Cancer complexome comprises a heterogeneous and multifactorial milieu that varies in cytology, physiology, signaling mechanisms and response to therapy. The combined framework of network theory and spectral graph theory along with the multilayer analysis provides a comprehensive approach to analyze the proteomic data of seven different cancers, namely, breast, oral, ovarian, cervical, lung, colon and prostate. Our analysis demonstrates that the protein-protein interaction networks of the normal and the cancerous tissues associated with the seven cancers have overall similar structural and spectral properties. However, few of these properties implicate unsystematic changes from the normal to the disease networks depicting difference in the interactions and highlighting changes in the complexity of different cancers. Importantly, analysis of common proteins of all the cancer networks reveals few proteins namely the sensors, which not only occupy significant position in all the layers but also have direct involvement in causing cancer. The prediction and analysis of miRNAs targeting these sensor proteins hint towards the possible role of these proteins in tumorigenesis. This novel approach helps in understanding cancer at the fundamental level and provides a clue to develop promising and nascent concept of single drug therapy for multiple diseases as well as personalized medicine.

Overcoming drug resistance is one of the most challenging problems in cancer chemotherapy. Drug cocktails can overcome the drug resistance. However, multiple drug combinations lead to multifold increment of off-target toxicity, as well as the delivery of the required therapeutic amount of combined drugs remains problematic. To address these problems, we have developed a sub 200 nm vitamin D3 nanoparticle, which can contain a rational combination of dual drugs (PI103 and cisplatin or doxorubicin or proflavine). The size, shape and morphology of these dual drug containing vitamin D3 nanoparticles were characterized by DLS, FESEM, AFM and TEM. The nanoparticles released the dual drugs in high quantity at pH ¼ 5.5 compared to pH ¼ 7.4 in a slow and sustained manner over 72 h with stability over 15 days at 37 C, as well as 4 C. These dual drug loaded nanoparticles induced increased cell death in human hepatocellular carcinoma, Hep3B cells at 24 h compared to monotherapy; moreover, they were effective against cisplatin-resistant cells (Hep3B-R) as well. VitD3-PI103-CDDP-NP and vitD3-PI103-Dox-NP showed cytotoxicity by inducing apoptosis through DNA damage. Furthermore, vitD3-PI103-CDDP-NP showed considerably improved efficacy in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) resistant Hep3B-5FU-R cells; its activity was even better compared to 5-FU. Finally, vitD3-PI103-proflavine-NP internalized into Hep3B-R cells considerably faster (within 3 minutes) compared to Hep3B cells, as visualized by fluorescent microscopy. Therefore, these dual drug loaded nanoparticles can successfully overcome the trauma of drug resistance and have the potential to be applied into the clinics for improved cancer therapeutics.

Mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling has been dysregulated in different types of cancers. However, targeting MAPK signaling with small molecules leads to severe toxic side effects to the patients as well as manifestation of drug resistance. To address these, we have developed 120 nm sized self‐assembled, biocompatible, biodegradable oleic acid nanoparticles (OA‐NPs) which can simultaneously contain AZD6244 (MAPK inhibitor) and cisplatin (DNA damaging drug). These OA‐NPs released AZD6244 and cisplatin in increased amount in pH 5.5 compared to pH 7.4 in a slow and sustained manner over 4 days with excellent stability at 4 °C for 2 months in water and in blood circulation mimic for 6 days. Moreover, these OA‐NPs showed much improved in vitro cytotoxicity in cervical cancer (HeLa) and triple negative breast cancer (MDA‐MB‐231) cells at 48 h and in hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep3B) and cisplatin‐resistant hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep3B‐R) cells at 24 h. In HeLa cells, these OA‐NPs induced apoptosis through inhibiting MAPK signaling and damaging DNA after being internalized through macropinocytosis and homed into the acidic lysosomal compartments. These OA‐NPs have the potential to be translated into the clinic for targeting multiple oncogenic signaling pathways and damaging DNA concurrently for augmented efficacy, reduced toxicity, and overcoming drug resistance in next‐generation cancer treatment.

Scientific Reports 7: Article number: 41676; published online: 03 February 2017; updated: 03 May 2017. This Article contains an error in Figure 1, where the graph for Figure 1d is a duplicate of Figure 1b. The correct Figure 1 appears below.

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