Editorial

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4 pages, 201 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

by Francesca Brero and Salvatore Gallo

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 13770; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms232213770 - 09 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 961

Abstract

Currently, the most commonly used treatments for cancer are surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

Research

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25 pages, 5507 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Superparamagnetic Hyperthermia Study with Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles Covered with γ-Cyclodextrins by Computer Simulation for Application in Alternative Cancer Therapy

by Isabela Simona Caizer and Costica Caizer

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(8), 4350; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23084350 - 14 Apr 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1749

Abstract

In this paper, we present a study by computer simulation on superparamagnetic hyperthermia with CoFe₂O₄ ferrimagnetic nanoparticles coated with biocompatible gamma-cyclodextrins (γ-CDs) to be used in alternative cancer therapy with increased efficacy and non-toxicity. The specific loss power that leads [...] Read more.

In this paper, we present a study by computer simulation on superparamagnetic hyperthermia with CoFe₂O₄ ferrimagnetic nanoparticles coated with biocompatible gamma-cyclodextrins (γ-CDs) to be used in alternative cancer therapy with increased efficacy and non-toxicity. The specific loss power that leads to the heating of nanoparticles in superparamagnetic hyperthermia using CoFe₂O₄–γ-CDs was analyzed in detail depending on the size of the nanoparticles, the thickness of the γ-CDs layer on the nanoparticle surface, the amplitude and frequency of the alternating magnetic field, and the packing fraction of nanoparticles, in order to find the proper conditions in which the specific loss power is maximal. We found that the maximum specific loss power was determined by the Brown magnetic relaxation processes, and the maximum power obtained was significantly higher than that which would be obtained by the Néel relaxation processes under the same conditions. Moreover, increasing the amplitude of the magnetic field led to a significant decrease in the optimal diameter at which the maximum specific loss power is obtained (e.g., for 500 kHz frequency the optimal diameter decreased from 13.6 nm to 9.8 nm when the field increased from 10 kA/m to 50 kA/m), constituting a major advantage in magnetic hyperthermia for its optimization, in contrast to the known results in the absence of cyclodextrins from the surface of immobilized nanoparticles of CoFe₂O₄, where the optimal diameter remained practically unchanged at ~6.2 nm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

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27 pages, 3901 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Radiolabeled Gold Nanoseeds Decorated with Substance P Peptides: Synthesis, Characterization and In Vitro Evaluation in Glioblastoma Cellular Models

by Francisco Silva, Alice D’Onofrio, Carolina Mendes, Catarina Pinto, Ana Marques, Maria Paula Cabral Campello, Maria Cristina Oliveira, Paula Raposinho, Ana Belchior, Salvatore Di Maria, Fernanda Marques, Carla Cruz, Josué Carvalho and António Paulo

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(2), 617; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23020617 - 06 Jan 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3203

Abstract

Despite some progress, the overall survival of patients with glioblastoma (GBM) remains extremely poor. In this context, there is a pressing need to develop innovative therapy strategies for GBM, namely those based on nanomedicine approaches. Towards this goal, we have focused on nanoparticles [...] Read more.

Despite some progress, the overall survival of patients with glioblastoma (GBM) remains extremely poor. In this context, there is a pressing need to develop innovative therapy strategies for GBM, namely those based on nanomedicine approaches. Towards this goal, we have focused on nanoparticles (AuNP-SP and AuNP-SPTyr8) with a small gold core (ca. 4 nm), carrying DOTA chelators and substance P (SP) peptides. These new SP-containing AuNPs were characterized by a variety of analytical techniques, including TEM and DLS measurements and UV-vis and CD spectroscopy, which proved their high in vitro stability and poor tendency to interact with plasma proteins. Their labeling with diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides was efficiently performed by DOTA complexation with the trivalent radiometals ⁶⁷Ga and ¹⁷⁷Lu or by electrophilic radioiodination with ¹²⁵I of the tyrosyl residue in AuNP-SPTyr8. Cellular studies of the resulting radiolabeled AuNPs in NKR1-positive GBM cells (U87, T98G and U373) have shown that the presence of the SP peptides has a crucial and positive impact on their internalization by the tumor cells. Consistently, ¹⁷⁷Lu-AuNP-SPTyr8 showed more pronounced radiobiological effects in U373 cells when compared with the non-targeted congener ¹⁷⁷Lu-AuNP-TDOTA, as assessed by cell viability and clonogenic assays and corroborated by Monte Carlo microdosimetry simulations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

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22 pages, 3849 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Maximum Specific Loss Power in Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles Decorated with Biocompatible Gamma-Cyclodextrins for Cancer Therapy with Superparamagnetic Hyperthermia

by Costica Caizer and Isabela Simona Caizer

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(18), 10071; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms221810071 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2038

Abstract

Different chemical agents are used for the biocompatibility and/or functionality of the nanoparticles used in magnetic hyperthermia to reduce or even eliminate cellular toxicity and to limit the interaction between them (van der Waals and magnetic dipolar interactions), with highly beneficial effects on [...] Read more.

Different chemical agents are used for the biocompatibility and/or functionality of the nanoparticles used in magnetic hyperthermia to reduce or even eliminate cellular toxicity and to limit the interaction between them (van der Waals and magnetic dipolar interactions), with highly beneficial effects on the efficiency of magnetic hyperthermia in cancer therapy. In this paper we propose an innovative strategy for the biocompatibility of these nanoparticles using gamma-cyclodextrins (γ-CDs) to decorate the surface of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles. The influence of the biocompatible organic layer of cyclodextrins, from the surface of Fe₃O₄ ferrimagnetic nanoparticles, on the maximum specific loss power in superparamagnetic hyperthermia, is presented and analyzed in detail in this paper. Furthermore, our study shows the optimum conditions in which the magnetic nanoparticles covered with gamma-cyclodextrin (Fe₃O₄–γ-CDs) can be utilized in superparamagnetic hyperthermia for an alternative cancer therapy with higher efficiency in destroying tumoral cells and eliminating cellular toxicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

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23 pages, 3081 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functionalization of Photosensitized Silica Nanoparticles for Advanced Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer

by Ruth Prieto-Montero, Alejandro Prieto-Castañeda, Alberto Katsumiti, Miren P. Cajaraville, Antonia R. Agarrabeitia, María J. Ortiz and Virginia Martínez-Martínez

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(12), 6618; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22126618 - 21 Jun 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3923

Abstract

BODIPY dyes have recently attracted attention as potential photosensitizers. In this work, commercial and novel photosensitizers (PSs) based on BODIPY chromophores (haloBODIPYs and orthogonal dimers strategically designed with intense bands in the blue, green or red region of the visible spectra and high [...] Read more.

BODIPY dyes have recently attracted attention as potential photosensitizers. In this work, commercial and novel photosensitizers (PSs) based on BODIPY chromophores (haloBODIPYs and orthogonal dimers strategically designed with intense bands in the blue, green or red region of the visible spectra and high singlet oxygen production) were covalently linked to mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) further functionalized with PEG and folic acid (FA). MSNs approximately 50 nm in size with different functional groups were synthesized to allow multiple alternatives of PS-PEG-FA decoration of their external surface. Different combinations varying the type of PS (commercial Rose Bengal, Thionine and Chlorine e6 or custom-made BODIPY-based), the linkage design, and the length of PEG are detailed. All the nanosystems were physicochemically characterized (morphology, diameter, size distribution and PS loaded amount) and photophysically studied (absorption capacity, fluorescence efficiency, and singlet oxygen production) in suspension. For the most promising PS-PEG-FA silica nanoplatforms, the biocompatibility in dark conditions and the phototoxicity under suitable irradiation wavelengths (blue, green, or red) at regulated light doses (10–15 J/cm²) were compared with PSs free in solution in HeLa cells in vitro. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

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16 pages, 3715 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tailored-Made Polydopamine Nanoparticles to Induce Ferroptosis in Breast Cancer Cells in Combination with Chemotherapy

by Celia Nieto, Milena A. Vega and Eva M. Martín del Valle

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(6), 3161; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22063161 - 19 Mar 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2838

Abstract

Ferroptosis is gaining followers as mechanism of selective killing cancer cells in a non-apoptotic manner, and novel nanosystems capable of inducing this iron-dependent death are being increasingly developed. Among them, polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) are arousing interest, since they have great capability of [...] Read more.

Ferroptosis is gaining followers as mechanism of selective killing cancer cells in a non-apoptotic manner, and novel nanosystems capable of inducing this iron-dependent death are being increasingly developed. Among them, polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) are arousing interest, since they have great capability of chelating iron. In this work, PDA NPs were loaded with Fe³⁺ at different pH values to assess the importance that the pH may have in determining their therapeutic activity and selectivity. In addition, doxorubicin was also loaded to the nanoparticles to achieve a synergist effect. The in vitro assays that were performed with the BT474 and HS5 cell lines showed that, when Fe³⁺ was adsorbed in PDA NPs at pH values close to which Fe(OH)₃ begins to be formed, these nanoparticles had greater antitumor activity and selectivity despite having chelated a smaller amount of Fe³⁺. Otherwise, it was demonstrated that Fe³⁺ could be released in the late endo/lysosomes thanks to their acidic pH and their Ca²⁺ content, and that when Fe³⁺ was co-transported with doxorubicin, the therapeutic activity of PDA NPs was enhanced. Thus, reported PDA NPs loaded with both Fe³⁺ and doxorubicin may constitute a good approach to target breast tumors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

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Review

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21 pages, 2921 KiB

Open AccessReview

Modernistic and Emerging Developments of Nanotechnology in Glioblastoma-Targeted Theranostic Applications

by Buddolla Anantha Lakshmi and Young-Joon Kim

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(3), 1641; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23031641 - 31 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3041

Abstract

Brain tumors such as glioblastoma are typically associated with an unstoppable cell proliferation with aggressive infiltration behavior and a shortened life span. Though treatment options such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are available in combating glioblastoma, satisfactory therapeutics are still not available due to [...] Read more.

Brain tumors such as glioblastoma are typically associated with an unstoppable cell proliferation with aggressive infiltration behavior and a shortened life span. Though treatment options such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are available in combating glioblastoma, satisfactory therapeutics are still not available due to the high impermeability of the blood–brain barrier. To address these concerns, recently, multifarious theranostics based on nanotechnology have been developed, which can deal with diagnosis and therapy together. The multifunctional nanomaterials find a strategic path against glioblastoma by adjoining novel thermal and magnetic therapy approaches. Their convenient combination of specific features such as real-time tracking, in-depth tissue penetration, drug-loading capacity, and contrasting performance is of great demand in the clinical investigation of glioblastoma. The potential benefits of nanomaterials including specificity, surface tunability, biodegradability, non-toxicity, ligand functionalization, and near-infrared (NIR) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging are sufficient in developing effective theranostics. This review discusses the recent developments in nanotechnology toward the diagnosis, drug delivery, and therapy regarding glioblastoma. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

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21 pages, 1063 KiB

Open AccessReview

Nanoparticles Targeting Innate Immune Cells in Tumor Microenvironment

by Hochung Jang, Eun Hye Kim, Sung-Gil Chi, Sun Hwa Kim and Yoosoo Yang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(18), 10009; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms221810009 - 16 Sep 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4329

Abstract

A variety of innate immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, natural killer cells, and neutrophils in the tumor microenvironments, contribute to tumor progression. However, while several recent reports have studied the use of immune checkpoint-based cancer immunotherapy, little work [...] Read more.

A variety of innate immune cells such as macrophages, dendritic cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, natural killer cells, and neutrophils in the tumor microenvironments, contribute to tumor progression. However, while several recent reports have studied the use of immune checkpoint-based cancer immunotherapy, little work has focused on modulating the innate immune cells. This review focuses on the recent studies and challenges of using nanoparticles to target innate immune cells. In particular, we also examine the immunosuppressive properties of certain innate immune cells that limit clinical benefits. Understanding the cross-talk between tumors and innate immune cells could contribute to the development of strategies for manipulating the nanoparticles targeting tumor microenvironments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

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15 pages, 1633 KiB

Open AccessReview

Electrochemical Sensors for Detection of Markers on Tumor Cells

by Han Zhou, Xin Du and Zhenguo Zhang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(15), 8184; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22158184 - 30 Jul 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3760

Abstract

In recent years, the increasing incidence and mortality of cancer have inspired the development of accurate and rapid early diagnosis methods in order to successfully cure cancer; however, conventional methods used for detecting tumor cells, including histopathological and immunological methods, often involve complex [...] Read more.

In recent years, the increasing incidence and mortality of cancer have inspired the development of accurate and rapid early diagnosis methods in order to successfully cure cancer; however, conventional methods used for detecting tumor cells, including histopathological and immunological methods, often involve complex operation processes, high analytical costs, and high false positive rates, in addition to requiring experienced personnel. With the rapid emergence of sensing techniques, electrochemical cytosensors have attracted wide attention in the field of tumor cell detection because of their advantages, such as their high sensitivity, simple equipment, and low cost. These cytosensors are not only able to differentiate tumor cells from normal cells, but can also allow targeted protein detection of tumor cells. In this review, the research achievements of various electrochemical cytosensors for tumor cell detection reported in the past five years are reviewed, including the structures, detection ranges, and detection limits of the cytosensors. Certain trends and prospects related to the electrochemical cytosensors are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy)

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