Small Molecular Drugs Research Articles

RIPK1 is aberrantly expressed in multiple B-cell cancers and implicated in the underlying pathogenesis

According to the latest epidemiology of the US, B-cell cancers account for > 3% of all new cancer cases and > 80% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. However, the disease-modifying small molecular drug suitable for most B-cell cancers is still lacking. RIPK1 (receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1) has been observed to be dysregulated and implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple solid cancers, of which, however, the roles in blood cancers are quite unclear. In our study, to identify multi-function targets for B-cell cancer treatment, we reanalyzed a public transcriptomic dataset from the database of Gene Expression Omnibus, which includes CD19+ B-cell populations from 6 normal donors and patients of 5 CLL, 10 FL, and 8 DLBCL. After overlapping three groups (CLL vs. normal, FL vs. normal, and DLBCL vs. normal) of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), we obtained 69 common DEGs, of which 3 were validated by real-time quantitative PCR, including RIPK3, IGSF3, TGFBI. Interestingly, we found that the loss function of RIPK1 significantly increases the proliferation and viability of GM12878 cells (a normal human B lymphocyte cell line). Consistently, overexpression of RIPK1 in TMD8 and U2932 cells effectively inhibited cell proliferation and growth. More importantly, modifying RIPK1 kinase activity by a small molecule (such as necrostain-1, HOIPIN-1, etc.) alters the cell growth status of B-cell lymphoma, showing that RIPK1 exhibits anti-tumor activity in the context of B-cell lymphoma. Taken together, we consider that RIPK1 may be a potential target in the clinical application of B-cell lymphoma (including CLL, DLBCL, and FL) treatment.

New hope for tumor immunotherapy: the macrophage-related "do not eat me" signaling pathway.

The "do not eat me" signaling pathway is extremely active in tumor cells, providing a means for these cells to elude macrophage phagocytosis and escape immune surveillance. Representative markers of this pathway, such as CD47 and CD24, are highly expressed in numerous tumors. The interaction of SIRPα with CD47 reduces the accumulation of non-myosin ⅡA on the cell membrane. The combination of CD24 and Siglec10 ultimately leads to the recruitment of SHP-1 or SHP-2 to reduce signal transduction. Both of them weaken the ability of macrophages to engulf tumor cells. Blocking the mutual recognition between CD47-SIRPα or CD24-Siglec10 using large molecular proteins or small molecular drugs represents a promising avenue for tumor immunotherapy. Doing so can inhibit signal transduction and enhance macrophage clearance rates of cancer cells. In this paper, we summarize the characteristics of the drugs that affect the "do not eat me" signaling pathway via classical large molecular proteins and small molecule drugs, which target the CD47-SIRPα and CD24-Siglec10 signaling pathways, which target the CD47-SIRPα and CD24-Siglec10 signaling pathways. We expect it will offer insight into the development of new drugs centered on blocking the "do not eat me" signaling pathway.

Stimuli-responsive heparin-drug conjugates co-assembled into stable nanomedicines for cancer therapy.

The combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has the potential to complement single-drug therapies, but chemotherapeutic agents and photosensitizers often have compromised therapeutic efficacies and strong toxic effects. In this study, we exploited nanotechnology to address this challenge by utilizing heparin as a carrier for co-delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs and photosensitizers for synergistic cancer therapy. Specifically, heparin-paclitaxel (HP-PTX) and heparin-pyropheophorbide-a (HP-Ppa) were synthesized by attaching paclitaxel (PTX), a small molecular chemotherapeutic drug, through a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive linker and Ppa, a photosensitizer, to heparin, respectively. Two conjugates co-assembled into a nanomedicine, HP-PP nanoparticles (NPs), for controllable co-delivery of Ppa and PTX into tumor cells. HP-PP NPs significantly enhanced the in vitro stability of HP-Ppa and the photostability of Ppa, and the synergistic actions of chemotherapy and PDT were confirmed from both in vitro and in vivo antitumor studies. Notably, HP-PP NPs enhanced tumor accumulation of Ppa up to 11-fold and the treatment of 4T1 tumor-bearing mice with HP-PP NPs resulted in a tumor growth inhibition of 98.1% without systemic toxicity. The strategy of co-assembly of heparin conjugates may offer great potential in enhancing the efficacy of combination therapy. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: : We proposed a nano-delivery system, HP-PP NPs, which was constructed by co-assembly of heparin-paclitaxel (HP-PTX) and heparin-pyropheophorbide-a (HP-Ppa), to co-deliver PTX and Ppa for synergistic cancer therapy. HP-PP NPs enhanced the photostability and the in vitro stability of Ppa and HP-Ppa, and induced greater cytotoxicity than HP-PTX NPs or HP-Ppa NPs. This co-delivery system displays enhanced tumor accumulation and has a remarkable synergistic antitumor effect with a tumor growth inhibition of 98.1%.

A Self-Assembly Nano-Prodrug for Combination Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Stem Cells.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) displays a highly aggressive nature that originates from a small subpopulation of TNBC stem cells (TNBCSCs), and these TNBCSCs give rise to chemoresistance, tumor metastasis, and recurrence. Unfortunately, traditional chemotherapy eradicates normal TNBC cells but fails to kill quiescent TNBCSCs. To explore a new strategy for eradicating TNBCSCs, a disulfide-mediated self-assembly nano-prodrug that can achieve the co-delivery of ferroptosis drug, differentiation-inducing agent, and chemotherapeutics for simultaneous TNBCSCs and TNBC treatment, is reported. In this nano-prodrug, the disulfide bond not only induces self-assembly behavior of different small molecular drug but also serves as a glutathione (GSH)-responsive trigger in controlled drug release. More importantly, the differentiation-inducing agent can transform TNBCSCs into normal TNBC cells, and this differentiation with chemotherapeutics provides an effective approach to indirectly eradicate TNBCSCs. In addition, ferroptosis therapy is essentially different from the apoptosis-induced cell death of differentiation or chemotherapeutic, which causes cell death to both TNBCSCs and normal TNBC cells. In different TNBC mouse models, this nano-prodrug significantly improves anti-tumor efficacy and effectively inhibits the tumor metastasis. This all-in-one strategy enables controlled drug release and reduces stemness-related drug resistance, enhancing the chemotherapeutic sensitivity in TNBC treatment.

Bifunctional Hydrogel-Integrated 3D Printed Scaffold for Repairing Infected Bone Defects.

The clinical treatment of infectious bone defects is difficult and time-consuming due to the coexistence of infection and bone defects, and the simultaneous control of infection and repair of bone defects is considered a promising therapy. In this study, a dual-drug delivery scaffold system was fabricated by the combination of a three-dimensional (3D) printed scaffold with hydrogel for infected bone defects repair. The 3D printed polycaprolactone scaffold was incorporated with biodegradable mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing the small molecular drug fingolimod (FTY720) to provide structural support and promote angiogenesis and osteogenesis. The vancomycin (Van)-loaded hydrogel was prepared from aldehyde hyaluronic acid (AHA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (NOCC) by the Schiff base reaction, which can fill the pores of the 3D-printed scaffold to produce a bifunctional composite scaffold. The in vitro results demonstrated that the composite scaffold had Van concentration-dependent antimicrobial properties. Furthermore, the FTY720-loaded composite scaffold demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, vascularization, and osteogenic ability in vitro. In the rat femoral defect model with bacterial infection, the dual-drug composite scaffold showed a better outcome in both infection control and bone regeneration compared to other groups. Therefore, the prepared bifunctional composite scaffold has potential application in the treatment of infected bone defects.

Drug-Grafted DNA for Cancer Therapy.

With the development of solid-phase synthesis and DNA nanotechnology, DNA-based drug delivery systems have seen large advancements over the past decades. By combining various drugs (small-molecular drugs, oligonucleotides, peptides, and proteins) with DNA technology, drug-grafted DNA has demonstrated great potential as a promising platform in recent years, in which complementary properties of both components have been discovered; for instance, the synthesis of amphiphilic drug-grafted DNA has enabled the production of DNA nanomedicines for gene therapy and chemotherapy. Through the design of linkages between drug and DNA parts, stimuli-responsiveness can be instilled, which has boosted the application of drug-grafted DNA in various biomedical applications such as cancer therapy. This review discusses the progress of various drug-grafted DNA therapeutic agents, exploring the synthetic techniques and anticancer applications afforded through the combination of drug and nucleic acids.

6-Mercaptopurine potently inhibits recruitment of SHP2 by phosphorylated PD-1 to inhibit PD-1 signalling and enhance T cell function.

Antibody inhibitors that block PD-1/PD-L1 interaction have been approved for oncological clinics, yielding impressive treatment effects. Small molecules inhibiting PD-1 signalling are at various stages of development, given that small molecular drugs are expected to outperform protein drugs in several ways. Currently, a significant portion of these small molecular inhibitors achieve this purpose by binding to a limited region of the PD-L1 protein, thereby limiting the choice of chemical structures. Alternative strategies for developing small-molecular PD-1 inhibitors are urgently needed to broaden the choice of chemical structures. Here, we report that 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) inhibits PD-1 signalling, activates T cell function in vitro and in vivo and shrinks tumours by activating cytotoxic T cells. Mechanistically, 6-MP potently inhibited PD-1 signalling by blocking the recruitment of SHP2 by PD-1. Considering that 6-MP is a chemotherapeutic agent already approved by the FDA for childhood leukaemia, our work revealed a novel anti-tumour mechanism for this drug and suggests that 6-MP warrants further clinical evaluation for other tumour types.

Targeting the pathogenesis and boosting the therapeutic efficacy of Parkinson's disease by advanced nanoparticles

AbstractWith the aging of global population, the early diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) have attracted considerable attention. Despite great advances achieved during the past decades, PD as the second largest neurodegenerative disease is still incurable. In the clinical practice, PD patients are mainly treated by drugs, and supplemented with deep brain stimulation or nerve nucleus destruction. The existing drugs can only relieve the symptoms of motor disorder, and cannot stop the progression of PD. Compared with small molecular drugs, nanoparticles exhibit multiple functions in the neuroprotection and neurorepair due to their tunable physical and chemical properties, easy modification and functionalization. Herein, we first briefly review the characteristics of nanoparticles crossing the blood–brain barrier, which is a primary challenge for the treatment of PD. Then, we summarize the pathologic mechanisms of PD and comprehensively discuss the novel PD therapy based on diverse nanoparticles, including alleviating oxidative stress, scavenging α‐synuclein aggregates, chelating metal ions, delivering neurotrophic factors and genes, and transplanting stem cells. This review aims to highlight the great potential of advanced nanoparticles in the therapy of PD.

Nanocomplexes of Biodegradable Anticancer Macromolecules: Prolonged Plasma Half-life, Reduced Toxicity, and Increased Tumor Targeting.

Anticancer drug resistance is a large contributing factor to the global mortality rate of cancer patients. Anticancer macromolecules such as polymers were recently reported to overcome this issue. Anticancer macromolecules have unselective toxicity because they are highly positively charged. Herein, an anionic biodegradable polycarbonate carrier was synthesized and utilized to form nanocomplexes with an anticancer polycarbonate via self-assembly to neutralize its positive charges. Biotin was conjugated to the anionic carrier and served as a cancer cell-targeting moiety. The nanoparticles had sizes of <130nm with anticancer polymer loading levels of 38%-49%. Unlike the small molecular anticancer drug doxorubicin, the nanocomplexes effectively inhibited the growth of both drug-susceptible MCF7 and drug-resistant MCF7/ADR human breast cancer cell lines with low half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 ). The nanocomplexes increased the anticancer polymer's in vivo half-life from 1h to 6 - 8h, and rapidly killed BT474 human breast cancer cells primarily via an apoptotic mechanism. The nanocomplexes significantly increased the median lethal dose (LD50) and reduced the injection site toxicity of the anticancer polymer. They suppressed tumor growth by 32% - 56% without causing any damage to the liver and kidneys. These nanocomplexes may potentially be used for cancer treatment to overcome drug resistance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Bio-Responsive Macromolecular Drug and Small-Molecular Drug Conjugates: Nanoparticulate Prodrugs for Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity Management and Therapeutic Response Enhancement.

How to break through the poor response of current drug therapy, which often resulted from tumor microenvironment heterogeneity (TMH), remains an enormous challenge in the treatment of critical diseases. In this work, a practical solution on bio-responsive dual-drug conjugates for overcoming TMH and improving antitumor treatment, which integrates the advantages of macromolecular drugs and small-molecular drugs, is proposed. Nanoparticulate prodrugs based on small-molecular drug and macromolecular drug conjugates are designed as a robust weapon for programmable multidrug delivery at tumor-specific sites: the tumor microenvironment acid condition triggers delivery of macromolecular aptamer drugs (AX102) to manage TMH (including tumor stroma matrix, interstitial fluid pressure, vasculature network, blood perfusion, and oxygen distribution), and intracellular lysosomal acid condition activates rapid release of small-molecular drugs (doxorubicin and dactolisib) to enhance curative effects. As compared with doxorubicin chemotherapy, the tumor growth inhibition rate is enhanced by 47.94% after multiple tumor heterogeneity management. This work verifies that the nanoparticulate prodrugs facilitate TMH management and therapeutic response enhancements, as well as elucidates synergetic mechanisms for drug resistance reversal and metastasis inhibition. It is hoped that the nanoparticulate prodrugs will be an excellent demonstration of the co-delivery of small-molecular drugs and macromolecular drugs.

Investigating the electrostatic complexation of BCNO nanoparticles with a stimuli-responsive double hydrophilic graft copolymer

The co-assembly of nanoparticles within double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBC) via electrostatic complexation is a novel approach for the development of stimuli-responsive nanodrugs with improved bioavailability, biocompatibility, intracellular uptake, and therapeutic efficacy. This study investigated the co-assembly of boron carbon oxynitride (BCNO) nanoparticles within an acid-labile polyethylene glycol-graft-polyethyleneimine (PEG-g-PEI) DHGC as a promising boron nanodrug for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). First, BCNO nanoassemblies are prepared by mixing the charged-neutral graft copolymer of PEG-g-PEI into a dispersion of negatively charged BCNO nanoparticles. The BCNO nanoparticles and DHGC complex were characterized using various techniques, including dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Additionally, this study investigated the change in the hydrodynamic size and zeta potential of the DHGC/BCNO nanoparticle complexation over a wide range of mixing ratios (VBCNO/VDHGC). The results revealed that the BCNO nanoassemblies formed a stable aqueous dispersion at all mixing ratios investigated in this work. In addition, the size and surface charge of the BCNO nanoassemblies can be systematically modulated by adjusting the mixing ratio, molecular weight of the charged segment, ionic strength, and pH of the solution. TEM analysis revealed that the BCNO nanoassemblies formed at a high mixing ratio exhibited polydispersed size and irregular morphologies. With decreasing mixing ratio, the size of the BCNO nanoassemblies decreased, and the cluster exhibited a spherical morphology. In addition, an increase in the molecular weight of the charged PEI segment (10,000, 60,000, and 270,000 g/mole) of the DHGC resulted in the formation of larger BCNO aggregates. Lastly, the stability and pH-responsive behavior of the BCNO nanoassemblies were investigated at pH of 6.9, 6.0, and 5.0. Under mildly acidic conditions, the Schiff base bond cleaved, which resulted in the disassembly of the BCNO aggregates into smaller clusters with a spherical morphology. The DHGC@BCNO nanoassemblies exhibited an exceptional intracellular boron uptake of 627 ng-B/104 cells in MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells. In comparison, cells treated with bare BCNO nanoparticles and [10B]BPA small molecular boron drug demonstrated intracellular boron uptake of only 125 ng-B/104 cells and 17 ng-B/104 cells, respectively. The study highlights the potential of electrostatic colloidal co-assembly as a synthetic tool for developing hybrid nanomaterials with remarkable intracellular boron loading. This represents a significant step towards the development of an efficacious boron drug for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).

Hedgehog signaling is a potential therapeutic target for vascular calcification

BackgroundPatients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) suffered from vascular calcification (VC), one major contributor for their increased mortality rate. Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays a crucial role in physiological bone mineralization and is associated with several cardiovascular diseases. However, the molecular changes underlying VC is ill defined and it remains unclear whether Hh signaling intervention affects VC. MethodsWe constructed human primary vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification model and performed RNA sequencing. Alizarin red staining and calcium content assay were conducted to identify the occurrence of VC. Three different R packages were applied to determine differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Enrichment analysis and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were carried out to explore the biological roles of DEGs. qRT-PCR assay was then applied to validate the expression of key genes. By using Connectivity Map (CMAP) analysis, several small molecular drugs targeting these key genes were obtained, including SAG (Hedgehog signaling activator) and cyclopamine (CPN) (Hedgehog signaling inhibitor), which were subsequently used to treat VSMC. ResultsObvious Alizarin red staining and increased calcium content identified the occurrence of VC. By integrating results from three R packages, we totally obtained 166 DEGs (86 up-regulated and 80 down-regulated), which were significantly enriched in ossification, osteoblast differentiation, and Hh signaling. PPI network analysis identified 10 key genes and CMAP analysis predicted several small molecular drugs targeting these key genes including chlorphenamine, isoeugenol, CPN and phenazopyridine. Notably, our in vitro experiment showed that SAG markedly alleviated VSMC calcification, whereas CPN significantly exacerbated VC. ConclusionsOur research provided deeper insight to the pathogenesis of VC and indicated that targeting Hh signaling pathway may represent a potential and effective therapy for VC.

Efficient Self-Immolative RAFT End Group Modification for Macromolecular Immunodrug Delivery.

The reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization provides access to a broad variety of biocompatible and functional macromolecules for diverse polymer-drug conjugates. Due to thiocarbonylthio groups at the ends of each growing polymer chain, they can straightforwardly be converted into disufilde-containing self-immolative motives for reversible drug conjugation by traceless linkers. This may be relevant for RAFT-polymerized poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (pDMA), which has been demonstrated to provide similar properties as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in terms of improving the drug's poor pharmacokinetic profile or enhancing its bioavailability. For that purpose, we established a highly efficient one-pot reaction procedure for introducing various functionalities including both primary and secondary amines and primary alcohols and demonstrated their reversible conjugation and traceless release from pDMA's polymer chain end. Next, a first polymer-drug conjugate with a Toll-like receptor agonist exhibited significantly increased activity in vitro compared to conventional irreversibly covalently fixed variants. Finally, α-ω-bifunctional dye or drug conjugates could be generated by a cholesterol-modified RAFT chain-transfer agent. It facilitated the polymer-drug conjugate's internalization at the cellular level monitored by flow cytometry and confocal imaging. This approach provides the basis for a variety of potentially impactful polymer-drug conjugates by combining versatile small molecular drugs with a plethora of available RAFT polymers through reductive-responsive self-immolative linkers.

Stabilization of the Quadruplex-Forming G-Rich Sequences in the Rhinovirus Genome Inhibits Uncoating-Role of Na+ and K.

Rhinoviruses (RVs) are the major cause of common cold, a respiratory disease that generally takes a mild course. However, occasionally, RV infection can lead to serious complications in patients debilitated by other ailments, e.g., asthma. Colds are a huge socioeconomic burden as neither vaccines nor other treatments are available. The many existing drug candidates either stabilize the capsid or inhibit the viral RNA polymerase, the viral proteinases, or the functions of other non-structural viral proteins; however, none has been approved by the FDA. Focusing on the genomic RNA as a possible target for antivirals, we asked whether stabilizing RNA secondary structures might inhibit the viral replication cycle. These secondary structures include G-quadruplexes (GQs), which are guanine-rich sequence stretches forming planar guanine tetrads via Hoogsteen base pairing with two or more of them stacking on top of each other; a number of small molecular drug candidates increase the energy required for their unfolding. The propensity of G-quadruplex formation can be predicted with bioinformatics tools and is expressed as a GQ score. Synthetic RNA oligonucleotides derived from the RV-A2 genome with sequences corresponding to the highest and lowest GQ scores indeed exhibited characteristics of GQs. In vivo, the GQ-stabilizing compounds, pyridostatin and PhenDC3, interfered with viral uncoating in Na+ but not in K+-containing phosphate buffers. The thermostability studies and ultrastructural imaging of protein-free viral RNA cores suggest that Na+ keeps the encapsulated genome more open, allowing PDS and PhenDC3 to diffuse into the quasi-crystalline RNA and promote the formation and/or stabilization of GQs; the resulting conformational changes impair RNA unraveling and release from the virion. Preliminary reports have been published.

Understanding mobile phase buffer composition and chemical structure effects on electrospray ionization mass spectrometry response

Mobile phase selection is of critical importance in liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based studies, since it affects retention, chromatographic selectivity, ionization, limits of detection and quantification, and linear dynamic range. Generalized LC-MS mobile phase selection criteria, suitable for a broad class of chemical compounds, do not exist thus far. Here we have performed a large-scale qualitative assessment of the effect of solvent composition used for reversed-phase LC separations on electrospray ionization (ESI) response for 240 small molecular weight drugs, representing various chemical compound classes. Of these 240 analytes 224 were detectable using ESI. The main chemical structural features affecting ESI response were found to all be surface area or surface charge-related. Mobile phase composition was found to be less differentiating, although for some compounds a pH effect was noted. Unsurprisingly, chemical structure was found to be the dominant factor for ESI response for the majority of the investigated analytes, representing about 85% of the replicating detectable complement of the sample data set. A weak correlation between ESI response and structure complexity was observed. Solvents based on isopropanol, and those containing phosphoric or di- and trifluoracetic acids, performed relatively poorly in terms of chromatographic or ESI response, whilst the best performing ‘generic’ LC solvents were based on methanol, acetonitrile using formic acid and ammonium acetate as buffer components, consistent with current practice in many laboratories.

Abstract 2006: A novel macromolecular platinum drug with potent efficacy to overcome cross-resistance in cancer therapy

Abstract Background: Small molecular platinum (Pt)-based drugs such as cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin have achieved great success in clinic over 40 years in cancer therapy. However, lack of tumor specificity leads to severe side effects. In addition, cancer cells frequently develop resistance to treatment through overexpressing cell surface multi-drug resistant proteins (MDRs). Therefore, it is desirable to develop novel Pt-based drugs with excellent anti-cancer efficacy and a minimal toxicity profile, as well as the capability to overcome drug resistance. We have previously demonstrated that poly(amino acid)-conjugated drugs can reduce toxicity and improve pharmacokinetics of chemotherapeutics and also overcome drug resistance by bypassing MDRs. Here we would like to apply this strategy on Pt drug development. Method: To address this question, we synthesized a L-aspartic acid-chelated Pt moieties (Asp-Pt), and then conjugated it to poly(L-glutamic acid/L-aspartic acid) to generate a polymeric-Pt macromolecule, namely carrier-platin. We next applied this drug on cancer cell lines including the therapeutic-resistant cancer cells in vitro, and tumor bearing murine models in vivo to evaluate its efficacy and toxicity. Result: We first tested the cytotoxicity of carrier-platin and compared with a current first-line chemotherapeutic oxaliplatin on colorectal cancer cell CT26 in vitro. Surprisingly, we found that carrier-platin effectively killed the CT26 cancer cells with hours while oxaliplatin slowly induced cell death after days. Importantly, carrier-platin was well-tolerated by non-cancerous cells. Furthermore, carrier-platin killed cancer cells that resistant to current chemotherapeutics in clinic, including cisplatin, oxaliplatin, doxorubicin and docetaxel, as effective as their parental cells. Next, we found that carrier-platin showed prolonged circulation time and high tumor accumulation compared with Pt-equivalent dosage of oxaliplatin. Treatment with 8 mg Pt/kg oxaliplatin caused severe body weight loss and intolerable hematotoxicity in mice, but even higher dose of carrier-platin (12 mg Pt/kg) can be tolerated by mice with stable body weight and did not induce any clinical symptoms. Finally, we revealed that carrier-platin potently inhibited mouse colorectal (CT26) and human ovarian (A2780) tumor growth over Pt-equivalent dosage of oxaliplatin. More importantly, carrier-platin was almost as effective on the cisplatin-resistant A2780 tumors (A2780-Cis) as on the parental A2780 tumors in vivo. Conclusion: We developed a novel macromolecular drug carrier-platin that overcome shortages of current small molecular Pt drugs. It displayed a satisfactory toxicity profile accompanied with excellent anti-tumor efficacy in vivo. Moreover, carrier-platin overcomes the cross-resistance problem of cancer cells to current chemotherapeutic drugs. Citation Format: Yongbin Liu, Dongfang Yu, Junhua Mai, Ping-Ying Pan, Shu-Hsia Chen, Haifa Shen. A novel macromolecular platinum drug with potent efficacy to overcome cross-resistance in cancer therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 2006.

Review of the pharmacokinetics of nanodrugs

Abstract Nanodrug delivery systems (NDDSs) are a hotspot of new drug delivery systems with great development potential. They provide new approaches to fighting against diseases. NDDSs are specially designed to serve as carriers for the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients to their target sites, and their unique physicochemical characteristics allow for prolonged circulation time, improved targeting, and avoidance of drug resistance. Despite remarkable progress achieved in the preparation and efficacy evaluation of NDDSs, the understanding of the in vivo pharmacokinetics of NDDSs is still insufficient. Analysis of NDDSs is far more complicated than that for small molecular drugs; thus, almost all conventional techniques are inadequate for accurate profiling of their pharmacokinetic behaviour in vivo. In this article, we systematically reviewed the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of NDDSs and summarized the advanced bioanalytic techniques for tracing the in vivo fate of NDDSs. We also reviewed the physiologically based pharmacokinetic model of NDDS, which has been a useful tool in characterizing and predicting the systemic disposition, target exposure, and efficacy/toxicity of various types of drugs when coupled with pharmacodynamic modelling. We hope that this review will be helpful in improving the understanding of NDDS pharmacokinetics and facilitating the development of NDDSs.

Eradicating the tumor "seeds": nanomedicines-based therapies against cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a small subpopulation of cells with high tumorigenesis and strong intrinsic drug resistance, exhibit self-renewal and differentiation abilities. CSCs play a crucial role in tumor progression, drug resistance, recurrence and metastasis,and conventional therapy is not enough to eradicate them. Therefore, developing novel therapies targeting CSCs to increase drug sensitivity and preventing relapse is essential. The objective of this review is to present nanotherapies that target and eradicate the tumor "seeds". Evidence was collected and sorted from the literature ranging from 2000 to 2022, using appropriate keywords and key phrases as search terms within scientific databases such as Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. Nanoparticle drug delivery systems have been successfully applied to gain longer circulation time, more precise targeting capability and better stability during cancer treatment. Nanotechnology-based strategies that have been used to target CSCs, include (1) encapsulating small molecular drugs and genes by nanotechnology, (2) targeting CSC signaling pathways, (3) utilizing nanocarriers targeting for specific markers of CSCs, (4) improving photothermal/ photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT), 5)targeting the metabolism of CSCs and 6) enhancing nanomedicine-aided immunotherapy. This review summarizes the biological hallmarks and markers of CSCs, and the nanotechnology-based therapies to kill them. Nanoparticle drug delivery systems are appropriate means for delivering drugs to tumors through enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Furthermore, surface modification with special ligands or antibodies improves the recognition and uptake of tumor cells or CSCs. It is expected that this review can offer insights into features of CSCs and the exploration of targeting nanodrug delivery systems.

The main BH3-only proteins in BCL-2 family

BCL-2 family protein is an important molecular marker of programmed cell death. The form of apoptosis exists in the balance between anti-apoptotic protein and apoptotic protein. The special small molecular protein of apoptotic protein is a window to create small molecular drugs. BH3-only protein is the main simulation form of BH3 drugs. Therefore, this review summarizes the basic structure of BH3-only protein and the related role of protein in apoptosis, which can be widely used in the combined treatment of apoptosis. Besides, this review also updates the relevant latest research news from venetoclax, which was approved for listing by the FDA. The review will contribute to BH3 drugs manufacturing, and will support models to other drugs that could easily treat with different cancers.

Anoikis-related long non-coding RNA signatures to predict prognosis and small molecular drug response in cervical cancer.

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is a major health threat to females, and distal metastasis is common in patients with advanced CC. Anoikis is necessary for the development of distal metastases. Understanding the mechanisms associated with anoikis in CC is essential to improve its survival rate. Methods: The expression matrix of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) from cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) patients was extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and highly relevant anoikis-related lncRNAs (ARLs) were identified by the single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) method. ARLs-related molecular subtypes were discerned based on prognosis-related ARLs. ARLs-related prognostic risk score (APR_Score) was calculated and risk model was constructed using LASSO COX and COX models. In addition, we also assessed immune cell activity in the immune microenvironment (TME) for both subtypes and APR_Score groups. A nomogram was utilized for predicting improved clinical outcome. Finally, this study also discussed the potential of ARLs-related signatures in predicting response to immunotherapy and small molecular drugs. Results: Three ARLs-related subtypes were identified from TCGA-CESC (AC1, AC2, and AC3), with AC3 patients having the highest ARG scores, higher angiogenesis scores, and the worst prognosis. AC3 had lower immune cell scores in TME but higher immune checkpoint gene expression and higher potential for immune escape. Next, we constructed a prognostic risk model consisting of 7-ARLs. The APR_Score exhibited a greater robustness as an independent prognostic indicator in predicting prognosis, and the nomogram was a valuable tool for survival prediction. ARLs-related signatures emerged as a potential novel indicator for immunotherapy and small molecular drug selection. Conclusion: We firstly constructed novel ARLs-related signatures capable of predicting prognosis and offered novel ideas for therapy response in CC patients.