Nanomedicine For Cancer Therapy Research Articles

Omics-Enhanced Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy.

Cancer nanomedicine has emerged as a promising approach to overcome the limitations of conventional cancer therapies, offering enhanced efficacy and safety in cancer management. However, the inherent heterogeneity of tumors presents increasing challenges for the application of cancer nanomedicine in both diagnosis and treatment. This heterogeneity necessitates the integration of advanced and high-throughput analytical techniques to tailor nanomedicine strategies to individual tumor profiles. Omics technologies, encompassing genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and more, provide unparalleled insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying cancer. By dissecting tumor heterogeneity across multiple levels, these technologies offer robust support for the development of personalized and precise cancer nanomedicine strategies. In this review, the principles, techniques, and applications of key omics technologies are summarized. Especially, the synergistic integration of omics and nanomedicine in cancer therapy is explored, focusing on enhanced diagnostic accuracy, optimized therapeutic strategies and the assessment of nanomedicine-mediated biological responses. Moreover, this review addresses current challenges and outlines future directions in the field of omics-enhanced nanomedicine. By offering valuable insights and guidance, this review aims to advance the integration of omics with nanomedicine, ultimately driving improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for cancer.

Supramolecular nanomedicine in the intelligent cancer therapy: recent advances and future.

In recent years, the incidence of cancer has been increasing year by year, and the burden of the disease and the economic burden caused by it has been worsening. Although chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and other therapeutic means continue to progress, they still inevitably have problems such as high toxicity and side effects, susceptibility to drug resistance, and high price. Photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy have demonstrated considerable advantages in cancer imaging and treatment due to their minimally invasive and selective nature. However, their development has been constrained by challenges related to drug delivery. In recent times, drug delivery systems constructed based on supramolecular chemistry have been the subject of considerable interest, particularly in view of their compatibility with the high permeability and long retention effect of tumors. Furthermore, the advantage of dissociating the active ingredient under pH, light and other stimuli makes them unique in cancer therapy. This paper reviews the current status of supramolecular nanomedicines in cancer therapy, elucidating the challenges faced and providing a theoretical basis for the efficient and precise treatment of malignant tumors.

Challenges and opportunities of poly(amino acid) nanomedicines in cancer therapy.

Poly(amino acid) nanomedicines hold significant promise for cancer therapy. However, their clinical translation has not matched the extensive efforts of scientists or the burgeoning body of research. The therapeutic outcomes with most nanomedicines often fall short of the promising results observed in animal experiments. This review explores the challenges faced in cancer therapy using poly(amino acid) nanomedicines, particularly addressing the controversies surrounding the enhanced permeability and retention effect and the lack of methods for controlled and reproducible mass production of poly(amino acid) nanomedicines. Furthermore, this review examines the opportunities emerging in this field due to the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.

Application and prospect of novel nanomedicine in cancer therapy

With the rapid development of nanotechnology, the application of new nanodrugs in cancer treatment has gradually become a research hotspot. In this paper, we explore the design principles, preparation methods and their anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo, and explore potential clinical applications. The results show that nanomedicine improve the therapeutic effect and reduce the side effects by achieving accurate delivery and controlled release of drugs, providing a new solution for cancer treatment. In terms of design principles, nanomdrugs mainly make use of unique properties such as small size effects, surface effects and quantum size effects of nanomaterials to combine drug molecules with nanocarriers to achieve precise delivery and controlled release of drugs. In terms of preparation methods, physical, chemical and biological methods are used to prepare nanoscale drugs with different morphology and structures. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that nanomedicines can significantly increase the concentration of the drug in the tumor cells, enhance the therapeutic efficacy, and reduce the toxicity to normal tissues. However, nanomedicine still face many challenges in the field of cancer therapy. Looking ahead, with the continuous advances in nanotechnology, it is reasonable to believe that nanomedicine will play a greater role in the field of cancer therapy. Through in-depth study of the mechanism of action of nanomedicine, optimizing the preparation process, improving the precision of the controlled drug release system, and focusing on the biological safety issues, we are expected to bring safer and more effective treatment methods for cancer patients. At the same time, the combined application of nanomedicine and other therapeutic means such as immunotherapy and gene therapy will also become a research hotspot in the future, providing more comprehensive and personalized treatment options for cancer treatment.

Synergistic Brilliance: Engineered Bacteria and Nanomedicine Unite in Cancer Therapy.

Engineered bacteria are widely used in cancer treatment because live facultative/obligate anaerobes can selectively proliferate at tumor sites and reach hypoxic regions, thereby causing nutritional competition, enhancing immune responses, and producing anticancer microbial agents in situ to suppress tumor growth. Despite the unique advantages of bacteria-based cancer biotherapy, the insufficient treatment efficiency limits its application in the complete ablation of malignant tumors. The combination of nanomedicine and engineered bacteria has attracted increasing attention owing to their striking synergistic effects in cancer treatment. Engineered bacteria that function as natural vehicles can effectively deliver nanomedicines to tumor sites. Moreover, bacteria provide an opportunity to enhance nanomedicines by modulating the TME and producing substrates to support nanomedicine-mediated anticancer reactions. Nanomedicine exhibits excellent optical, magnetic, acoustic, and catalytic properties, and plays an important role in promoting bacteria-mediated biotherapies. The synergistic anticancer effects of engineered bacteria and nanomedicines in cancer therapy are comprehensively summarized in this review. Attention is paid not only to the fabrication of nanobiohybrid composites, but also to the interpromotion mechanism between engineered bacteria and nanomedicine in cancer therapy. Additionally, recent advances in engineered bacteria-synergized multimodal cancer therapies are highlighted.

Functionalized Nanomaterials for Inhibiting ATP-Dependent Heat Shock Proteins in Cancer Photothermal/Photodynamic Therapy and Combination Therapy.

Phototherapies induced by photoactive nanomaterials have inspired and accentuated the importance of nanomedicine in cancer therapy in recent years. During these light-activated cancer therapies, a nanoagent can produce heat and cytotoxic reactive oxygen species by absorption of light energy for photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, PTT is limited by the self-protective nature of cells, with upregulated production of heat shock proteins (HSP) under mild hyperthermia, which also influences PDT. To reduce HSP production in cancer cells and to enhance PTT/PDT, small HSP inhibitors that can competitively bind at the ATP-binding site of an HSP could be employed. Alternatively, reducing intracellular glucose concentration can also decrease ATP production from the metabolic pathways and downregulate HSP production from glucose deprivation. Other than reversing the thermal resistance of cancer cells for mild-temperature PTT, an HSP inhibitor can also be integrated into functionalized nanomaterials to alleviate tumor hypoxia and enhance the efficacy of PDT. Furthermore, the co-delivery of a small-molecule drug for direct HSP inhibition and a chemotherapeutic drug can integrate enhanced PTT/PDT with chemotherapy (CT). On the other hand, delivering a glucose-deprivation agent like glucose oxidase (GOx) can indirectly inhibit HSP and boost the efficacy of PTT/PDT while combining these therapies with cancer starvation therapy (ST). In this review, we intend to discuss different nanomaterial-based approaches that can inhibit HSP production via ATP regulation and their uses in PTT/PDT and cancer combination therapy such as CT and ST.

FePt/MnO2@PEG Nanoparticles as Multifunctional Radiosensitizers for Enhancing Ferroptosis and Alleviating Hypoxia in Osteosarcoma Therapy.

Radiotherapy (RT) is a widely used cancer treatment, and the use of metal-based nanoradiotherapy sensitizers has demonstrated promise in enhancing its efficacy. However, achieving effective accumulation of these sensitizers within tumors and overcoming resistance induced by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment remain challenging issues. In this study, we developed FePt/MnO2@PEG nanoparticles with multiple radiosensitizing mechanisms, including high-atomic-number element-mediated radiation capture, catalase-mimicking oxygenation, and GSH depletion-induced ferroptosis. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to validate the radiosensitizing mechanisms and therapeutic efficacy of FePt/MnO2@PEG. In conclusion, this study presents a novel and clinically relevant strategy and establishes a safe and effective combination radiotherapy approach for cancer treatment. These findings hold significant potential for improving radiotherapy outcomes and advancing the field of nanomedicine in cancer therapy.

Two-dimensional metal organic frameworks in cancer treatment.

With large specific surface area, controllable pore size, increased active sites, and structural stability, two-dimensional metal organic frameworks (2D MOFs) have emerged as promising nanomedicines in cancer therapy. These distinctive features make 2D MOFs particularly advantageous in cancer treatment and the corresponding application has gained considerable popularity, signifying significant application potential. Herein, recent advances in various applications including drug delivery and chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, sonodynamic therapy, chemodynamic therapy, catalytic therapy, and combined therapy were summarized, with emphasis on the latest progress of new materials and mechanisms for these processes. Moreover, the current challenges, potential solutions, and possible future directions are discussed as well.

Tumor-Associated Macrophage Targeting of Nanomedicines in Cancer Therapy.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is pivotal in tumor growth and metastasis, aligning with the "Seed and Soil" theory. Within the TME, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a central role, profoundly influencing tumor progression. Strategies targeting TAMs have surfaced as potential therapeutic avenues, encompassing interventions to block TAM recruitment, eliminate TAMs, reprogram M2 TAMs, or bolster their phagocytic capabilities via specific pathways. Nanomaterials including inorganic materials, organic materials for small molecules and large molecules stand at the forefront, presenting significant opportunities for precise targeting and modulation of TAMs to enhance therapeutic efficacy in cancer treatment. This review provides an overview of the progress in designing nanoparticles for interacting with and influencing the TAMs as a significant strategy in cancer therapy. This comprehensive review presents the role of TAMs in the TME and various targeting strategies as a promising frontier in the ever-evolving field of cancer therapy. The current trends and challenges associated with TAM-based therapy in cancer are presented.

Advantages of Nanomedicine in Cancer Therapy: A Review

Advantages of Nanomedicine in Cancer Therapy: A Review

A Brief Review on Manipulation of Essential Metal Ions as Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy

In this review, the latest progress in essential metal‐ion‐based nanomedicines for tumor therapy is summarized, existing challenges are addressed, and possible directions are proposed for such therapeutic strategies. Essential metal ions are critical for the metabolic activity of organisms. Their abnormal spatial and temporal distribution in biological systems, particularly inside the cell, disrupts biochemical processes and leads to irreversible physicochemical damage to cells. Thus, they can function as the foundation of targeted cancer therapies for tumor inhibition and eradication. Over the last decade, numerous essential metal‐ion‐based cancer therapies have been developed to fight a wide spectrum of cancers with improved efficiency and minor drug resistance. Triggering biocatalysis, affecting protein metabolism, interfering with signal transduction, damaging DNA, and initiating biomineralization are the main mechanisms underlying these therapies. In this study, it is aimed to provide readers with general implications for future research for an increased interest in future clinical applications of these advanced cancer therapies.

Regulating metalloimmunology with nanomedicine for cancer therapy

Regulating metalloimmunology with nanomedicine for cancer therapy

Recent Advances on Affibody- and DARPin-Conjugated Nanomaterials in Cancer Therapy.

Affibodies and designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) are synthetic proteins originally derived from the Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor protein A and the human ankyrin repeat proteins, respectively. The use of these molecules in healthcare has been recently proposed as they are endowed with biochemical and biophysical features heavily demanded to target and fight diseases, as they have a strong binding affinity, solubility, small size, multiple functionalization sites, biocompatibility, and are easy to produce; furthermore, impressive chemical and thermal stability can be achieved. especially when using affibodies. In this sense, several examples reporting on affibodies and DARPins conjugated to nanomaterials have been published, demonstrating their suitability and feasibility in nanomedicine for cancer therapy. This minireview provides a survey of the most recent studies describing affibody- and DARPin-conjugated zero-dimensional nanomaterials, including inorganic, organic, and biological nanoparticles, nanorods, quantum dots, liposomes, and protein- and DNA-based assemblies for targeted cancer therapy in vitro and in vivo.

Promising Nanomedicines of Shikonin for Cancer Therapy.

Malignant tumor, the leading cause of death worldwide, poses a serious threat to human health. For decades, natural product has been proven to be an essential source for novel anticancer drug discovery. Shikonin (SHK), a natural molecule separated from the root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, shows great potential in anticancer therapy. However, its further clinical application is significantly restricted by poor bioavailability, adverse effects, and non-selective toxicity. With the development of nanotechnology, nano drug delivery systems have emerged as promising strategies to improve bioavailability and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs. To overcome the shortcoming of SHK, various nano drug delivery systems such as liposomes, polymeric micelles, nanoparticles, nanogels, and nanoemulsions, were developed to achieve efficient delivery for enhanced antitumor effects. Herein, this review summarizes the anticancer pharmacological activities and pharmacokinetics of SHK. Additionally, the latest progress of SHK nanomedicines in cancer therapy is outlined, focusing on long circulation, tumor targeting ability, tumor microenvironment responsive drug release, and nanosystem-mediated combination therapy. Finally, the challenges and prospects of SHK nanomedicines in the future clinical application are spotlighted.

Modulating tumor mechanics with nanomedicine for cancer therapy.

Over the past several decades, the importance of the tumor mechanical microenvironment (TMME) in cancer progression or cancer therapy has been recognized by researchers worldwide. The abnormal mechanical properties of tumor tissues include high mechanical stiffness, high solid stress, and high interstitial fluid pressure (IFP), which form physical barriers resulting in suboptimal treatment efficacy and resistance to different types of therapy by preventing drugs infiltrating the tumor parenchyma. Therefore, preventing or reversing the establishment of the abnormal TMME is critical for cancer therapy. Nanomedicines can enhance drug delivery by exploiting the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, so nanomedicines that target and modulate the TMME can further boost antitumor efficacy. Herein, we mainly discuss the nanomedicines that can regulate mechanical stiffness, solid stress, and IFP, with a focus on how nanomedicines change abnormal mechanical properties and facilitate drug delivery. We first introduce the formation, characterizing methods and biological effects of tumor mechanical properties. Conventional TMME modulation strategies will be briefly summarized. Then, we highlight representative nanomedicines capable of modulating the TMME for augmented cancer therapy. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities for regulating the TMME with nanomedicines will be provided.

Advanced methods to enhance lung cancer immunotherapy through novel drug delivery systems: Lipids and Micelles

The past few decades have witnessed a significant amount of research on lung cancer therapy as one of the leading mortality cause globally. Conventional treatments have disadvantages such as limited water solubility, drug resistance, and the damaging of healthy cells, resulting in decreased efficacy. As this outlook reports, immunotherapy integrated with drug delivery systems has been applied to exploit the synergistic and targeted effects. On the other hand, nanomedicine for cancer therapy has boosted efficacy and mitigated the negative effects substantially. Despite the persistence of obstacles such as drug resistance and insufficiency of stability, clinical studies demonstrated notable improvements in the cytotoxic efficacy of medications and in lowering treatment-related adverse effects. Technical approaches incorporating nanoparticles and innovative delivery strategies to enhance the effectiveness of targeted immunotherapy have been established. In the present review, a summary of the most promising literature aimed to break new ground in the use of immunotherapy and lipid and micelle-based nano drug delivery systems for lung cancer therapy has been presented, along with describing their key benefits, drawbacks, and prospects. The future of lung cancer therapy based on immune modulation will probably be combined with improved drug delivery systems to generate treatment methods of high efficacy.

Precise delivery of doxorubicin and imiquimod through pH-responsive tumor microenvironment-active targeting micelles for chemo- and immunotherapy.

Recently, combining immunotherapy and chemotherapy has become a promising strategy to treat cancer. However, this therapeutic strategy still has its limitations because of the adverse effects caused by the simultaneous administration of multiple therapeutic agents. Using nanoparticles is an effective approach to successfully combine these therapies because they can reduce side effects, increase circulation time, and ensure the delivery of cytotoxic agents to tumor tissues. In this study, dual pH-sensitive and tumor microenvironment (TME)-active targeting micelles comprising poly(propyl methacrylate-co-glucosamine/histidine/doxorubicin) (P(PAA-co-GLU/HIS/DOX) and methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(l-lysine) were prepared to encapsulate an immunomodulator, imiquimod (IMQ). Because these micelles can expose glucose targeting ligands at the TME and pH-dependently release IMQ and DOX, micelles effectively inhibit the growth of 4T1 cells selectively and highly accumulate in 4T1 cells as the pH decreased to 6.5. Moreover, in RAW 264.7​cells, these micelles prevent cell death and induce M1 macrophage polarization. In 4T1 orthotopic tumor-bearing mice, micelles not only exhibited high tumor accumulation, effective tumor inhibition, and fewer adverse effects, but also dramatically increased the number of mature dendritic cells, activate cytotoxic T cells, and polarize M1-like macrophages in tumor tissues. Overall, these micelles exhibit precise pH responsiveness and ideal drug delivery capabilities for combined chemo- and immunotherapy; these results significantly contribute to the future development of nanomedicines in cancer therapy.

Nanomedicines in Cancer Therapy- An Overview

Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Despite all the advancements in cancer research, the year 2020 witnessed about 10 million deaths by Cancer. The conventional treatment modalities are often accompanied by unwanted side effects because of their non-specific nature. Nanotechnology has contributed to all sectors of science including medical science. Nanotherapy allows the manipulation, regulation and control of physicochemical properties of nanoparticles thus facilitating early diagnosis, targeted drug delivery and improved efficiency of conventional therapies. This review article gives an overview of clinical applications of nanomedicines for cancer, their mechanism of action and prime challenges faced during the formulation and internationalization of these nanosystems.

Frontiers of ferroptosis research: An analysis from the top 100 most influential articles in the field

In recent years, ferroptosis has become a research hotspot in programmed cell death. Since the concept of ferroptosis was proposed, a growing number of articles have been published on this topic. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, these ferroptosis-related publications that have received a great deal of attention have not been quantitatively evaluated. In this study, we analyzed the top 100 most influential articles over the past decade through a bibliometric method to characterize the research status and trends in this field. Web of Science Core Collection was searched to identify relevant studies. After being manually screened, the top 100 most cited studies with original data were identified and analyzed. Bibliometric software including VOSviewer and R-Bibliometrix were used to perform visualization analysis. The citation frequency for the top 100 selected articles ranged from 135 to 3603 (326.6 citations on average). These articles originated from 25 countries/regions, with more than half originating from the United States and China. The most frequently nominated author was Stockwell BR from the Columbia University, and of the top 100 articles, 19 listed his name. Three core journals were Nature, Cell and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. In addition to term of ferroptosis, these terms or phrases including cell death, cancer cell, GPX4, pathway, inhibitor, mechanism, iron, lipid peroxidation, resistance, erastin, sorafenib, P53, reactive oxygen species, necroptosis, apoptosis, glutathione peroxidase, ACSL4, autophagy, and SLC7A11 appeared more frequently in the top 100 articles. Overall, although much progress has been made, the research on ferroptosis is still at an early stage. The current attention in this field mainly focuses on potential regulatory mechanism and pathways including key ferroptosis-related genes/molecules, oxidant and antioxidant system, ferroptosis-inducing agents or nanomedicine for cancer therapy, as well as the role of ferroptosis in non-neoplastic disorders. Meanwhile, combination therapeutic strategies targeting ferroptosis in radiotherapy or immunotherapy also deserve further attention.

Regulation of Nucleotide Metabolism with Nutrient-Sensing Nanodrugs for Cancer Therapy.

The continual growth of tumor cells requires considerable nutrient consumption. Methotrexate (MTX) is used to treat certain types of cancer by blocking the DNA and RNA productions through interfering one‐carbon metabolism and de novo purine and pyrimidine synthesis. However, treatment of MTX may cause many serious adverse effects, which hamper its clinical application. Herein, the authors synthesize ferrous ions, histidine, and MTX assembled nanoparticles (FHM) to deliver MTX at tumor site and enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to MTX with histidine catabolism. Furthermore, fasting‐mimicking diet (FMD) is applied to intervene in the one‐carbon metabolism and enhance the cytotoxicity of MTX. Meanwhile, FMD treatment can significantly augment the cellular uptake and tumor accumulation of FHM nanoparticles. Due to the triple inhibitions of the one‐carbon metabolism, the proliferation of tumor cells is strongly disturbed, as which is highly replying on DNA and RNA production. Taken together, a 95% lower dose of MTX adopted in combined therapy significantly inhibits the growth of two types of murine tumors without evident systemic toxicity. This strategy may provide a promising nucleotide metabolism‐based nanomedicine for cancer therapy.