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Arenobufagin (ABG) is a major active component of toad venom, a traditional Chinese medicine used for cancer therapy. However, poor aqueous solubility limits its pharmacological studies in vivo due to administration difficulties. In this study, we aimed to develop a polymeric nanomicelle (PN) system to enhance the solubility of ABG for effective intravenous delivery. ABG-loaded PNs (ABG-PNs) were prepared with methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (mPEG-PLGA) using the solvent-diffusion technique. The obtained ABG-PNs were 105 nm in size with a small polydispersity index of 0.08. The entrapment efficiency and drug loading were 71.9% and 4.58%, respectively. Cellular uptake of ABG-PNs was controlled by specific clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In addition, ABG-PNs showed improved drug pharmacokinetics with an increased area under the curve value (a 1.73-fold increase) and a decreased elimination clearance (37.8% decrease). The nanomicelles showed increased drug concentrations in the liver and lung. In contrast, drug concentrations in both heart and brain were decreased. Moreover, the nanomicelles enhanced the anticancer effect of the pure drug probably via increased cellular uptake of drug molecules. In conclusion, the mPEG-PLGA-based nanomicelle system is a satisfactory carrier for the systemic delivery of ABG.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S139128 | DOI Listing |
Nano Lett
September 2025
Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory (MBL), State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Biology, Aptamer Engineering Center of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a robust proinflammatory cytokine that activates immune cells, such as T cells and natural killer cells, to induce antitumor immunity. However, the clinical application of recombinant IL-12 has been limited by systemic immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and rapid degradation. To address these challenges, we employed mRNA technology to encode a tumor-activated IL-12 "lock" fusion protein that offers both therapeutic efficacy and systemic safety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMed Oncol
September 2025
Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Engineering and Management, University of Engineering and Management, Kolkata, Kolkata, India.
Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), condensed tannins found plentiful in grape seeds and berries, have higher bioavailability and therapeutic benefits due to their low degree of polymerization. Recent evidence places OPCs as effective modulators of cancer stem cell (CSC) plasticity and tumor growth. Mechanistically, OPCs orchestrate multi-pathway inhibition by destabilizing Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, JAK/STAT3, and Hedgehog pathways, triggering β-catenin degradation, silencing stemness regulators (OCT4, NANOG, SOX2), and stimulating tumor-suppressive microRNAs (miR-200, miR-34a).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatology
September 2025
Department of Pathology, Department of Molecular Biology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Background And Aims: So far, there is no effective mechanism-based therapeutic agent tailored for liver tumors. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated limited efficacy in liver cancer, often associated with severe adverse effects. Although poly-inosinic:cytidylic acid (polyIC) has shown an adjuvant effect when combined with anti-PD-L1 antibody (αPD-L1) in treating liver tumors in animal models, its systemic toxicity limits its clinical utility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
September 2025
Department of Pathological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States.
Oncolytic virotherapy (OVT) has emerged as a promising and innovative cancer treatment strategy that harnesses engineered viruses to selectively infect, replicate within, and destroys malignant cells while sparing healthy tissues. Beyond direct oncolysis, oncolytic viruses (OVs) exploit tumor-specific metabolic, antiviral, and immunological vulnerabilities to reshape the tumor microenvironment (TME) and initiate systemic antitumor immunity. Despite promising results from preclinical and clinical studies, several barriers, including inefficient intratumoral virus delivery, immune clearance, and tumor heterogeneity, continue to limit the therapeutic advantages of OVT as a standalone modality and hindered its clinical success.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Nanomedicine
September 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
The STING pathway has emerged as a therapeutic target in tumor immunotherapy due to its ability to induce interferon responses, enhance antigen presentation and activate T cells. Despite its therapeutic potential, STING pathway-based tumor immunotherapy has been limited by challenges in poor cellular delivery, rapid degradation of STING agonists, and potential systemic toxicity. Recently, advancements in nanotechnology have tried to overcome these limitations by providing platforms for more accurate and efficient targeted delivery of agonists, more moderate sustained STING pathway activation, and more efficient immune presentation and anti-tumor immune response.
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