siRNA and targeted delivery systems in breast cancer therapy

Recently, nucleic acid drugs have been considered as promising candidates in treatment of various diseases, especially cancer. Because of developing resistance to conventional chemotherapy, use of genetic tools in cancer therapy appears inevitable. siRNA is a RNAi tool with capacity of suppressing target gene. Owing to overexpression of oncogenic factors in cancer, siRNA can be used for suppressing those pathways. This review emphasizes the function of siRNA in treatment of breast tumor. The anti-apoptotic-related genes including Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and survivin can be down-regulated by siRNA in triggering cell death in breast cancer. STAT3, STAT8, Notch1, E2F3 and NF-κB are among the factors with overexpression in breast cancer that their silencing by siRNA paves the way for impairing tumor proliferation and invasion. The oncogenic mechanisms in drug resistance development in breast tumor such as lncRNAs can be suppressed by siRNA. Furthermore, siRNA reducing P-gp activity can increase drug internalization in tumor cells. Because of siRNA degradation at bloodstream and low accumulation at tumor site, nanoplatforms have been employed for siRNA delivery to suppress breast tumor progression via improving siRNA efficacy in gene silencing. Development of biocompatible and efficient nanostructures for siRNA delivery can make milestone progress in alleviation of breast cancer patients (AU)

Protective Effects of Coenzyme Q10 Along with Fe2O3 Nanoparticles On Sperm Parameters in Rats with Scrotal Hyperthermia: Effects of CoQ 10 and Fe2O3 Nanoparticles On Sperm Parameters.

Background: One of the most important factors in reducing the birth rate is male infertility, and one of the main reasons for male infertility is scrotal hyperthermia (SH). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the protective effect of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) along with Fe2O3 nanoparticles on semen parameters in rats with SH. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight adult male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups: healthy control, control group receiving Fe2O3 nanoparticles, control group receiving CoQ10, control group receiving Fe2O3 nanoparticles plus CoQ10, SH group, SH group receiving CoQ10, SH group receiving Fe2O3 nanoparticle, and SH group receiving Fe2O3 nanoparticles plus CoQ10. After killing rats, semen was collected from epididymal tissue, and parameters such as sperm viability, motility, concentration, and morphology were studied. Results: SH significantly reduced sperm concentration, motility, and viability, as well as altering sperm morphology in rats. Nevertheless, CoQ10 strongly improved sperm parameters in SH rats. Fe2O3 nanoparticles led to a sharp decrease in sperm parameters; however, during the simultaneous administration of Fe2O3 nanoparticles with CoQ10, improvement in sperm parameters was seen in the SH rats. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that CoQ10, along with Fe2O3 nanoparticles, has a protective effect against spermatogenic cell death induced by SH. Thus, green synthesis of nanoparticles with the administration of antioxidants, including CoQ10 is recommended for the treatment of SH.