Synergistic Antitumor Potency of a Self-Assembling Peptide Hydrogel for the Local Co-delivery of Doxorubicin and Curcumin in the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer.

Combination therapy has been conferred with manifold assets leveraging the synergy of different agents to achieve a sufficient therapeutic outcome with lower administered drug doses and reduced side effects. The therapeutic potency of a self-assembling peptide hydrogel for the co-delivery of doxorubicin and curcumin was assessed against head and neck cancer cells. The dual loaded peptide hydrogel enabled control over the rate of drug release based on drug's aqueous solubility. A significantly enhanced cell growth inhibitory effect was observed after treatment with the combination drug-loaded hydrogel formulations compared to the respective combination drug solution. The synergistic pharmacological effect of selected hydrogel formulations was further confirmed with enhanced apoptotic cell response, interference in cell cycle progression, and significantly altered apoptotic/anti-apoptotic gene expression profiles obtained in dose levels well below the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of both drugs. The in vivo antitumor efficacy of the drug-loaded peptide hydrogel formulation was confirmed in HSC-3 cell-xenografted severe combined immunodeficient mice and visualized with µCT imaging. Histological and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay analyses of major organs were implemented to assess the safety of the topically administered hydrogel formulation. Overall, results demonstrated the therapeutic utility of the dual drug-loaded peptide hydrogel as a pertinent approach for the local treatment of head and neck cancer.

Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis accompanied by maxillary compound odontoma and juvenile angiofibroma: report of a case.

BACKGROUND: Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) is a rare neurocutaneous syndrome characterized by congenital cutaneous, ocular, and neurologic abnormalities, which may be pronounced in the head and neck. CASE: In this article we present a well-documented case of a six-year-old boy with ECCL associated with oral manifestations. In this case, typical features such as large lipomatous brown pigmented plaques of the top of the skull with overlying alopecia, ptotic eyelid with decreased function, bulbar conjunctiva lipodermoid, microcalcifications and atrophy of cerebral parenchyma, and the widening of the frontal subarachnoid space and the fissure of Sylvius were accompanied by intraoral lesions, maxillary compound odontoma, and juvenile extranasopharyngeal angiofibroma of the gingiva. CONCLUSIONS: Although cases of odontomas have already been described and angiofibromas are a quite common extraoral finding, to our knowledge this is the first case of intraoral evaluation of both extranasopharyngeal juvenile angiofibroma and maxillary compound odontoma in ECCL syndrome.