Hybrid of niosomes and bio-synthesized selenium nanoparticles as a novel approach in drug delivery for cancer treatment.

The current study intends to investigate a novel drug delivery system (DDS) based on niosomes structure (NISM) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) which was formulated to BSA coated NISM (NISM-B). Also, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have been prepared by BSA mediated biosynthesis. Finally, the NISM-B was hybridized with SeNPs and was formulated as NISM-B@SeNPs for drug delivery applications. Physicochemical properties of all samples were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, DLS, FESEM, and EDX techniques. The cytotoxicity of all samples against A549 cell line was assessed by cell viability analysis and flow cytometry for apoptotic cells as well as RT-PCR for the expression of MDR-1, Bax, and Bcl-2 genes. Besides, in vivo biocompatibility was performed by LD50 assay to evaluate the acute toxicity. The proposed formulation has a regular spherical shape and approximately narrow size distribution with proper zeta-potential values; the proposed DDS revealed a good biocompatibility. The compound showed a significant cytotoxic effect against A549 cell line. Although the Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio was significantly in NISM-B@SeNPs- treated cancer cells, the expression of MDR-1 was non-significantly lower in NISM-B@SeNPs-treated cancer cells. The obtained results suggest that the proposed DDS presents a promising approach for drug delivery, co-delivery and multifunctional biomedicine applications.

Combinational therapy with Myc decoy oligodeoxynucleotides encapsulated in nanocarrier and X-irradiation on breast cancer cells.

The Myc gene is the essential oncogene in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study investigates the synergistic effects of combining Myc decoy oligodeoxynucleotides-encapsulated niosomes-selenium hybrid nanocarriers with X-irradiation exposure on the MDA-MB-468 cell line. Decoy and scramble ODNs for Myc transcription factor were designed and synthesized based on promoter sequences of the Bcl2 gene. The nanocarriers were synthesized by loading Myc ODNs and selenium into chitosan (Chi-Se-DEC), which was then encapsulated in niosome-nanocarriers (NISM@Chi-Se-DEC). FT-IR, DLS, FESEM, and hemolysis tests were applied to confirm its characterization and physicochemical properties. Moreover, cellular uptake, cellular toxicity, apoptosis, cell cycle, and scratch repair assays were performed to evaluate its anticancer effects on cancer cells. All anticancer assessments were repeated under X-ray irradiation conditions (fractionated 2Gy). Physicochemical characteristics of niosomes containing SeNPs and ODNs showed that it is synthesized appropriately. It revealed that the anticancer effect of NISM@Chi-Se-DEC can be significantly improved in combination with X-ray irradiation treatment. It can be concluded that NISM@Chi-Se-DEC nanocarriers have the potential as a therapeutic agent for cancer treatment, particularly in combination with radiation therapy and in-vivo experiments are necessary to confirm the efficacy of this nano-drug.

Anticancer evaluation of methotrexate and curcumin-coencapsulated niosomes against colorectal cancer cell lines.

Aim: The aim of the present investigation was to develop niosomes containing both curcumin (CUR) and methotrexate (MTX). Also, the combinational effect of CUR and MTX in both free and niosomal forms on growth inhibition potential and induction of apoptosis in the HCT-116 cell line were exploited. Materials & methods: Niosomes were prepared by the thin-film hydration method and their physicochemical properties were determined by various techniques. Cellular uptake, cell apoptosis, wound healing and MTT assay were conducted to ascertain niosomes' feasibility for cancer therapy. Results: The combination of CUR and MTX in niosomal formulation showed more toxicity than their combination in free form. Conclusion: The nanocarrier-based approach was effective for the codelivery of CUR and MTX against cancer cells in vitro.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A New Generation of Therapeutic Agents as Vehicles in Gene Therapy.

In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a new tool for therapeutic gene delivery in clinics have attracted much attention. Their advantages cover longer lifespan, better isolation, and higher transfection efficiency and proliferation rate. MSCs are the preferred approach for cell-based therapies because of their in vitro self-renewal capacity, migrating especially to tumor tissues, as well as anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Therefore, they have considerable efficiency in genetic engineering for future clinical applications in cancer gene therapy and other diseases. For improving therapeutic efficiency, targeted therapy of cancers can be achieved through the sustained release of therapeutic agents and functional gene expression induction to the intended tissues. The development of a new vector in gene therapy can improve the durability of a transgene expression. Also, the safety of the vector, if administered systemically, may resolve several problems, such as durability of expression and the host immune response. Currently, MSCs are prominent candidates as cell vehicles for both preclinical and clinical trials due to the secretion of therapeutic agents in several cancers. In the present study, we discuss the status of gene therapy in both viral and non-viral vectors along with their limitations. Throughout this study, the use of several nano-carriers for gene therapy is also investigated. Finally, we critically discuss the promising advantages of MSCs in targeted gene delivery, tumor inhibition and their utilization as the gene carriers in clinical situations.

NANOG Decoy Oligodeoxynucleotide-Encapsulated Niosomes Nanocarriers: A Promising Approach to Suppress the Metastatic Properties of U87 Human Glioblastoma Multiforme Cells.

Recently, advances in the synthesis and development of multifunctional nanoparticle platforms have opened up great opportunities and advantages for specifically targeted delivery of genes of interest. BSA-coated niosome structures (NISM@B) can potentially improve the efficiency in vitro delivery of nucleic acid molecules and the transfection of genes. Few studies have reported the combined use of niosomes with nucleic acid as therapeutic agents or decoy oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs). Herein, we synthesized NISM@B to encapsulate NANOG decoy ODN (NISM@B-DEC), after which the physicochemical characteristics and in vitro and in vivo properties of NISM@B-DEC were investigated. Our results regarding physicochemical characteristics revealed that the stable niosome nanocarrier system was successfully synthesized with a regular spherical shape and narrow size distribution with proper zeta-potential values and had an appropriate biocompatibility. The ODN release from the niosome nanocarrier system exhibited controlled and pH-dependent behavior as the best models to explain the ODN release profile. NISM@B-DEC was efficiently taken up by human glioblastoma cells (U87) and significantly inhibited cell growth. Finally, blockage of the NANOG pathway by NISM@B-DEC resulted in G1 cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and cell death. In addition, NISM@B-DEC caused a significant decrease in tumor formation and improved wound-healing efficiency of the U87 cells. These findings confirm that NISM@B-DEC could potentially suppress the metastatic ability of these cells. It can be concluded that the presented nanocarrier system can be a promising approach for targeted gene delivery in cancer therapy.