3D numerical study of tumor blood perfusion and oxygen transport during vascular normalization

The changes of blood perfusion and oxygen transport in tumors during tumor vascular normalization are studied with 3-dimensional mathematical modeling and numerical simulation. The models of tumor angiogenesis and vascular-disrupting are used to simulate ＂un-normalized＂ and ＂normalized＂ vasculatures. A new model combining tumor hemodynamics and oxygen transport is developed. In this model, the intravasculartransvascular-interstitial flow with red blood cell（RBC） delivery is tightly coupled, and the oxygen resource is produced by heterogeneous distribution of hematocrit from the flow simulation. The results show that both tumor blood perfusion and hematocrit in the vessels increase, and the hypoxia microenvironment in the tumor center is greatly improved during vascular normalization. The total oxygen content inside the tumor tissue increases by about 67%, 51%, and 95% for the three approaches of vascular normalization,respectively. The elevation of oxygen concentration in tumors can improve its metabolic environment, and consequently reduce malignancy of tumor cells. It can also enhance radiation and chemotherapeutics to tumors.

Remodeling the tumor microenvironment by vascular normalization and GSH-depletion for augmenting tumor immunotherapy

Remodeling tumor microenvironment(TME)is a very promising and effective strategy to enhance the effects of chemotherapy,photodynamic therapy,and immunotherapy.Normalization of tumor vasculature as well as depletion of glutathione(GSH)can improve the TME.Here,we developed a novel therapeutic nanoparticle functional enzyme ultra QDAU5 nanoparticles(FEUQ Nps)based on a fluorescence-on and releasable strategy by combining a vascular normalization inducer,a GSH depleting agent,and an activated fluorophore.In which the cleavage of disulfide bonds releases active molecules that induce vascular normalization and improve the hypoxic microenvironment.In addition,it may deplete GSH in cancer cells,thus inducing the production of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and lipid peroxide(LPO)and promoting iron toxicity.It may also lead to endoplasmic stress and release of calmodulin,which activates the immune system.Meanwhile,quenched fluorophores are turned on in the presence of galactosidase(GLU)for tumor-specific labeling.In summary,we developed novel therapeutic agent nanoparticles with the function of vascular normalization inducers to achieve specific labeling of hepatocellular carcinoma while exerting efficient antitumor effects in vivo.

Wireless electrical stimulation at the nanoscale interface induces tumor vascular normalization

Pathological angiogenesis frequently occurs in tumor tissue, limiting the efficiency of chemotherapeutic drug delivery and accelerating tumor progression. However, traditional vascular normalization strategies are not fully effective and limited by the development of resistance. Herein, inspired by the intervention of endogenous bioelectricity in vessel formation, we propose a wireless electrical stimulation therapeutic strategy, capable of breaking bioelectric homeostasis within cells, to achieve tumor vascular normalization. Polarized barium titanate nanoparticles with high mechano-electrical conversion performance were developed, which could generate pulsed open-circuit voltage under low-intensity pulsed ultrasound. We demonstrated that wireless electrical stimulation significantly inhibited endothelial cell migration and differentiation in vitro. Interestingly, we found that the angiogenesis-related eNOS/NO pathway was inhibited, which could be attributed to the destruction of the intracellular calcium ion gradient by wireless electrical stimulation. In vivo tumor-bearing mouse model indicated that wireless electrical stimulation normalized tumor vasculature by optimizing vascular structure, enhancing blood perfusion, reducing vascular leakage, and restoring local oxygenation. Ultimately, the anti-tumor efficacy of combination treatment was 1.8 times that of the single chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin group. This work provides a wireless electrical stimulation strategy based on the mechano-electrical conversion performance of piezoelectric nanoparticles, which is expected to achieve safe and effective clinical adjuvant treatment of malignant tumors.

Targeting PKM2 signaling cascade with salvianic acid A normalizes tumor blood vessels to facilitate chemotherapeutic drug delivery

Aberrant tumor blood vessels are prone to propel the malignant progression of tumors,and targeting abnormal metabolism of tumor endothelial cells emerges as a promising option to achieve vascular normalization and antagonize tumor progression.Herein,we demonstrated that salvianic acid A(SAA)played a pivotal role in contributing to vascular normalization in the tumor-bearing mice,thereby improving delivery and effectiveness of the chemotherapeutic agent.SAA was capable of inhibiting glycolysis and strengthening endothelial junctions in the human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)exposed to hypoxia.Mechanistically,SAA was inclined to directly bind to the glycolytic enzyme PKM2,leading to a dramatic decrease in endothelial glycolysis.More importantly,SAA improved the endothelial integrity via activating theβ-Catenin/Claudin-5 signaling axis in a PKM2-dependent manner.Our findings suggest that SAA may serve as a potent agent for inducing tumor vascular normalization.

Manipulation of immune-vascular crosstalk:new strategies towards cancer treatment

Tumor vasculature is characterized by aberrant structure and function,resulting in immune suppressive profiles of tumor microenvironment through limiting immune cell infiltration into tumors,endogenous immune surveillance and immune cell function.Vascular normalization as a novel therapeutic strategy tends to prune some of the immature blood vessels and fortify the structure and function of the remaining vessels,thus improving immune stimulation and the efficacy of immunotherapy.Interestingly,the presence of"immune-vascular crosstalk"enables the formation of a positive feedback loop between vascular normalization and immune reprogramming,providing the possibility to develop new cancer therapeutic strategies.The applications of nanomedicine in vascular-targeting therapy in cancer have gained increasing attention due to its specific physical and chemical properties.Here,we reviewed the recent advances of effective routes,especially nanomedicine,for normalizing tumor vasculature.We also summarized the development of enhancing nanoparticle-based anticancer drug delivery via the employment of transcytosis and mimicking immune cell extravasation.This review explores the potential to optimize nanomedicine-based therapeutic strategies as an alternative option for cancer treatment.

内嵌钆金属富勒烯通过抑制氧化还原介导的内皮细胞迁移诱导肿瘤血管正常化并增强化疗疗效

肿瘤血管正常化(TVN)可以通过逆转异常的肿瘤血管,从而增强抗癌效率,特别是增加药物的瘤内输送.内皮细胞在血管生成中起着至关重要的作用,但持续调控内皮细胞迁移以改善TVN是巧妙而具有挑战性的.本文提出了一种基于具有纳米尺寸和抗氧化能力的富勒烯纳米颗粒(FNPs)抑制内皮细胞迁移的可能策略来实现TVN.本研究证明FNPs在体外通过其抗氧化作用抑制细胞迁移.丙氨酸修饰的钆富勒烯(GFA)表现出优异的TVN效果,并在体内抑制肿瘤生长.在蛋白质微阵列的帮助下,确认GFA在机制上是通过抑制粘着斑通路,从而抑制内皮细胞的迁移.随后,得益于GFA的血管正常化效应,显著增强了化疗疗效.总之,本文证明了富勒烯纳米材料在肿瘤血管正常化中的应用潜力,并拓展了其在癌症纳米医学材料设计中应用的可能性.

A multifunctional nanotheranostic agent potentiates erlotinib to EGFR wild-type non-small cell lung cancer

Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKI),such as Erlotinib,have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)patients with mutated EGFR.However,the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs in wild-type(wt)EGFR tumours has been shown to be marginal.Methods that can sensitize Erlotinib to EGFR wild-type NSCLC remain rare.Herein,we developed a multifunctional superparamagnetic nanotheranostic agent as a novel strategy to potentiate Erlotinib to EGFR-wt NSCLCs.Our results demonstrate that the nanoparticles can co-escort Erlotinib and a vascular epithermal growth factor(VEGF)inhibitor,Bevacizumab(Bev),to EGFR-wt tumours.The nanotheranostic agent exhibits remarkable effects as an inhibitor of EGFR-wt tumour growth.Moreover,Bev normalizes the tumour embedded vessels,further promoting the therapeutic efficacy of Erlotinib.In addition,the tumour engagement of the nanoparticles and the vascular normalization could be tracked by magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).Collectively,our study,for the first time,demonstrated that elaborated nanoparticles could be employed as a robust tool to potentiate Erlotinib to EGFR-wt NSCLC,paving the way for imaging-guided nanotheranostics for refractory NSCLCs expressing EGFR wild-type genes.