Metastatic breast cancer dominates the female cancer-related mortality. Tumour-associated molecules represents a crucial for early disease detection and identification of novel therapeutic targets. Nanomaterial technologies provide promising novel approaches to disease diagnostics and therapeutics. In the present study we extend the investigations of antitumoral properties of Carbon Dots prepared from N -hydroxyphthalimide (CD-NHF) precursor. We evaluate the effect of CD-NHF on tumour cell migration and invasion in vitro and their impact on tumour progression using an in vivo model. Furthermore, we investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in CD-NHF antitumour effects. In vivo mammary tumours were induced in Balb/c female mice by injecting 4T1 cells into the mammary fat pad. Conditional treatment with CD-NHF significantly impair both migration and invasion of metastatic breast cancer cells. The presence of CD-NHF within the 3D cell cultures strongly inhibited the malignant phenotype of MDA-MB-231, 4T1 and MCF-7 cells in 3D culture, resulting in culture colonies lacking invasive projections and reduction of mammospheres formation. Importantly, breast tumour growth and metastasis dissemination was significantly reduced upon CD-NHF treatments in a syngeneic mouse model and is associated with down-regulation of Ki67 and HSP90 expression. CD-NHF nanostructures provide exciting perspective for improving treatment outcome in breast cancer.

Background: Theranostics, a novel concept in medicine, is based on the use of an agent for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment. Nanomaterials provide promising novel approaches to theranostics. Carbon Dots have been shown to exhibit anti-tumoral properties in various cancer models. The aim of the present study is to develop gadolinium, Fe3+, and Mn2+-doped N-hydroxyphthalimide-derived Carbon Dots. The resulted doped Carbon Dots should preserve the anti-tumoral properties while gaining magnetic resonance imaging properties. Methods: Normal and cancer cell lines have been treated with doped Carbon Dots, and the cell viability has been measured. The doped Carbon Dots that exhibited the most prominent anti-tumoral effect accompanied by the lowest toxicity have been further in vivo tested. Magnetic resonance imaging evaluates both in vitro and in vivo the possibility of using doped Carbon Dots as a contrast agent. Results: According to the results obtained from both the in vitro and in vivo experimental models used in our study, Mn2+-doped Carbon Dots (Mn-CDs-NHF) exhibit anti-tumoral properties, do not significantly impair the cell viability of normal cells, and reduce lung metastasis and the volume of mammary primary tumors while allowing magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusions: Our findings prove that Mn-CDs-NHF can be used as theranostics agents in pre-clinical models.

Background: In the latest years, there has been an increased interest in nanomaterials that may provide promising novel approaches to disease diagnostics and therapeutics. Our previous results demonstrated that Carbon-dots prepared from N-hydroxyphthalimide (CD-NHF) exhibited anti-tumoral activity on several cancer cell lines such as MDA-MB-231, A375, A549, and RPMI8226, while U87 glioma tumor cells were unaffected. Gliomas represent one of the most common types of human primary brain tumors and are responsible for the majority of deaths. In the present in vitro study, we expand our previous investigation on CD-NHF in the U87 cell line by adding different drug combinations. Methods: Cell viability, migration, invasion, and immunofluorescent staining of key molecular pathways have been assessed after various treatments with CD-NHF and/or K252A and AKTVIII inhibitors in the U87 cell line. Results: Association of an inhibitor strongly potentiates the anti-tumoral properties of CD-NHF identified by significant impairment of migration, invasion, and expression levels of phosphorylated Akt, p70S6Kinase, or by decreasing expression levels of Bcl-2, IL-6, STAT3, and Slug. Conclusions: Using simultaneously reduced doses of both CD-NHF and an inhibitor in order to reduce side effects, the viability and invasiveness of U87 glioma cells were significantly impaired.

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