticancer effects in orthotopic xenograft pancreatic tumor model and pharmacokinetic behavior of D1T relative to TQ were evaluated.

Functionalization of Nanomaterials and Their Application in Melanoma Cancer Theranostics.

Treatment and cure for melanoma, the most aggressive subcategory of skin cancer, still remains a daunting challenge to be circumvented. When metastasized, it requires radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, etc. as its treatment, although it can be removed by surgical intervention if detected in its early stage.

New Horizons in Hydrogels for Methotrexate Delivery.

Since its first clinical application, methotrexate (MTX) has been widely used for the treatment of human diseases. Despite great advantages, some properties such as poor absorption, short plasma half-life and unpredictable bioavailability have led researchers to seek novel delivery systems to improve its characteristics for parenteral and oral administration. Recently, great attention has been directed to hydrogels for the preparation of MTX formulations.

Ablation of neuropilin-1 improves the therapeutic response in conventional drug-resistant glioblastoma multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly proliferative and locally invasive cancer with poor prognosis and a high recurrence rate. Although anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) therapy offers short-term benefit to GBM patients, this approach fails as the tumor develops into a more invasive and drug-resistant phenotype and ultimately recurs. Recently, both glioma stemlike cells (GSCs) and brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs) have been implicated in GBM recurrence and its resistance to therapy.

In vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors for cancer therapy.

Gene therapy by expression constructs or down-regulation of certain genes has shown great potential for the treatment of various diseases. The wide clinical application of nucleic acid materials dependents on the development of biocompatible gene carriers. There are enormous various compounds widely investigated to be used as non-viral gene carriers including lipids, polymers, carbon materials, and inorganic structures.

Novel tumor-targeted liposomes comprised of an MDM2 antagonist plus proteasome inhibitor display anti-tumor activity in a xenograft model of bortezomib-resistant Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.

Targeted drug delivery remains an active area of investigation in hematologic cancers. We have previously reported on a novel nanoparticle formulation (D1X) that can encapsulate drugs within a liposome whose lipid bilayer contains dexamethasone, which serves as a targeting ligand for drug delivery to tumor cells that express glucocorticoid receptors. We tested the activity of D1X-encapsulated bortezomib (D1XB) in combination with D1X-encapsulated nutlin (D1XN) in B-lymphoma/Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) cells.

Targeted Dual Intervention-Oriented Drug-Encapsulated (DIODE) Nanoformulations for Improved Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer.

Despite recent advancements, effective treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has remained elusive. The overall survival rate in PDAC patients has been dismally low due to resistance to standard therapies. In fact, the failure of monotherapies to provide long-term survival benefits in patients led to ascension of several combination therapies for PDAC treatment.

Recent Advancements of Nanomedicine towards Antiangiogenic Therapy in Cancer.

Angiogenesis is a process of generation of de-novo blood vessels from already existing vasculature. It has a crucial role in different physiological process including wound healing, embryonic development, and tumor growth. The methods by which therapeutic drugs inhibit tumor angiogenesis are termed as anti-angiogenesis cancer therapy.

Synchronous inhibition of mTOR and VEGF/NRP1 axis impedes tumor growth and metastasis in renal cancer.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is known for its highly vascular phenotype which is associated with elevated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF), also known as vascular permeability factor (VPF). Accordingly, VEGF has been an attractive target for antiangiogenic therapies in ccRCC. Two major strategies have hitherto been utilized for VEGF-targeted antiangiogenic therapies: targeting VEGF by antibodies, ligand traps or aptamers, and targeting the VEGF receptor signaling via antibodies or small-molecule tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

Development of multi-drug loaded PEGylated nanodiamonds to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease. Nanomedicine, however, offers new opportunities to facilitate drug delivery in PDAC. Our previous work has shown that poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized nanodiamond (ND) mediated drug delivery offered a considerable improvement over free drug in PDAC.

Recent Trends of the Bio-Inspired Nanoparticles in Cancer Theranostics.

In recent years, various nanomaterials have emerged as an exciting tool in cancer theranostic applications due to their multifunctional property and intrinsic molecular property aiding effective diagnosis, imaging, and successful therapy. However, chemically synthesized nanoparticles have several issues related to the cost, toxicity and effectiveness. In this context, bio-inspired nanoparticles (NPs) held edges over conventionally synthesized nanoparticles due to their low cost, easy synthesis and low toxicity.

Design and Evaluation of PEGylated Liposomal Formulation of a Novel Multikinase Inhibitor for Enhanced Chemosensitivity and Inhibition of Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the highest mortality rates among cancers. Chemotherapy is the standard first-line treatment, but only modest survival benefits are observed. With the advent of targeted therapies, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been acknowledged as a prospective target in PDAC since it is overexpressed in up to 60% of cases.

Co-delivery of everolimus and vinorelbine via a tumor-targeted liposomal formulation inhibits tumor growth and metastasis in RCC.

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is notorious for its resistance towards chemotherapy and radiation therapy in general. Combination therapy is often helpful in alleviating the resistance mechanisms by targeting multiple signaling pathways but is usually more toxic than monotherapy. Co-encapsulation of multiple therapeutic agents in a tumor-targeted drug delivery platform is a promising strategy to mitigate these limitations.