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International Journal of Pharmaceutics Jun 2024Safe and effective Cu supplementation in local lesion is crucial for minimizing toxicity of DSF-based chemotherapy. Targeted delivery of Cu appears more promising....
Safe and effective Cu supplementation in local lesion is crucial for minimizing toxicity of DSF-based chemotherapy. Targeted delivery of Cu appears more promising. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal carcinoma (PC) establishes "face-to-face" contact between targeted nanocarriers and tumor tissue. Herein, this study developed a biodegradable, injectable thermosensitive hydrogel that coencapsulating DSF submicroemulsion (DSF-SE) and folate-modified liposome loading glycyrrhizic acid-Cu (FCDL). FCDL acted as 'beneficial horse' to target the tumor-localized folate receptor, thus liberating Cu in tumor nidus. The prepared FCDL and DSF-SE were found with uniform sizes (160.2 nm, 175.4 nm), low surface charge (-25.77 mV, -16.40 mV) and high encapsulation efficiency (97.93 %, 90.08 %). In vitro drug release profile of FCDL, DSF-SE and FCDL&DSF-SE@G followed a sustained release pattern. And the release behavior of Cu from FCDL was pH-related, i.e., Cu was released faster under acidic condition. When FCDL and DSF-SE were loaded into an PLGA-PEG-PLGA-based hydrogel system, FCDL&DSF-SE@G was formed to ensure separated delivery of Cu and DSF in space but synchronized release over time. The rheology experiment showed a satisfactory gelling temperature of 32.7 °C. In vitro cytotoxicity study demonstrated that FCDL&DSF-SE@G significantly lowered the IC of free Cu/DSF, Cu/DSF hydrogel and non-targeted analogue by almost 70 %, 65 % and 32 %, respectively. Accordingly, in tumor-bearing mice, FCDL&DSF-SE@G augmented the tumor inhibition rates for the same formulations by 352 %, 145 % and 44 %, respectively. The main mechanism was attributed to higher uptake of FCDL and DSF-SE, resulting in increased Cu(DDTC) formation, ROS production and cell apoptosis. In conclusion, this targeted nanotherapy approach with dual-nanocarriers loaded hydrogel system, with its focus on face-to-face contact between nanocarriers and tumor tissues in the peritoneal cavity, holds significant promise for intraperitoneal chemotherapy in PC.
Topics: Folic Acid; Animals; Copper; Delayed-Action Preparations; Drug Liberation; Cell Line, Tumor; Liposomes; Humans; Glycyrrhizic Acid; Hydrogels; Nanoparticles; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Antineoplastic Agents; Mice; Temperature; Cell Survival; Female; Mice, Nude; Drug Carriers; Polyethylene Glycols
PubMed: 38729382
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124213 -
Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics May 2024Disulfiram/copper complex (DSF/Cu) was found to have anti-tumor effects in a range of malignancies, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), yet its precise...
Disulfiram/copper complex (DSF/Cu) was found to have anti-tumor effects in a range of malignancies, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), yet its precise mechanism remains unknown. It has been shown that ER stress enhances immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumor cells, as it can influence the anti-cancer immune system favorably. In this study, we reported that DSF/Cu exhibited a marked inhibitory effect on the growth of OSCC cells, accompanied by cell apoptosis. OSCC cells treated with DSF/Cu showed the hallmarks of immunogenic cell death (ICD), including surface expression of calreticulin (CRT), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), high mobility-group box 1 (HMGB-1) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), thus, eliciting the maturation and activation of dendritic cells. Furthermore, we showed DSF/Cu-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in OSCC cells. In vivo, results demonstrate that DSF/Cu inhibits tumor growth locally and alters the intratumoral immune cell infiltration and response. In conclusion, DSF/Cu suppresses OSCC development by inducing ICD and ER stress. DSF/Cu has the potential to be a new anti-tumor immunotherapy concept because of its ability to elicit ICD.
PubMed: 38727783
DOI: 10.1007/s12013-024-01283-z -
Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine Mar 2024
PubMed: 38725729
DOI: 10.1177/02537176231206499 -
International Journal of Pharmaceutics May 2024Drug repositioning is a high-priority and feasible strategy in the field of oncology research, where the unmet medical needs are continuously unbalanced. Disulfiram is a...
Cyclodextrin encapsulation enabling the anticancer repositioning of disulfiram: Preparation, analytical and in vitro biological characterization of the inclusion complexes.
Drug repositioning is a high-priority and feasible strategy in the field of oncology research, where the unmet medical needs are continuously unbalanced. Disulfiram is a potential non-chemotherapeutic, adjuvant anticancer agent. However, the clinical translation is limited by the drug's poor bioavailability. Therefore, the molecular encapsulation of disulfiram with cyclodextrins is evaluated to enhance the solubility and stability of the drug. The present work describes for the first time the complexation of disulfiram with randomly methylated-β-cyclodextrin. A parallel analytical andin vitrobiological comparison of disulfiram inclusion complexes with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, randomly methylated-β-cyclodextrin and sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin is conducted. A significant drug solubility enhancement by about 1000-folds and fast dissolution in 1 min is demonstrated. Thein vitrodissolution-permeation studies and proliferation assays demonstrate the solubility-dependent efficacy of the drug. Throughout the different cancer cell lines' characteristics and disulfiram unspecific antitumoral activity, the inhibitory efficacy of the cyclodextrin encapsulated drug on melanoma (IC about 100 nM) and on glioblastoma (IC about 7000 nM) cell lines differ by a magnitude. This pre-formulation screening experiment serves as a proof of concept of using cyclodextrin encapsulation as a platform tool for further drug delivery development in repositioning areas.
Topics: Disulfiram; Humans; Drug Repositioning; Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Line, Tumor; Solubility; beta-Cyclodextrins; 2-Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin; Cyclodextrins; Cell Proliferation; Drug Compounding; Glioblastoma
PubMed: 38697585
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124187 -
International Immunopharmacology Jun 2024Medical treatment plays a critical role in pituitary neuroendocrine tumour (PitNET) treatment. Dopamine agonists and somatostatin receptor agonists are the only known...
CONTEXT
Medical treatment plays a critical role in pituitary neuroendocrine tumour (PitNET) treatment. Dopamine agonists and somatostatin receptor agonists are the only known drugs for effectively treating PitNET. Thus, the identification of potential therapeutic targets and drugs is urgently needed.
OBJECTIVE
To discover potential drugs that can suppress PitNET growth and to further investigate the underlying mechanism involved.
METHODS
High-throughput drug screening of primary cultures of 17 patient-derived PitNETs was performed to identify potential therapeutic compounds. Cell viability assays, Western blot analysis and flow cytometry were used to investigate pituitary neuroendocrine tumour cell lines and patient-derived PitNET cultures in vitro. In vivo drug efficacy was examined in a mouse xenograft model.
RESULTS
Seventeen primary PitNET samples were collected for high-throughput drug screening, and a class of copper ionophores that can effectively inhibit cell growth, such as zinc pyrithione, elesclomol, and disulfiram (DSF), was identified. Subsequent experiments initially validated the dose-dependent cell growth-suppressing effect of these copper ionophores on AtT20, GH3, and MMQ cells and several primary PitNET cell lines. Moreover, we confirmed that the cytotoxic effect of DSF depends on the presence of copper. Additionally, we determined that cell death occurs via cuproptosis, with events such as Fe-S cluster protein loss, dihydrolipoyl transacetylase oligomerization and heat shock protein 70 upregulation. Finally, we verified the cytotoxic effects of DSF in vivo.
CONCLUSION
The present study revealed copper ionophores as a potential class of drugs for PitNET treatment. DSF induced PitNET cell death via cuproptosis and might be a promising option for PitNET therapy.
Topics: Disulfiram; Animals; Pituitary Neoplasms; Humans; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Cell Line, Tumor; Mice; Antineoplastic Agents; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Mice, Nude; Cell Proliferation; Adult; Cell Survival
PubMed: 38692018
DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112159 -
Journal of Neurochemistry May 2024Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies in laboratory animals are almost always performed under isoflurane anesthesia to ensure that the subject stays still...
Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies in laboratory animals are almost always performed under isoflurane anesthesia to ensure that the subject stays still during the image acquisition. Isoflurane is effective, safe, and easy to use, and it is generally assumed to not have an impact on the imaging results. Motivated by marked differences observed in the brain uptake and metabolism of the PET tracer 3-[F]fluoro-4-aminopyridine [(F]3F4AP) between human and nonhuman primate studies, this study investigates the possible effect of isoflurane on this process. Mice received [F]3F4AP injection while awake or under anesthesia and the tracer brain uptake and metabolism was compared between groups. A separate group of mice received the known cytochrome P450 2E1 inhibitor disulfiram prior to tracer administration. Isoflurane was found to largely abolish tracer metabolism in mice (74.8 ± 1.6 vs. 17.7 ± 1.7% plasma parent fraction, % PF) resulting in a 4.0-fold higher brain uptake in anesthetized mice at 35 min post-radiotracer administration. Similar to anesthetized mice, animals that received disulfiram showed reduced metabolism (50.0 ± 6.9% PF) and a 2.2-fold higher brain signal than control mice. The higher brain uptake and lower metabolism of [F]3F4AP observed in anesthetized mice compared to awake mice are attributed to isoflurane's interference in the CYP2E1-mediated breakdown of the tracer, which was confirmed by reproducing the effect upon treatment with the known CYP2E1 inhibitor disulfiram. These findings underscore the critical need to examine the effect of isoflurane in PET imaging studies before translating tracers to humans that will be scanned without anesthesia.
PubMed: 38690718
DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16118 -
International Journal of Pharmaceutics:... Jun 2024Disulfiram (DSF) is a second-line drug for the clinical treatment of alcoholism and has long been proven to be safe for use in clinical practice. In recent years,... (Review)
Review
Disulfiram (DSF) is a second-line drug for the clinical treatment of alcoholism and has long been proven to be safe for use in clinical practice. In recent years, researchers have discovered the cancer-killing activity of DSF, which is highly dependent on the presence of metal ions, particularly copper ions. Additionally, free DSF is highly unstable and easily degraded within few minutes in blood circulation. Therefore, an ideal DSF formulation should facilitate the co-delivery of metal ions and safeguard the DSF throughout its biological journey before reaching the targeted site. Extensive research have proved that nanotechnology based formulations can effectively realize this goal by strategic encapsulation therapeutic agents within nanoparticle. To be more specific, this is accomplished through precise delivery, coordinated release of metal ions at the tumor site, thereby amplifying its cytotoxic potential. Beyond traditional co-loading techniques, innovative approaches such as DSF-metal complex and metal nanomaterials, have also demonstrated promising results at the animal model stage. This review aims to elucidate the anticancer mechanism associated with DSF and its reliance on metal ions, as well as to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the arena of nanomedicine based co-delivery strategies for DSF and metal ion in the context of cancer therapy.
PubMed: 38689600
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpx.2024.100248 -
Biomacromolecules May 2024Drug repurposing uses approved drugs as candidate anticancer therapeutics, harnesses previous research and development efforts, and benefits from available clinically...
Drug repurposing uses approved drugs as candidate anticancer therapeutics, harnesses previous research and development efforts, and benefits from available clinically suitable formulations and evidence of patient tolerability. In this work, the drug used clinically to treat chronic alcoholism, disulfiram (DSF), was studied for its antitumor efficacy in a copper-dependent manner. The combination of DSF and copper could achieve a tumor cell growth inhibition effect comparable to those of 5-fluorouracil and taxol on head and neck cancer cells. Both bulk dendrimer hydrogel and microsized dendrimer hydrogel particles were utilized for the localized sustained release of copper in the tumor site. The localized sustained release of copper facilitated the tumor inhibition effect following intratumoral injection in a mouse's head and neck cancer model.
Topics: Disulfiram; Animals; Copper; Mice; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Delayed-Action Preparations; Cell Line, Tumor; Antineoplastic Agents; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Mice, Nude
PubMed: 38687975
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01420 -
Cell Death & Disease Apr 2024Irradiation (IR) induces immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumors, but it rarely leads to the abscopal effect (AE); even combining IR with immune checkpoint inhibitors has...
Turning anecdotal irradiation-induced anticancer immune responses into reproducible in situ cancer vaccines via disulfiram/copper-mediated enhanced immunogenic cell death of breast cancer cells.
Irradiation (IR) induces immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumors, but it rarely leads to the abscopal effect (AE); even combining IR with immune checkpoint inhibitors has shown only anecdotal success in inducing AEs. In this study, we aimed to enhance the IR-induced immune response and generate reproducible AEs using the anti-alcoholism drug, disulfiram (DSF), complexed with copper (DSF/Cu) to induce tumor ICD. We measured ICD in vitro and in vivo. In mouse tumor models, DSF/Cu was injected intratumorally followed by localized tumor IR, creating an in situ cancer vaccine. We determined the anticancer response by primary tumor rejection and assessed systemic immune responses by tumor rechallenge and the occurrence of AEs relative to spontaneous lung metastasis. In addition, we analyzed immune cell subsets and quantified proinflammatory and immunosuppressive chemokines/cytokines in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and blood of the vaccinated mice. Immune cell depletion was investigated for its effects on the vaccine-induced anticancer response. The results showed that DSF/Cu and IR induced more potent ICD under hypoxia than normoxia in vitro. Low-dose intratumoral (i.t.) injection of DSF/Cu and IR(12Gy) demonstrated strong anti-primary and -rechallenged tumor effects and robust AEs in mouse models. These vaccinations also increased CD8 and CD4 cell numbers while decreasing Tregs and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the 4T1 model, and increased CD8, dendritic cells (DC), and decreased Treg cell numbers in the MCa-M3C model. Depleting both CD8 and CD4 cells abolished the vaccine's anticancer response. Moreover, vaccinated tumor-bearing mice exhibited increased TNFα levels and reduced levels of immunosuppressive chemokines/cytokines. In conclusion, our novel approach generated an anticancer immune response that results in a lack of or low tumor incidence post-rechallenge and robust AEs, i.e., absence of or decreased spontaneous lung metastasis in tumor-bearing mice. This approach is readily translatable to clinical settings and may increase IR-induced AEs in cancer patients.
Topics: Disulfiram; Animals; Cancer Vaccines; Female; Mice; Immunogenic Cell Death; Copper; Humans; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Tumor Microenvironment; Mice, Inbred BALB C
PubMed: 38678042
DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06644-3 -
Pharmaceutics Apr 2024Disulfiram (DSF) degrades to diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC) in vivo and coordinates with copper ions to form CuET, which has higher antitumor activity. In this study,...
Disulfiram (DSF) degrades to diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC) in vivo and coordinates with copper ions to form CuET, which has higher antitumor activity. In this study, DSF@CuMSN-PDA nanoparticles were prepared using mesoporous silica with copper ions, DSF as a carrier, and polydopamine (PDA) as a gate system. The nanoparticles selectively released CuET into tumor tissue by taking advantage of the tumor microenvironment, where PDA could be degraded. The release ratio reached 79.17% at pH 5.0, indicating pH-responsive drug release from the nanoparticles. The PDA-gated system provided the nanoparticles with unique photothermal conversion performance and significantly improved antitumor efficiency. In vivo, antitumor experiments showed that the designed DSF@CuMSN-PDA nanoparticles combined with near-infrared light (808 nm, 1 W/cm) irradiation effectively inhibited tumor growth in HCT116 cells by harnessing the combined potential of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy; a synergistic effect was achieved. Taken together, these results suggest that the designed DSF@CuMSN-PDA construct can be employed as a promising candidate for combined chemo-photothermal therapy.
PubMed: 38675173
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16040512