EGFR Targeted Nanocarriers for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

Conventional cancer management is directly associated with many problems, including accurate therapeutic delivery to tumours and serious side effects of chemotherapeutics. A specific and efficient anticancer delivery to the tumour site without damaging normal tissues is the ultimate goal of all cancer treatment strategies. Nanomedicine has immense potential for cancer therapy that focuses on improving treatment efficacy, while reducing toxicity to normal tissues as well. However, the biodistribution and targeting capability of nanoparticles lacking targeting ligands rely solely on their physicochemical properties and the pathophysiological parameters of the body. Targeting is a promising strategy for selective and efficient therapeutic delivery to tumour cells with reduced detrimental side effects. Taking advantage of the fact that molecular markers and receptors over-express on the tumour cell surface as compared to a normal cell, the active targeting approach would be beneficial for cancer therapy. The epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR), abnormally overexpressed in many epithelial tumours, have received much attention for molecular targeting in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. This review presents the role of EGFR targeting in cancer imaging and therapy, and some recent researches on treatment of EGFR overexpressing cancers by using targeted nanoparticulate platforms. It also discusses illustrative examples of various ligands, including antibodies, antibody fragments, nanobodies, and peptides.HighlightsHighlights the potential of EGFR targeted nanocarriers for cancer diagnosis and therapy.Summarizes the role of EGFR targeting in cancer therapy.Describes various examples of recent researches on EGFR targeted nanocarriers.Explains illustrative examples of various ligands for EGFR targeting.

Preparation and Optimization of Vancomycin hydrochloride Encapsulated Multivesicular Liposomes for Sustained Locoregional Delivery

Introduction: Osteomyelitis is a destructive inflammatory condition of the bone that is usually caused by a wide range of microorganisms especially Staphylococcus aureus. Considering the downsides of systemic antibiotic therapies as well as conventional local drug delivery systems such as using polymethylmethacrylate, this study aimed to develop, characterize and optimize vancomycin hydrochloride loaded multivesicular liposomes (MVLs) as a proper therapeutic option for the treatment of osteomyelitis. Methods and Results: A 23 full factorial design technique was applied to determine the effects of three variables (lipid to drug ratio, triolein content and cholesterol to phospholipid ratio) on the encapsulation efficiency and release profile of vancomycin hydrochloride loaded MVLs to optimize the final formulation. Further characterization was performed on the optimized formula by evaluating the morphology, size and storage stability. The average drug encapsulation efficiency and the mean diameter of the optimized formulation was 54.7 ± 0.3% and 9.019 ± 0.26 µm, respectively with a span value of 0.188. Additionally, the spherical and multivesicular nature of MVLs was visible using optical microscopy (x400). The optimized formula showed an in vitro sustained release characteristic with proper stability and insignificant change in size, morphology and EE% for 30 days at 4°C. Conclusion: This study suggests that vancomycin hydrochloride loaded MVLs might have the potential to be used in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis as a biocompatible drug carrier with a high antibiotic entrapment capacity as well as controlled drug release

Tacrolimus phospholipid based nanomicelles as a potential local delivery system for corneal neovascularization therapy

Introduction: Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive agent, has been shown to be an effective treatment against corneal neovascularization (CNV). However, the poor solubility of this compound restricts its clinical application. The goal of this study was to incorporate tacrolimus into phospholipid-bile salt mixed micelles. Methods and Results: Tacrolimus loaded phospholipid-bile salt mixed micelles were prepared, employing three different methods of direct dispersion, thin film hydration, and remote film loading, and the effects of various formulation parameters (type of dispersion medium, phospholipid to bile salt molar ratio, lipid-to-drug (L/D) molar ratio, time of probe sonication, and type of bile salt) on the physicochemical characteristics of the mixed micelles were assessed. Remote film loading method indicated higher efficacy for drug entrapment in comparison to the other methods. Encapsulation of tacrolimus within the micelles increased remarkably by the use of sodium taurocholate (NaTC) as bile salt, higher phospholipid percentage, and increasing the total lipid level. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies confirmed the size and size distribution of the mixed micelles and their spherical morphology. It was observed that release of tacrolimus from the micelles was in a controlled manner, without an initial burst. Conclusions: By adjusting process and formulation factors, phospholipid-bile salt mixed micelles with high entrapment efficiency of (99.5 %) and controlled release behavior were achieved, which possess great potential to be valuable carriers for ocular delivery of tacrolimus for the treatment of CNV.                                                                                                                                       &nbsp

Temporal patterns of cancer burden in Asia, 1990–2019: a systematic examination for the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study

BackgroundCancers represent a challenging public health threat in Asia. This study examines the temporal patterns of incidence, mortality, disability and risk factors of 29 cancers in Asia in the last three decades. MethodsThe age, sex and year-wise estimates of incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of 29 cancers for 49 Asian countries from 1990 through 2019 were generated as a part of the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries and Risk Factors 2019 study. Besides incidence, mortality and DALYs, we also examined the cancer burden measured in terms of DALYs and deaths attributable to risk factors, which had evidence of causation with different cancers. The development status of countries was measured using the socio-demographic index. Decomposition analysis was performed to gauge the change in cancer incidence between 1990 and 2019 due to population growth, aging and age-specific incidence rates. FindingsAll cancers combined claimed an estimated 5.6 million [95% uncertainty interval, 5.1–6.0 million] lives in Asia with 9.4 million [8.6–10.2 million] incident cases and 144.7 million [132.7–156.5 million] DALYs in 2019. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of all cancers combined in Asia was 197.6/100,000 [181.0–214.4] in 2019, varying from 99.2/100,000 [76.1–126.0] in Bangladesh to 330.5/100,000 [298.5–365.8] in Cyprus. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) was 120.6/100,000 [110.1–130.7] in 2019, varying 4-folds across countries from 71.0/100,000 [59.9–83.5] in Kuwait to 284.2/100,000 [229.2–352.3] in Mongolia. The age-standardized DALYs rate was 2970.5/100,000 [2722.6–3206.5] in 2019, varying from 1578.0/100,000 [1341.2–1847.0] in Kuwait to 6574.4/100,000 [5141.7–8333.0] in Mongolia. Between 1990 and 2019, deaths due to 17 of the 29 cancers either doubled or more, and 20 of the 29 cancers underwent an increase of 150% or more in terms of new cases. Tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer (both sexes), breast cancer (among females), colon and rectum cancer (both sexes), stomach cancer (both sexes) and prostate cancer (among males) were among top-5 cancers in most Asian countries in terms of ASIR and ASMR in 2019 and cancers of liver, stomach, hodgkin lymphoma and esophageal cancer posted the most significant decreases in age-standardized rates between 1990 and 2019. Among the modifiable risk factors, smoking, alcohol use, ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution and unsafe sex remained the dominant risk factors between 1990 and 2019. Cancer DALYs due to ambient PM pollution, high body mass index and fasting plasma glucose has increased most notably between 1990 and 2019. InterpretationWith growing incidence, cancer has become more significant public health threat in Asia, demanding urgent policy attention and guidance. Its heightened risk calls for increased cancer awareness, preventive measures, affordable early-stage detection, and cost-effective therapeutics in Asia. The current study can serve as a useful resource for policymakers and researchers in Asia for devising interventions for cancer management and control. FundingThe GBD study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.This work is supported by: - University Grants Commission - Chandigarh University - National Science and Technology Council - grant no. [112-2410-H-003-031] - Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - grant no. [OPP1152504] - Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities - grant no. [30923011101] - Social Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province - grant no. [21GLD008] - National Natural Science Foundation of China - grant no. [72204112

Comparative Study of Traditional and Microlearning Methods in Teaching Drug-Loaded Nanoliposomes to Pharmacy Students

Introduction: Microlearning is one of the new educational methods presented in small units in a short time. The present study aimed to compare the two methods of traditional teaching and microlearning in teaching nanoliposomes to pharmacy students. Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 40 pharmacy students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2023. Students were randomly assigned to two groups of traditional education and microlearning. The intervention group received educational content, including methods of manufacturing, drug loading, and characterization of pharmaceutical nanoliposomes as microlearning, while the control group received the standard liposome textbook that contains educational content in written form. Educational content was prepared and edited using educational video design software. After intervention, a researcher-made test was employed to evaluate learning in the two groups. The questionnaire for user interface satisfaction (QUIS)  was used to measure users' satisfaction with microlearning educational packages. The normality of the distribution of scores was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and The Mann-Whitney U test was also used to compare differences between the two groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS (22). Results: Totally 40 pharmacy students participated in this study, including 20 participants in the traditional education group (14 women and 6 men) and 20 cases in the microlearning group (12 women and 8 men). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age and grade point average. The results demonstrated that the average scores of the two groups represented  no statistically significant difference (P=0.38). Moreover, the overall satisfaction level of students with the educational content was 8.07 (out of 10). The highest score (8.7) pertained to the ease of working with the educational package and the sequence of demonstration parts in the educational package, while the lowest score (5.9) was related to the speed of the educational videos. Conclusions: As evidenced by the results of this study, although the use of microlearning content in teaching the methods of making liposomes did not lead to a marked increase in students' grades, it brought most of them great satisfaction. The microlearning package can be made available to the audience at any time and place, resulting in a higher rate of satisfaction

Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Crocin-loaded Casein Hydrogels: Crocin-loaded casein hydrogels

Crocin, the main active constituent of saffron, has many important biological activities. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, crocin can be potentially effective in different pathological conditions including oral ulcers. Novel drug delivery systems such as hydrogels have been used to increase the stability of crocin and provide a controlled release of this compound. Casein is the main protein of milk that possesses suitable properties for the fabrication of hydrogels. In this paper, casein-based hydrogels with different casein to crocin weight ratios were synthesized using the acid-gelation method. The prepared crocin-loaded hydrogels were characterized regarding their rheological behavior, drug content, swelling ratio, surface morphology, thermal stability, and in vitro release profile. The structure of casein hydrogels was characterized using Fourier transform infrared and X-ray diffraction. All formulations exhibited a pseudoplastic rheological behavior and there was no statistically significant difference in viscosity among them. Hydrogel with casein to crocin weight ratio of 10:1 had larger pores and demonstrated a higher swelling percentage and suitable thermal stability. All casein-based hydrogels demonstrated a slow release of crocin over 24 hours and the hydrogel with lower casein to crocin weight ratio had an increased release rate. Taken together, casein-based hydrogels were found to be effective carriers to provide a controlled release system for crocin delivery. HIGHLIGHTS Casein-based hydrogels were developed for delivery of crocin. Casein-based hydrogels provided a controlled in vitro release profile for crocin. Hydrogel with a lower casein ratio exhibited a higher release rate of crocin