Bioengineered Ferritin Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapy.

Ferritin naturally exists in most organisms and can specifically recognize the transferrin 1 receptor (TfR1), which is generally highly expressed on various types of tumor cells. The pH dependent reversible assembling and disassembling property of ferritin renders it as a suitable candidate for encapsulating a variety of anticancer drugs and imaging probes. Ferritins external surface is chemically and genetically modifiable which can serve as attachment site for tumor specific targeting peptides or moieties. Moreover, the biological origin of these protein cages makes it a biocompatible nanocarrier that stabilizes and protects the enclosed particles from the external environment without provoking any toxic or immunogenic responses. Recent studies, further establish ferritin as a multifunctional nanocarrier for targeted cancer chemotherapy and phototherapy. In this review, we introduce the favorable characteristics of ferritin drug carriers, the specific targeted surface modification and a multifunctional nanocarriers combined chemotherapy with phototherapy for tumor treatment. Taken together, ferritin is a potential ideal base of engineered nanoparticles for tumor therapy and still needs to explore more on its way.

Mechanochemical preparation of chrysomycin A self-micelle solid dispersion with improved solubility and enhanced oral bioavailability.

BACKGROUND: Chrysomycin A (CA) has been reported as numerous excellent biological activities, such as antineoplastic and antibacterial. Though, poor solubility of CA limited its application in medical field. Due to good amphiphilicity and potential anticancer effect of disodium glycyrrhizin (Na2GA) as an excipient, an amorphous solid dispersion (Na2GA/CA-BM) consisting of CA and Na2GA was prepared in the present study by mechanochemical technology (roll mill ML-007, zirconium balls, 30 rpm, 2.5 h) to improve the solubility and oral bioavailability of CA. Then, Na2GA/CA-BM was self-assembled to micelles in water. The interaction of CA and Na2GA in solid state were investigated by X-ray diffraction studies, polarized light microscopy, and scanning electron microscope. Meanwhile, the properties of the sample solution were analyzed by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron. Furthermore, the oral bioavailability and antitumor ability of Na2GA/CA-BM in vivo were tested, providing a theoretical basis for future application of CA on cancer therapy. RESULTS: CA encapsulated by Na2GA was self-assembled to nano-micelles in water. The average diameter of nano-micelle was 131.6 nm, and zeta potential was - 11.7 mV. Three physicochemical detections showed that CA was transformed from crystal into amorphous form after treated with ball milling and the solubility increased by 50 times. Na2GA/CA-BM showed a significant increase of the bioavailability about two time that of free CA. Compared with free CA, the in-vivo antitumor studies also exhibited that Na2GA/CA-BM had an excellent inhibition of tumor growth. CONCLUSIONS: Na2GA/CA-BM nanoparticles (131.6 nm, - 11.7 mV) prepared by simple and low-cost mechanochemical technology can improve oral bioavailability and antitumor efficacy of CA in vivo, suggesting a potential formulation for efficient anticancer treatment.

Gender Differences in Low-Molecular-Mass-Induced Acute Lung Inflammation in Mice.

Gender differences in pulmonary inflammation have been well documented. Although low molecular mass hyaluronan (LMMHA) is known to trigger pulmonary lung inflammation, sex differences in susceptibility to LMMHA are still unknown. In this study, we test the hypothesis that mice may display sex-specific differences after LMMHA administration. After LMMHA administration, male mice have higher neutrophil, cytokine, and chemokine counts compared to that of their female counterparts. Additionally, Ovariectomized (OVX) mice show greater LMMHA-induced inflammation compared to that of mice with intact ovaries. Injections of OVX mice with 17ß-estradiol can decrease inflammatory responses in the OVX mice. These results show that ovarian hormones regulate LMMHA induced lung inflammation.