Chun-Yang Sun

In Vitro and In Vivo Near‐Infrared Photothermal Therapy of Cancer Using Polypyrrole Organic Nanoparticles

Kai Yang , Huan Xu , Liang Cheng , Chunyang Sun , Jun Wang , and Zhuang Liu * IO N Photothermal therapy (PTT) that uses optical absorbing agents to “cook” cancer under light irradiation has attracted signifi cant attention in recent years as a promising alternative or supplement to traditional cancer therapies. [ 1–3 ] Numerous reports have shown encouraging therapeutic effects of PTT in many preclinical animal experiments, using various light absorbing nanomaterials as PTT agents. [ 1–21 ] Ideal PTT agents should exhibit strong absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) region, which is a transparency window for biological tissues, and could effi ciently transfer the absorbed NIR optical energy into heat. The biocompatibility of PTT agents is another primary concern. The tumor-homing ability of PTT agents is also important for photothermal treatment of cancer upon systemic administration. Gold nanomaterials including nanorods, nanocages, nanoshells, and composite nanostructures are likely the mostwidely explored class of PTT nanoagents. [ 4–8 , 19 , 20 ] A number of other inorganic nanomaterials, such as carbon nanomaterials [ 9–13 , 17 , 18 , 21 ] (e.g., carbon nanotubes, nanographene), Pd nanosheets, copper sulfi de and copper selenide nanoparticles, have also shown potential in PTT cancer treatment. [ 14–16 ] However, the majority of currently used PTT agents are inorganic nanomaterials, which usually are not biodegradable and may remain inside the body for long periods of time after systemic administration. The use of organic nanoparticles, such as porphysome and light-absorbing conductive polymers, as PTT agents, has thus attracted signifi cant attention recently. [ 22–24 ]

Tumor Acidity-Sensitive Polymeric Vector for Active Targeted siRNA Delivery.

Although surface PEGylation of siRNA vectors is effective for preventing protein adsorption and thereby helps these vectors to evade the reticuloendothelial system (RES) in vivo, it also suppresses the cellular uptake of these vectors by target cells. This dilemma could be overcome by employing stimuli-responsive shell-detachable nanovectors to achieve enhanced cellular internalization while maintaining prolonged blood circulation. Among the possible stimuli, dysregulated pH in tumor (pHe) is the most universal and practical. However, the design of pHe-sensitive system is problematic because of the subtle differences between the pHe and pH in other tissues. Here, a simple acid-sensitive bridged copolymer is developed and used for tumor-targeted systemic delivery of siRNA. After forming the micelleplex delivery system, the corresponding nanoparticles (Dm-NP) might undergo several modifications as follows: (i) a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) corona, which is stable in the circulatory system and protects nanovectors from RES clearance; (ii) a pHe responsive linkage breakage, which induces PEG detachment at tumor sites and thereby facilitates cell targeting; and (iii) a cell-penetration peptide, which is exposed upon the removal of PEG and further enhances cellular uptake. Thus, Dm-NP achieved both prolonged circulation and effective accumulation in tumor cells and resulted in the safe and enhanced inhibition of non-small cell lung cancer growth.

Cancer stem cell therapy using doxorubicin conjugated to gold nanoparticles via hydrazone bonds

Nanoparticle-mediated delivery of chemotherapies has demonstrated enhanced anti-cancer efficacy, mainly through the mechanisms of both passive and active targeting. Herein, we report other than these well-elucidated mechanisms, rationally designed nanoparticles can efficiently deliver drugs to cancer stem cells (CSCs), which in turn contributes significantly to the improved anti-cancer efficacy. We demonstrate that doxorubicin-tethered gold nanoparticles via a poly(ethylene glycol) spacer and an acid-labile hydrazone bond mediate potent doxorubicin delivery to breast CSCs, which reduces their mammosphere formation capacity and their cancer initiation activity, eliciting marked enhancement in tumor growth inhibition in murine models. The drug delivery mediated by the nanoparticles also markedly attenuates tumor growth during off-therapy stage by reducing breast CSCs in tumors, while the therapy with doxorubicin alone conversely evokes an enrichment of breast CSCs. Our findings suggest that with well-designed drug delivery system, the conventional chemotherapeutic agents are promising for cancer stem cell therapy.

Biocompatible Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles for Efficient Photothermal Tumor Therapy

Conjugated polymers (CPs) with strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption and high heat conversion efficiency have emerged as a new generation of photothermal therapy (PTT) agents for cancer therapy. An efficient strategy to design NIR absorbing CPs with good water dispersibility is essential to achieve excellent therapeutic effect. In this work, poly[9,9-bis(4-(2-ethylhexyl)phenyl)fluorene-alt-co-6,7-bis(4-(hexyloxy)phenyl)-4,9-di(thiophen-2-yl)-thiadiazoloquinoxaline] (PFTTQ) is synthesized through the combination of donor-acceptor moieties by Suzuki polymerization. PFTTQ nanoparticles (NPs) are fabricated through a precipitation approach using 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG2000 ) as the encapsulation matrix. Due to the large NIR absorption coefficient (3.6 L g(-1) cm(-1) ), the temperature of PFTTQ NP suspension (0.5 mg/mL) could be rapidly increased to more than 50 °C upon continuous 808 nm laser irradiation (0.75 W/cm(2) ) for 5 min. The PFTTQ NPs show good biocompatibility to both MDA-MB-231 cells and Hela cells at 400 μg/mL of NPs, while upon laser irradiation, effective cancer cell killing is observed at a NP concentration of 50 μg/mL. Moreover, PFTTQ NPs could efficiently ablate tumor in in vivo study using a Hela tumor mouse model. Considering the large amount of NIR absorbing CPs available, the general encapsulation strategy will enable the development of more efficient PTT agents for cancer or tumor therapy.

Facile Generation of Tumor‐pH‐Labile Linkage‐Bridged Block Copolymers for Chemotherapeutic Delivery

Successful bench-to-bedside translation of nanomedicine relies heavily on the development of nanocarriers with superior therapeutic efficacy and high biocompatibility. However, the optimal strategy for improving one aspect often conflicts with the other. Herein, we report a tactic of designing tumor-pH-labile linkage-bridged copolymers of clinically validated poly(D,L-lactide) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-Dlink(m)-PDLLA) for safe and effective drug delivery. Upon arriving at the tumor site, PEG-Dlink(m)-PDLLA nanoparticles will lose the PEG layer and increase zeta potential by responding to tumor acidity, which significantly enhances cellular uptake and improves the in vivo tumor inhibition rate to 78.1% in comparison to 47.8% of the non-responsive control. Furthermore, PEG-Dlink(m)-PDLLA nanoparticles show comparable biocompatibility with the clinically used PEG-b-PDLLA micelle. The improved therapeutic efficacy and safety demonstrate great promise for our strategy in future translational studies.

Tumor acidity-sensitive linkage-bridged block copolymer for therapeutic siRNA delivery

The design of ideal nanoparticle delivery systems should be capable of meeting the requirements of several stages of drug delivery, including prolonged circulation, enhanced accumulation and penetration in the tumor, facilitated cellular internalization and rapid release of the active drug in the tumor cells. However, among the current design strategies, meeting the requirements of one stage often conflicts with the other. Herein, a tumor pH-labile linkage-bridged block copolymer of poly(ethylene glycol) with poly(lacide-co-glycolide) (PEG-Dlinkm-PLGA) was used for siRNA delivery to fulfill all aforementioned requirements of these delivery stages. The obtained siRNA-encapsulating PEG-Dlinkm-PLGA nanoparticle gained efficiently prolonged circulation in the blood and preferential accumulation in tumor sites via the PEGylation. Furthermore, the PEG surface layer was detached in response to the tumor acidic microenvironment to facilitate cellular uptake, and the siRNA was rapidly released within tumor cells due to the hydrophobic PLGA layer. Hence, PEG-Dlinkm-PLGA nanoparticles met the requirements of several stages of drug delivery, and resulted in the enhanced therapeutic effect of the nanoparticular delivery systems.

Doxorubicin Conjugate of Poly(Ethylene Glycol)‐Block‐Polyphosphoester for Cancer Therapy

Polyphosphoesters with repeating phosphoester linkages in the backbone can be easily functionalized, are biodegradable and potentially biocompatible, and may be potential candidates as polymer carriers of drug conjugates. Here, the efficacy of a polyphosphoester drug conjugate as an anticancer agent in vivo is assessed for the first time. With controlled synthesis, doxorubicin conjugated to poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polyphosphoester (PPEH-DOX) via labile hydrazone bonds form spherical nanoparticles in aqueous solution with an average diameter of ≈60 nm. These nanoparticles are effectively internalized by MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and release the conjugated doxorubicin in response to the intracellular pH of endosomes and lysosomes, resulting in significant antiproliferative activity in cancer cells. Compared with free doxorubicin injection, PPEH-DOX injection exhibits much longer circulation behavior in the plasma of mice and leads to enhanced drug accumulation in tumor cells. In an MDA-MB-231 xenograft murine model, inhibition of tumor growth with systemic delivery of PPEH-DOX nanoparticles is more pronounced compared with free doxorubicin injection, suggesting the potential of polyphosphoesters as carriers of drug conjugates in cancer therapy.

Galactose Targeted pH-Responsive Copolymer Conjugated with Near Infrared Fluorescence Probe for Imaging of Intelligent Drug Delivery

Theranostic polymeric nanomaterials are of special important in cancer treatment. Here, novel galactose targeted pH-responsive amphiphilic multiblock copolymer conjugated with both drug and near-infrared fluorescence (NIR) probe has been designed and prepared by a four-steps process: (1) ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-carboxy anhydride (NCA) monomers using propargylamine as initiator; (2) reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (OEGMA) and gal monomer by an azido modified RAFT agent; (3) combing the obtained two polymeric segments by click reaction; (4) NIR copolymer prodrug was synthesized by chemical linkage of both cyanine dye and anticancer drug doxorubicin to the block copolymer via amide bond and hydrazone, respectively. The obtained NIRF copolymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and its was measured by means of micelles dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM), and UV-vis and fluorescence spectrophotometry. The prodrug has strong fluorescence in the near-infrared region, and a pH sensitive drug release was confirmed at pH of 5.4 via an in vitro drug release experiment. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and flow cytometry experiments of the prodrug on both HepG2 and NIH3T3 cells reveal that the galactose targeted polymeric prodrug shows a fast and enhanced endocytosis due to the specific interaction for HepG2 cells, indicating the as-prepared polymer is a candidate for theranosis of liver cancer.

Stable metallic 1T-WS2 ultrathin nanosheets as a promising agent for near-infrared photothermal ablation cancer therapy

In this study, we present the preparation of stable 1T-WS2 ultrathin nanosheets with NH4+ intercalation using a bottom-up hydrothermal method and the potential application of this material in light-induced photothermal cancer therapy. Our results revealed that nanosheets with a size of 150 nm were highly hydrophilic and exhibited strong light absorption and excellent photostability in the broad near-infrared wavelength region. The in vitro experimental results indicated good biocompatibility of the nanosheets. More notably, our in vivo antitumor experiments illustrated that light-induced photothermal ablation originating from irradiation of the 1T-WS2 nanosheets with an 808 nm laser could efficiently kill tumor cells; these effects were obtained not only at the cellular level but also in the living organs of mice. This result may lead to new applications of two-dimensional layered materials in novel photothermal therapies and other photothermal related fields.

ScFv-Decorated PEG-PLA-Based Nanoparticles for Enhanced siRNA Delivery to Her2+ Breast Cancer

Patients with Her2-overexpressing (Her2(+)) breast cancers generally have a poorer prognosis due to the high aggressiveness and chemoresistance of the disease. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the gene encoding polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1; siPlk1) has emerged as an efficient therapeutic agent for Her2(+) breast cancers. Poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(D,L-lactide) (PEG-PLA)-based nanoparticles for siRNA delivery were previously developed and optimized. In this study, for targeted delivery of siPlk1 to Her2(+) breast cancer, anti-Her2 single-chain variable fragment antibody (ScFv(Her2))-decorated PEG-PLA-based nanoparticles with si Plk1 encapsulation (ScFv(Her2)-NP(si) Plk1) are developed. With the rationally designed conjugation site, ScFv(Her2)-NP(siRNA) can specifically bind to the Her2 antigen overexpressed on the surface of Her2(+) breast cancer cells. Therefore, ScFv(Her2)-NP(si) Plk1 exhibits improved cellular uptake, promoted Plk1 silencing efficiency, and induced enhanced tumor cell apoptosis in Her2(+) breast cancer cells, when compared with nontargeted NP(si) Plk1. More importantly, ScFv(Her2)-NP(siRNA) markedly enhances the accumulation of siRNA in Her2(+) breast tumor tissue, and remarkably improves the efficacy of tumor suppression. Dose-dependent anti-tumor efficacy further demonstrates that ScFvHer2 -decorated PEG-PLA-based nanoparticles with siPlk1 encapsulation can significantly enhance the inhibition of Her2(+) breast tumor growth and reduce the dose of injected siRNA. These results suggest that ScFvHer2 -decorated PEG-PLA-based nanoparticles show great potential for targeted RNA interference therapy of Her2(+) breast tumor.