Anti-diabetic and anti-obesity agent sodium tungstate enhances GCN pathway activation through Glc7p inhibition

[EN] Tungstate counteracts diabetes and obesity in animal models, but its molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Our Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based approach has found that tungstate alleviated the growth defect induced by nutrient stress and enhanced the activation of the GCN pathway. Tungstate relieved the sensitivity to starvation of a gcn2-507 yeast hypomorphic mutant, indicating that tungstate modulated the GCN pathway downstream of Gcn2p. Interestingly, tungstate inhibited Glc7p and PP1 phosphatase activity, both negative regulators of the GCN pathway in yeast and humans, respectively. Accordingly, overexpression of a dominant-negative Glc7p mutant in yeast mimicked tungstate effects. Therefore tungstate alleviates nutrient stress in yeast by in vivo inhibition of Glc7p. These data uncover a potential role for tungstate in the treatment of PP1 and GCN related diseases. (C) 2012 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.We thank R. Serrano for providing the Delta cnb1 mutant strain. We thank A. G. Hinnebusch for the gcn2-507 and gcn2 mutant strains. The pGEX-GLC7 plasmid was kindly provided by P. Sanz. The PP1-FLAG construct was kindly provided by A. C. Gingras. We thank T. Yates and J. Calbo for critical reading of the manuscript and helpful suggestions. J. J. Guinovart's laboratory was funded by grants from the Direccion General de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica (BFU2008-00769), the Generalitat de Catalunya (2009 SGR 01176), the Fundacion Marcelino Botin and the CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabolicas Asociadas (ISCIII, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion). J. R. Murguia laboratory was funded by Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (FIS03-0628).Rodríguez Hernández, CJ.; Guinovart, J.; Murguía, JR. (2012). Anti-diabetic and anti-obesity agent sodium tungstate enhances GCN pathway activation through Glc7p inhibition. FEBS Letters. 586(3):270-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2011.12.035S270276586

Targeting Innate Immunity with dsRNA-Conjugated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Promotes Antitumor Effects on Breast Cancer Cells

The authors describe herein a Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) targeting delivery system based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles capped with the synthetic double stranded RNA polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) for controlled cargo delivery in SK-BR-3 breast carcinoma cells. The authors' results show that poly(I:C)-conjugated nanoparticles efficiently targeted breast cancer cells due to dsRNA-TLR3 interaction. Such interaction also triggered apoptotic pathways in SK-BR-3, significantly decreasing cells viability. Poly(I:C) cytotoxic effect in breast carcinoma cells was enhanced by loading nanoparticles' mesopores with the anthracyclinic antibiotic doxorubicin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent.We thank the Spanish Government (projects SAF2010-21195 and MAT2012-38429-C04-01) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEOII/2014/047) for support. A.U. and C.G. are grateful to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport for their doctoral fellowships. We thank J. M. Cosgaya and M. J. Latasa for helpful discussions.Ultimo, A.; Giménez Morales, C.; Bartovsky, P.; Aznar, E.; Sancenón Galarza, F.; Marcos Martínez, MD.; Amoros Del Toro, PJ.... (2016). Targeting Innate Immunity with dsRNA-Conjugated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Promotes Antitumor Effects on Breast Cancer Cells. Chemistry - A European Journal. 22(5):1582-1586. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201504629S15821586225Torre, L. A., Bray, F., Siegel, R. L., Ferlay, J., Lortet-Tieulent, J., & Jemal, A. (2015). Global cancer statistics, 2012. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 65(2), 87-108. doi:10.3322/caac.21262McGuire, A., Brown, J., Malone, C., McLaughlin, R., & Kerin, M. (2015). Effects of Age on the Detection and Management of Breast Cancer. Cancers, 7(2), 908-929. doi:10.3390/cancers7020815Stier, S., Maletzki, C., Klier, U., & Linnebacher, M. (2013). Combinations of TLR Ligands: A Promising Approach in Cancer Immunotherapy. Clinical and Developmental Immunology, 2013, 1-14. doi:10.1155/2013/271246Huang, B., Zhao, J., Li, H., He, K.-L., Chen, Y., Mayer, L., … Xiong, H. (2005). Toll-Like Receptors on Tumor Cells Facilitate Evasion of Immune Surveillance. Cancer Research, 65(12), 5009-5014. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-05-0784Salaun, B., Coste, I., Rissoan, M.-C., Lebecque, S. J., & Renno, T. (2006). TLR3 Can Directly Trigger Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cells. The Journal of Immunology, 176(8), 4894-4901. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.176.8.4894Salaun, B., Zitvogel, L., Asselin-Paturel, C., Morel, Y., Chemin, K., Dubois, C., … Andre, F. (2011). TLR3 as a Biomarker for the Therapeutic Efficacy of Double-stranded RNA in Breast Cancer. Cancer Research, 71(5), 1607-1614. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-10-3490Mal, N. K., Fujiwara, M., & Tanaka, Y. (2003). Photocontrolled reversible release of guest molecules from coumarin-modified mesoporous silica. Nature, 421(6921), 350-353. doi:10.1038/nature01362Casasús, R., Climent, E., Marcos, M. D., Martínez-Máñez, R., Sancenón, F., Soto, J., … Ruiz, E. (2008). Dual Aperture Control on pH- and Anion-Driven Supramolecular Nanoscopic Hybrid Gate-like Ensembles. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130(6), 1903-1917. doi:10.1021/ja0756772Climent, E., Martínez-Máñez, R., Sancenón, F., Marcos, M. D., Soto, J., Maquieira, A., & Amorós, P. (2010). Controlled Delivery Using Oligonucleotide-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 49(40), 7281-7283. doi:10.1002/anie.201001847Climent, E., Martínez-Máñez, R., Sancenón, F., Marcos, M. D., Soto, J., Maquieira, A., & Amorós, P. (2010). Controlled Delivery Using Oligonucleotide-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. Angewandte Chemie, 122(40), 7439-7441. doi:10.1002/ange.201001847Lai, C.-Y., Trewyn, B. G., Jeftinija, D. M., Jeftinija, K., Xu, S., Jeftinija, S., & Lin, V. S.-Y. (2003). A Mesoporous Silica Nanosphere-Based Carrier System with Chemically Removable CdS Nanoparticle Caps for Stimuli-Responsive Controlled Release of Neurotransmitters and Drug Molecules. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 125(15), 4451-4459. doi:10.1021/ja028650lLiu, R., Liao, P., Liu, J., & Feng, P. (2011). Responsive Polymer-Coated Mesoporous Silica as a pH-Sensitive Nanocarrier for Controlled Release. Langmuir, 27(6), 3095-3099. doi:10.1021/la104973jPark, C., Oh, K., Lee, S. C., & Kim, C. (2007). Controlled Release of Guest Molecules from Mesoporous Silica Particles Based on a pH-Responsive Polypseudorotaxane Motif. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 46(9), 1455-1457. doi:10.1002/anie.200603404Park, C., Oh, K., Lee, S. C., & Kim, C. (2007). Controlled Release of Guest Molecules from Mesoporous Silica Particles Based on a pH-Responsive Polypseudorotaxane Motif. Angewandte Chemie, 119(9), 1477-1479. doi:10.1002/ange.200603404Aznar, E., Mondragón, L., Ros-Lis, J. V., Sancenón, F., Marcos, M. D., Martínez-Máñez, R., … Amorós, P. (2011). Finely Tuned Temperature-Controlled Cargo Release Using Paraffin-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 50(47), 11172-11175. doi:10.1002/anie.201102756Aznar, E., Mondragón, L., Ros-Lis, J. V., Sancenón, F., Marcos, M. D., Martínez-Máñez, R., … Amorós, P. (2011). Finely Tuned Temperature-Controlled Cargo Release Using Paraffin-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. Angewandte Chemie, 123(47), 11368-11371. doi:10.1002/ange.201102756Bringas, E., Köysüren, Ö., Quach, D. V., Mahmoudi, M., Aznar, E., Roehling, J. D., … Stroeve, P. (2012). Triggered release in lipid bilayer-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing SPION using an alternating magnetic field. Chemical Communications, 48(45), 5647. doi:10.1039/c2cc31563gFu, Q., Rao, G. V. R., Ista, L. K., Wu, Y., Andrzejewski, B. P., Sklar, L. A., … López, G. P. (2003). Control of Molecular Transport Through Stimuli-Responsive Ordered Mesoporous Materials. Advanced Materials, 15(15), 1262-1266. doi:10.1002/adma.200305165Bernardos, A., Mondragón, L., Aznar, E., Marcos, M. D., Martínez-Máñez, R., Sancenón, F., … Amorós, P. (2010). Enzyme-Responsive Intracellular Controlled Release Using Nanometric Silica Mesoporous Supports Capped with «Saccharides». ACS Nano, 4(11), 6353-6368. doi:10.1021/nn101499dCliment, E., Bernardos, A., Martínez-Máñez, R., Maquieira, A., Marcos, M. D., Pastor-Navarro, N., … Amorós, P. (2009). Controlled Delivery Systems Using Antibody-Capped Mesoporous Nanocontainers. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 131(39), 14075-14080. doi:10.1021/ja904456dPark, C., Kim, H., Kim, S., & Kim, C. (2009). Enzyme Responsive Nanocontainers with Cyclodextrin Gatekeepers and Synergistic Effects in Release of Guests. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 131(46), 16614-16615. doi:10.1021/ja9061085Patel, K., Angelos, S., Dichtel, W. R., Coskun, A., Yang, Y.-W., Zink, J. I., & Stoddart, J. F. (2008). Enzyme-Responsive Snap-Top Covered Silica Nanocontainers. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130(8), 2382-2383. doi:10.1021/ja0772086Schlossbauer, A., Kecht, J., & Bein, T. (2009). Biotin-Avidin as a Protease-Responsive Cap System for Controlled Guest Release from Colloidal Mesoporous Silica. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 48(17), 3092-3095. doi:10.1002/anie.200805818Schlossbauer, A., Kecht, J., & Bein, T. (2009). Biotin-Avidin as a Protease-Responsive Cap System for Controlled Guest Release from Colloidal Mesoporous Silica. Angewandte Chemie, 121(17), 3138-3141. doi:10.1002/ange.200805818Schlossbauer, A., Warncke, S., Gramlich, P. M. E., Kecht, J., Manetto, A., Carell, T., & Bein, T. (2010). A Programmable DNA-Based Molecular Valve for Colloidal Mesoporous Silica. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 49(28), 4734-4737. doi:10.1002/anie.201000827Schlossbauer, A., Warncke, S., Gramlich, P. M. E., Kecht, J., Manetto, A., Carell, T., & Bein, T. (2010). Ein programmierbares, DNA-basiertes molekulares Ventil für kolloidales, mesoporöses Siliciumoxid. Angewandte Chemie, 122(28), 4842-4845. doi:10.1002/ange.201000827Agostini, A., Mondragón, L., Pascual, L., Aznar, E., Coll, C., Martínez-Máñez, R., … Gil, S. (2012). Design of Enzyme-Mediated Controlled Release Systems Based on Silica Mesoporous Supports Capped with Ester-Glycol Groups. Langmuir, 28(41), 14766-14776. doi:10.1021/la303161eKresge, C. T., Leonowicz, M. E., Roth, W. J., Vartuli, J. C., & Beck, J. S. (1992). Ordered mesoporous molecular sieves synthesized by a liquid-crystal template mechanism. Nature, 359(6397), 710-712. doi:10.1038/359710a0Knežević, N. Ž., & Durand, J.-O. (2015). Targeted Treatment of Cancer with Nanotherapeutics Based on Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. ChemPlusChem, 80(1), 26-36. doi:10.1002/cplu.201402369Peer, D., Karp, J. M., Hong, S., Farokhzad, O. C., Margalit, R., & Langer, R. (2007). Nanocarriers as an emerging platform for cancer therapy. Nature Nanotechnology, 2(12), 751-760. doi:10.1038/nnano.2007.387Petros, R. A., & DeSimone, J. M. (2010). Strategies in the design of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 9(8), 615-627. doi:10.1038/nrd2591Wagner, V., Dullaart, A., Bock, A.-K., & Zweck, A. (2006). The emerging nanomedicine landscape. Nature Biotechnology, 24(10), 1211-1217. doi:10.1038/nbt1006-1211Agostini, A., Mondragón, L., Bernardos, A., Martínez-Máñez, R., Marcos, M. D., Sancenón, F., … Murguía, J. R. (2012). Targeted Cargo Delivery in Senescent Cells Using Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 51(42), 10556-10560. doi:10.1002/anie.201204663Agostini, A., Mondragón, L., Bernardos, A., Martínez-Máñez, R., Marcos, M. D., Sancenón, F., … Murguía, J. R. (2012). Targeted Cargo Delivery in Senescent Cells Using Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles. Angewandte Chemie, 124(42), 10708-10712. doi:10.1002/ange.201204663Xie, M., Shi, H., Li, Z., Shen, H., Ma, K., Li, B., … Jin, Y. (2013). A multifunctional mesoporous silica nanocomposite for targeted delivery, controlled release of doxorubicin and bioimaging. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 110, 138-147. doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2013.04.009Wang, Y., Shi, W., Song, W., Wang, L., Liu, X., Chen, J., & Huang, R. (2012). Tumor cell targeted delivery by specific peptide-modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 22(29), 14608. doi:10.1039/c2jm32398bFerris, D. P., Lu, J., Gothard, C., Yanes, R., Thomas, C. R., Olsen, J.-C., … Zink, J. I. (2011). Synthesis of Biomolecule-Modified Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Targeted Hydrophobic Drug Delivery to Cancer Cells. Small, 7(13), 1816-1826. doi:10.1002/smll.201002300Tsai, C.-P., Chen, C.-Y., Hung, Y., Chang, F.-H., & Mou, C.-Y. (2009). Monoclonal antibody-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) for selective targeting breast cancer cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 19(32), 5737. doi:10.1039/b905158aBernardo, A. R., Cosgaya, J. M., Aranda, A., & Jiménez-Lara, A. M. (2013). Synergy between RA and TLR3 promotes type I IFN-dependent apoptosis through upregulation of TRAIL pathway in breast cancer cells. Cell Death & Disease, 4(1), e479-e479. doi:10.1038/cddis.2013.5Patel, S., Sprung, A. U., Keller, B. A., Heaton, V. J., & Fisher, L. M. (1997). Identification of Yeast DNA Topoisomerase II Mutants Resistant to the Antitumor Drug Doxorubicin: Implications for the Mechanisms of Doxorubicin Action and Cytotoxicity. Molecular Pharmacology, 52(4), 658-666. doi:10.1124/mol.52.4.658Lyu, Y. L., Kerrigan, J. E., Lin, C.-P., Azarova, A. M., Tsai, Y.-C., Ban, Y., & Liu, L. F. (2007). Topoisomerase II  Mediated DNA Double-Strand Breaks: Implications in Doxorubicin Cardiotoxicity and Prevention by Dexrazoxane. Cancer Research, 67(18), 8839-8846. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-07-1649Galluzzi, L., Vacchelli, E., Eggermont, A., Fridman, W. H., Galon, J., Sautès-Fridman, C., … Kroemer, G. (2012). Trial Watch. OncoImmunology, 1(5), 699-739. doi:10.4161/onci.20696Paone, A., Starace, D., Galli, R., Padula, F., De Cesaris, P., Filippini, A., … Riccioli, A. (2008). Toll-like receptor 3 triggers apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells through a PKC- -dependent mechanism. Carcinogenesis, 29(7), 1334-1342. doi:10.1093/carcin/bgn14

Nanoprogrammed Cross-Kingdom Communication Between Living Microorganisms

[EN] The engineering of chemical communication at the micro/nanoscale is a key emergent topic in micro/nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and related areas. However, the field is still in its infancy; previous advances, although scarce, have mainly focused on communication between abiotic micro/nanosystems or between microvesicles and living cells. Here, we have implemented a nanoprogrammed cross-kingdom communication involving two different microorganisms and tailor-made nanodevices acting as "nanotranslators". Information flows from the sender cells (bacteria) to the nanodevice and from the nanodevice to receiver cells (yeasts) in a hierarchical way, allowing communication between two microorganisms that otherwise would not interact.B.d.L. is grateful to the Spanish Government for her FPU Ph.D. fellowship. The authors wish to thank the Spanish Government (projects RTI2018-100910-B-C41 and RTI2018101599-B-C22 (MCUI/FEDER, EU)) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEO 2018/024) for support. Part of this work was included in the Ph.D. thesis of B.d.L.De Luis-Fernández, B.; Morella-Aucejo, Á.; Llopis-Lorente, A.; Martínez-Latorre, J.; Sancenón Galarza, F.; López Del Rincón, C.; Murguía, JR.... (2022). Nanoprogrammed Cross-Kingdom Communication Between Living Microorganisms. Nano Letters. 22(5):1836-1844. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c024351836184422

Targeting inflammasome by the inhibition of caspase-1 activity using capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles

[EN] Acute inflammation is a protective response of the body to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens or damaged cells. However, dysregulated inflammation can cause secondary damage and could thus contribute to the pathophysiology of many diseases. Inflammasomes, the macromolecular complexes responsible for caspase-1 activation, have emerged as key regulators of immune and inflammatory responses. Therefore, modulation of inflammasome activity has become an important therapeutic approach. Here we describe the design of a smart nanodevice that takes advantage of the passive targeting of nanoparticles to macrophages and enhances the therapeutic effect of caspase-1 inhibitor VX-765 in vivo. The functional hybrid systems consisted of MCM-41-based nanoparticles loaded with anti-inflammatory drug VX-765 (S2-P) and capped with poly-L-lysine, which acts as a molecular gate. S2-P activity has been evaluated in cellular and in vivo models of inflammation. The results indicated the potential advantage of using nanodevices to treat inflammatory diseases. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Spanish government (Projects MAT2015-64139-C4-1-R and SAF2014-52614-R (MINECO/FEDER)) and the Generalitat Valencia (Projects PROMETEOII/2014/061 and PROMETEOII/2014/047) for support. A.G-F. is grateful to the Spanish government for an FPU grant.García-Fernández, A.; García-Laínez, G.; Ferrandiz Manglano, ML.; Aznar, E.; Sancenón Galarza, F.; Alcaraz, MJ.; Murguía, JR.... (2017). Targeting inflammasome by the inhibition of caspase-1 activity using capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Journal of Controlled Release. 248:60-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.01.002S607024

Nanoparticle-cell-nanoparticle communication by stigmergy to enhance poly(I:C) induced apoptosis in cancer cells

[EN] Nanoparticle-cell-nanoparticle communication by stigmergy was demonstrated using two capped nanodevices. The first community of nanoparticles (i.e.S(RA)(IFN)) is loaded with 9-cis-retinoic acid and capped with interferon-gamma, whereas the second community of nanoparticles (i.e.S(sulf)(PIC)) is loaded with sulforhodamine B and capped with poly(I:C). The uptake ofS(RA)(IFN)by SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells enhanced the expression of TLR3 receptor facilitating the subsequent uptake ofS(sulf)(PIC)and cell killing.We thank the Spanish Government (projects RTI2018-100910-B-C41 and RTI2018-101599-B-C22 (MCUI/FEDER, EU)), Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEO2018/024) and CIBER-BBN (project NANOCOMMUNITY) for support. A. U. and C. G are grateful to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport for her doctoral FPU grant.Ultimo, A.; De La Torre-Paredes, C.; Giménez, C.; Aznar, E.; Coll, C.; Marcos Martínez, MD.; Murguía, JR.... (2020). Nanoparticle-cell-nanoparticle communication by stigmergy to enhance poly(I:C) induced apoptosis in cancer cells. Chemical Communications. 56(53):7273-7276. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0cc02795bS727372765653Schaming, D., & Remita, H. (2015). Nanotechnology: from the ancient time to nowadays. Foundations of Chemistry, 17(3), 187-205. doi:10.1007/s10698-015-9235-yHauert, S., & Bhatia, S. N. (2014). Mechanisms of cooperation in cancer nanomedicine: towards systems nanotechnology. Trends in Biotechnology, 32(9), 448-455. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2014.06.010Theraulaz, G., & Bonabeau, E. (1999). A Brief History of Stigmergy. Artificial Life, 5(2), 97-116. doi:10.1162/106454699568700Llopis-Lorente, A., Díez, P., Sánchez, A., Marcos, M. D., Sancenón, F., Martínez-Ruiz, P., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2017). Interactive models of communication at the nanoscale using nanoparticles that talk to one another. Nature Communications, 8(1). doi:10.1038/ncomms15511Luis, B., Llopis‐Lorente, A., Rincón, P., Gadea, J., Sancenón, F., Aznar, E., … Martínez‐Máñez, R. (2019). An Interactive Model of Communication between Abiotic Nanodevices and Microorganisms. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 58(42), 14986-14990. doi:10.1002/anie.201908867De la Torre, C., Domínguez-Berrocal, L., Murguía, J. R., Marcos, M. D., Martínez-Máñez, R., Bravo, J., & Sancenón, F. (2018). ϵ -Polylysine-Capped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Carrier of the C 9h Peptide to Induce Apoptosis in Cancer Cells. Chemistry - A European Journal, 24(8), 1890-1897. doi:10.1002/chem.201704161García-Fernández, A., García-Laínez, G., Ferrándiz, M. L., Aznar, E., Sancenón, F., Alcaraz, M. J., … Orzáez, M. (2017). Targeting inflammasome by the inhibition of caspase-1 activity using capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Journal of Controlled Release, 248, 60-70. doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.01.002Murugan, C., Rayappan, K., Thangam, R., Bhanumathi, R., Shanthi, K., Vivek, R., … Kannan, S. (2016). Combinatorial nanocarrier based drug delivery approach for amalgamation of anti-tumor agents in breast cancer cells: an improved nanomedicine strategy. Scientific Reports, 6(1). doi:10.1038/srep34053Van Rijt, S. H., Bölükbas, D. A., Argyo, C., Datz, S., Lindner, M., Eickelberg, O., … Meiners, S. (2015). Protease-Mediated Release of Chemotherapeutics from Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles to ex Vivo Human and Mouse Lung Tumors. ACS Nano, 9(3), 2377-2389. doi:10.1021/nn5070343Llopis-Lorente, A., Lozano-Torres, B., Bernardos, A., Martínez-Máñez, R., & Sancenón, F. (2017). Mesoporous silica materials for controlled delivery based on enzymes. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 5(17), 3069-3083. doi:10.1039/c7tb00348jBianchi, F., Pretto, S., Tagliabue, E., Balsari, A., & Sfondrini, L. (2017). Exploiting poly(I:C) to induce cancer cell apoptosis. Cancer Biology & Therapy, 18(10), 747-756. doi:10.1080/15384047.2017.1373220Ultimo, A., Giménez, C., Bartovsky, P., Aznar, E., Sancenón, F., Marcos, M. D., … Murguía, J. R. (2016). Targeting Innate Immunity with dsRNA-Conjugated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Promotes Antitumor Effects on Breast Cancer Cells. Chemistry - A European Journal, 22(5), 1582-1586. doi:10.1002/chem.201504629Bernardo, A. R., Cosgaya, J. M., Aranda, A., & Jiménez-Lara, A. M. (2013). Synergy between RA and TLR3 promotes type I IFN-dependent apoptosis through upregulation of TRAIL pathway in breast cancer cells. Cell Death & Disease, 4(1), e479-e479. doi:10.1038/cddis.2013.5Clarke, N., Jimenez-Lara, A. M., Voltz, E., & Gronemeyer, H. (2004). Tumor suppressor IRF-1 mediates retinoid and interferon anticancer signaling to death ligand TRAIL. The EMBO Journal, 23(15), 3051-3060. doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600302Kajita, A. i., Morizane, S., Takiguchi, T., Yamamoto, T., Yamada, M., & Iwatsuki, K. (2015). Interferon-Gamma Enhances TLR3 Expression and Anti-Viral Activity in Keratinocytes. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 135(8), 2005-2011. doi:10.1038/jid.2015.125Weihua, X., Kolla, V., & Kalvakolanu, D. V. (1997). Modulation of Interferon Action by Retinoids. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 272(15), 9742-9748. doi:10.1074/jbc.272.15.974

Gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the controlled delivery of drugs in cancer cells

In recent years, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been used as effective supports for the development of controlled-release nanodevices that are able to act as multifunctional delivery platforms for the encapsulation of therapeutic agents, enhancing their bioavailability and overcoming common issues such as poor water solubility and poor stability of some drugs. In particular, redox-responsive delivery systems have attracted the attention of scientists because of the intracellular reductive environment related to a high concentration of glutathione (GSH). In this context, we describe herein the development of a GSH-responsive delivery system based on poly(ethylene glycol)- (PEG-) capped MSNs that are able to deliver safranin O and doxorubicin in a controlled manner. The results showed that the PEG-capped systems designed in this work can be maintained closed at low GSH concentrations, yet the cargo can be delivered when the concentration of GSH is increased. Moreover, the efficacy of the PEG-capped system in delivering the cytotoxic agent doxorubicin in cells was also demonstrated.The authors thank the Spanish Government (Project MAT2012-38429-C04-01), the Generalitat Valenciana (Project PROMETEOII/2014/047), and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Project SP20120795) for support. C.G. and C.d.l.T also thank the Spanish Ministry of Education for their FPU grants. The authors also thank UPV electron microscopy and CIPF confocal microscopy services for technical support.Giménez Morales, C.; De La Torre, C.; Gorbe, M.; Aznar, E.; Sancenón Galarza, F.; Murguía, JR.; Martínez-Máñez, R.... (2015). Gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the controlled delivery of drugs in cancer cells. Langmuir. 31(12):3753-3762. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b00139S37533762311

Enhanced antifungal efficacy of tebuconazole using gated pH-driven mesoporous nanoparticles

pH-sensitive gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles have been synthesized. Increased extracellular pH and internalization into living yeast cells triggered molecular gate aperture and cargo release. Proper performance of the system was demonstrated with nanodevices loaded with fluorescein or with the antifungal agent tebuconazole. Interestingly, nanodevices loaded with tebuconazole significantly enhanced tebuconazole cytotoxicity. As alterations of acidic external pH are a key parameter in the onset of fungal vaginitis, this nanodevice could improve the treatment for vaginal mycoses.Mas Font, N.; Galiana, I.; Hurtado, S.; Mondragón Martínez, L.; Bernardos Bau, A.; Sancenón Galarza, F.; Marcos Martínez, MD.... (2014). Enhanced antifungal efficacy of tebuconazole using gated pH-driven mesoporous nanoparticles. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 9:2597-2606. doi:10.2147/IJN.S59654S25972606

Between Scylla and Charibdis: eIF2 alpha kinases as targets for cancer chemotherapy

[EN] The eIF2 alpha kinases integrate translation initiation rates with nutrient availability, thus allowing cells to adapt to nutrient scarcity. Recent evidence has uncovered new functions of these kinases in tumour cell biology, ranging from regulation of cell cycle progression, maintenance of genome stability, control of apoptosis, and cell survival under nutrient stress and hypoxia. Accordingly, active eIF2 alpha kinases modulate the antineoplasic activity of several antitumour drugs, either by exacerbating their cytotoxic effect or by promoting chemoresistance. Understanding of eIF2 alpha kinases molecular roles may provide mechanistic insights into how tumour cells sense and adapt to nutrient restriction, thus helping to implement more effective approaches for cancer chemotherapy.Moreno Torres, M.; Murguía, JR. (2011). Between Scylla and Charibdis: eIF2 alpha kinases as targets for cancer chemotherapy. Clinical & Translational Oncology. 13(7):442-445. doi:10.1007/s12094-011-0680-3S44244513

Gated materials for on-command release of guest molecules

[EN] Multidisciplinary research at the forefront of the field of hybrid materials has paved the way to the development of endless examples of smart devices. One appealing concept in this fertile field is related to the design of gated materials. These are constructed for finely tuning the delivery of chemical or biochemical species from voids of porous supports to a solution in response to predefined stimuli. Such gated materials are composed mainly of two subunits: (i) a porous inorganic support in which a cargo is loaded and (ii) certain molecular or supramolecular entities, generally grafted onto the external surface, which can control mass transport from pores. On the basis of this concept, a large number of imaginative examples have been developed. This review intends to be a comprehensive analysis of papers published until 2014 on hybrid mesoporous gated materials. The molecules used as gates, the opening mechanisms, and controlled release behavior are detailed. We hope this review will not only help researchers who work in this field but also may open the minds of related ones to develop new advances in this fertile research area.The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Government (Project MAT2012-38429-C04-01) and the Generalitat Valenciana (Project PROMETEOII/2014/047). Ll.P. and M.O. also thank the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia for their predoctoral grants.Aznar, E.; Oroval, M.; Pascual, L.; Murguía, JR.; Martínez-Máñez, R.; Sancenón Galarza, F. (2016). Gated materials for on-command release of guest molecules. Chemical Reviews. 116(2):561-718. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00456S561718116