Engendered nanoparticles for treatment of brain tumors

Brain metastasis and primary glioblastoma multiforme represent the most common and lethal malignant brain tumors.Its median survival time is typically less than a year after diagnosis.One of the major challenges in treating these cancers is the efficiency of the transport of drugs to the central nervous system.The blood-brain barrier is cooperating with advanced stages of malignancy.The blood-brain barrier poses a significant challenge to delivering systemic medications to brain tumors.Nanodrug delivery systems have emerged as promising tools for effectively crossing this barrier.Additionally,the development of smart nanoparticles brings new hope for cancer diagnosis and treatment.These nanoparticles improve drug delivery efficiency,allowing for the creation of targeted and stimuli-responsive delivery methods.This review highlights recent advancements in nanoparticle and smart nanoparticle technologies for brain cancer treatment,exploring the range of nanoparticles under development,their applications,targeting strategies,and the latest progress in enhancing transport across the blood-brain barrier.It also addresses the ongoing challenges and potential benefits of these innovative approaches.

Folate-chitosan-gemcitabine core-shell nanoparticles targeted to pancreatic cancer

Objective：Human pancreatic cancer is one of the most common clinical malignancies.The effect of comprehensive treatment based on surgery is general.The effects of chemotherapy were not obvious mainly because of lack of targeting and chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer.This study aimed to investigate the effects of folate receptor （FR）-mediated gemcitabine FA-Chi-Gem nanoparticles with a core-shell structure by electrostatic spray on pancreatic cancer.Methods：In this study,the levels of expression of FR in six human pancreatic cancer cell lines were studied by immunohistochemical analysis.The uptake rate of isothiocyanate-labeled FA-Chi nanoparticles in FR high expression cell line COLO357 was assessed by fluorescence microscope and the inhibition rate of FA-Chi-Gem nanoparticles on COLO357 cells was evaluated by MTT assay.Moreover,the biodistribution of PEG-FA-ICGDER02-Chi in the orthotopic pancreatic tumor model was observed using near-infrared imaging and the human pancreatic cancer orthotopic xenografts were treated with different nanoparticles and normal saline control.Results：The expression of FR in COLO357 was the highest among the six pancreatic cancer cell lines.The FR mainly distributed on cell membrane and fewer in the cytoplasm in pancreatic cancer.Moreover,the absorption rate of the FA-Chi-Gem nanoparticles was more than the Chi nanoparticles without FA modified.The proliferation of COLO357 was significantly inhibited by FA-Chi-Gem nanoparticles.The PEG-FA-ICGDER02-Chi nanoparticles were enriched in tumor tissue in human pancreatic cancer xenografts,while non-targeted nanoparticles were mainly in normal liver tissue.PEG-FA-Gem-Chi significantly inhibited the growth of human pancreatic cancer xenografts （PEG-FA-Gem-Chi vs.Gem,t=22.950,P=0.000）.Conclusions：PEG-FA-FITC-Chi nanoparticles might be an effective targeted drug for treating human FR-positive pancreatic cancer.

Self-assembled Nanoparticles based on Folic Acid Modifi ed Carboxymethyl Chitosan Conjugated with Targeting Antibody

Nanoparticles conjugated with antibody were designed as active drug delivery system to reduce the toxicity and side effects of drugs for acute myeloid leukemia（AML）.Moreover,methotrexate（MTX）was chosen as modeldrug and encapsulate within folic acid modified carboxymethylchitosan（FACMCS）nanoparticles through self-assembling.The chemicalstructure,morphology,release and targeting of nanoparticles were characterized by routine detection.It is demonstrated that the mean diameter is about 150 nm,the release rate increases with the decreasing of p H,the binding rate of CD33 antibody and FA-CMCS nanoparticles is about 5：2,and nanoparticles can effectively bind onto HL60 cells in vitro.The experimentalresults indicate that the FA-CMCS nanoparticles conjugated with antibody may be used as a potentialp Hsensitive drug delivery system with leukemic targeting properties.

Superior Antitumor Activity of Rituximab-Conjugated and Maytansine-Loaded PLA-TPGS Nanoparticles in Xenograft Models for Non-Hodgkin＇s Lymphoma

The increased incidence ofNHL （non-Hodgkin＇s lymphoma）, along with its high mortality rate and pronounced resistance to therapy pose an enormous challenge. Both traditional therapeutic strategies and recently developed therapeutic strategies against NHL such as chemoimmunotherapy and targeted therapy have drawbacks. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches for NHL are urgently needed. Maytansine-loaded PLA-TPGS （polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate-polylactide） nanoparticles were synthesized. And then, rituximab targeting NHL was conjugated together by using EDC （1-ethyl-3-（3-dimethylaminopropyl） carbodiimide） as a coupling agent. The in vitro/vivo antitumor activity was evaluated by Raji cell proliferation inhibition and nude mice xenograft tumor models for NHL. Both the rituximab-conjugated and maytansine-loaded PLA-TPGS nanoparticles （maytansine-NPs （Nanoparticles）-rituximab） and maytansine-loaded PLA-TPGS nanoparticles （maytansine-NPs） presented significant inhibition effect on Raji cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Compared with conventional maytansine and maytansine-NPs, maytansine-NPs-rituximab showed significantly enhanced cytotoxicity and increased cell apoptosis in Raji cells. The maytansine-NPs-rituximab described in this paper might be a potential formulation for targeting chemotherapy and immunotherapy to CD20＋ B cell malignancies.

Targeted Blue Nanoparticles as Photoacoustic Contrast Agent for Brain Tumor Delineation

Distinguishing a tumor from non-neoplastic tissue is a challenging task during cancer surgery. Several attempts have been made to use visible or fluorescent agents to aid in the visualization of a tumor during surgery. We describe a novel method to delineate brain tumors, using a highly sensitive photoacoustic imaging technique that is enhanced by tumor-targeting blue nanoparticles serving as a contrast agent. Experiments on phantoms and on rat brains, ex vivo, demonstrate the high sensitivity of photoacoustic imaging in delineating tumors containing contrast agent at a concentration much lower than needed for visualization by the naked eye. The limit of detection of the system for the nanoparticles is about 0.77 μg/mL in water （equivalent to 0.84 μmol/L Coomassie Blue dye）. The present exploratory study suggests that photoacoustic imaging, when used with strongly optical absorbing contrast agents, could facilitate cancer surgery intraoperatively by revealing the distribution and extent of the tumor.

Breaking the vicious cycle between tumor cell proliferation and bone resorption by chloroquine-loaded and bone-targeted polydopamine nanoparticles

The vicious cycle between tumor cell proliferation and bone resorption remarkably elevates the progression and metastasis of bone tumors.Here,we fabricated polyethylene glycol-conjugated alendronate-functionalized and chloroquine(CQ)-loaded polydopamine nanoparticles(PPA/CQ)for efficient treatment of bone tumors via breaking the vicious cycle.The nanoparticles were efficiently accumulated to the bone tissues,especially the osteolytic lesions around tumors.CQ released from PPA/CQ inhibited osteoclastogenesis via preventing the degradation of tumor necrosis factor(TNF)receptor-associated receptor 3 to attenuate the osteolysis in bone tumors.On the other hand,CQ blocked the autophagy in cancer cells,resulting in improved photothermal killing of cancer cells.Finally,the in vivo experiment revealed that PPA/CQ-associated treatment efficiently inhibited both tumor growth and osteolysis.This work suggests that autophagy inhibition-associated photothermal therapy could be a promising strategy for treating malignant bone tumors.

Macrophages-mediated tumor accumulation and deep penetration of bismuth/manganese biomineralized nanoparticles for enhanced radiotherapy

Radiotherapy(RT)is a widely used cancer treatment,and the use of metal-based nano-radiotherapy sensitizers has shown promise in enhancing its efficacy.However,efficient accumulation and deep penetration of these sensitizers within tumors remain challenging.In this study,we present the development of bismuth/manganese biomineralized nanoparticles(Bi Mn/BSA)with multiple radiosensitizing mechanisms,including high atomic number element-mediated radiation capture,catalase-mimic oxygenation,and activation of the stimulator of interferon genes(STING)pathway.Significantly,we demonstrate that low-dose RT induces the recruitment of macrophages and subsequent upregulation of Matrix metalloproteinases(MMP)-2 and MMP-9 that degrade the extracellular matrix(ECM).This dynamic process facilitates the targeted delivery and deep penetration of Bi Mn/BSA nanoparticles within tumors,thereby enhancing the effectiveness of RT.By combining low-dose RT with Bi Mn/BSA nanoparticles,we achieved complete suppression of tumor growth in mice with excellent biocompatibility.This study provides a novel and clinically relevant strategy for targeted nanoparticle delivery to tumors,and establishes a safe and effective sequential radiotherapy approach for cancer treatment.These findings hold great promise for improving the outcomes of RT and advancing the field of nanomedicine in cancer therapy.

A new approach for the treatment of CLL using chlorambucil/hydroxychloroquine-loaded anti-CD20 nanoparticles

Current approaches for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia （CLL） have greatly improved the prognosis for survival, but some patients remain refractive to these therapeutic regimens. Hence, in addition to reducing the long-term side- effects of therapeutics for all leukemia patients, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies for difficult-to-treat leukemia cases. Due to the cytotoxicity of drugs, the major challenge currently is to deliver the therapeutic agents to neoplastic cells while preserving the viability of non-malignant ceils. In this study, we propose a therapeutic approach in which high doses of hydroxychloroquine and chlorambucil were loaded into biodegradable polymeric nanopartides coated with an anti-CD20 antibody.We first demonstrated the ability of the nanoparticles to target and internalize in tumor B-cells. Moreover, these nanoparticles could kill not only p53-mutated]deleted leukemia cells expressing a low amount of CD20, but also circulating primary ceils isolated from chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. The safety of these nanoparticles was also demonstrated in healthy mice, and their therapeutic effects were shown in a new model of aggressive leukemia. These results showed that anti-CD20 nanoparticles containing hydroxychloroquine and chlorambucil can be effective in controlling aggressive leukemia and provided a rationale for adopting this approach for the treatment of other B-cell disorders.