A Multi-Stimuli Responsive Alginate Nanogel for Anticancer Chemo-Photodynamic Therapy

Stimuli-responsive nanosystems enable highly effective targeting and therapeutic functions, including chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Traditional PDT alone cannot effectively eradicate the tumor burden; combined with chemotherapy, this combination presents a powerful treatment modality to modulate the tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, we report a multi-stimulus responsive alginate nanogel that responds to the change in pH and redox potential in the TME. We coupled oxidized alginate with 4-mercapto phenylboronic acid and pheophorbide-a (a hydrophobic photosensitizer) and conjugated with adipic acid dihydrazide to design the nanogels. Further, we encapsulated doxorubicin, a cytotoxic agent, in the nanogel to enable chemotherapy. The alginate nanogel exhibited the pH-sensitive release of both pheophorbide-a and doxorubicin and simultaneously reduced the redox potential that enhanced PDT by increasing reactive oxygen species production. Our results demonstrate that the multi-stimuli responsive alginate nanogel enhances toxicity in breast cancer and melanoma.This is a manuscript of an article published as Pillarisetti, Shameer, Veena Vijayan, Jayakumar Rangasamy, Rizia Bardhan, Saji Uthaman, and In-Kyu Park. "A Multi-Stimuli Responsive Alginate Nanogel for Anticancer Chemo-Photodynamic Therapy." Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2023.03.053. Copyright 2023 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Posted with permission

Hybrid exosomes, exosome-like nanovesicles and engineered exosomes for therapeutic applications

Exosomes are endosome-derived nanovesicles involved in cellular communication. They are natural nanocarriers secreted by various cells, making them suitable candidates for diverse drug delivery and therapeutic applications from a material standpoint. They have a phospholipid bilayer decorated with functional molecules and an enclosed parental matrix, which has attracted interest in developing designer/hybrid engineered exosome nanocarriers. The structural versatility of exosomes allows the modification of their original configuration using various methods, including genetic engineering, chemical procedures, physical techniques, and microfluidic technology, to load exosomes with additional cargo for expanded biomedical applications. Exosomes show enormous potential for overcoming the limitations of conventional nanoparticle-based techniques in targeted therapy. This review highlights the exosome sources, characteristics, state of the art in the field of hybrid exosomes, exosome-like nanovesicles and engineered exosomes as potential cargo delivery vehicles for therapeutic applications.Peer reviewe

Extracellular vesicles and exosome-like nanovesicles as pioneering oral drug delivery systems

As extracellular vesicle (EV)-based nanotechnology has developed rapidly, it has made unprecedented opportunities for nanomedicine possible. EVs and exosome-like nanovesicles (ELNVs) are natural nanocarriers with unique structural, compositional, and morphological characteristics that provide excellent physical, chemical, and biochemical properties. In this literature, we examine the characteristics of EVs, including how they are administered orally and their therapeutic activity. According to the current examples of EVs and ELNVs for oral delivery, milk and plant EVs can exert therapeutic effects through their protein, nucleic acid, and lipid components. Furthermore, several methods for loading drugs into exosomes and targeting exosomes have been employed to investigate their therapeutic capability. Moreover, we discuss EVs as potential drug carriers and the potential role of ELNVs for disease prevention and treatment or as potential drug carriers in the future. In conclusion, the issues associated with the development of EVs and ELNVs from sources such as milk and plants, as well as concerns with standardized applications of these EVs, are discussed.Peer reviewe