Bioactive Polymeric Nanoparticles of Moringa oleifera Induced Phyto-Photothermal Sensitization for the Enhanced Therapy of Retinoblastoma

Abstract

Treatment of retinoblastoma is limited due to its delayed detection and inaccesbility of drugs to reach the retina crossing the blood-retinal barrier. With the advancements in nanotechnology, photothermal therapy (PTT) employing plasmonic nanomaterials and/or NIR dyes have emerged as an affordable alternative owing to the spatial control that is offered by the modality leading to localized and enhanced therapeutic efficacy with minimal invasiveness. However, the modality is limited in its clinical application owing to the increased heat shock resistance of the tumor cells in response to the heat that is generated via PTT. Hence, in this study, we explore the role of novel biomolecular fraction of Moringa oleifera (DFM) encapsulated within a polymeric nanosystem, for its anti-heat shock protein (HSP) activity. The MO extract was co-encapsulated with NIR sensitizing dye, IR820 into a biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) nano-delivery system (PMIR NPs). The photothermal transduction efficacy of PMIR NPs was validated in vitro against retinoblastoma cell lines. The inherent fluorescence of DFM was utilized to evaluate the cellular internalization of the PMIR NPs using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The overall oxidative protein damage and downregulation of HSP70 expression upon treatment with PMIR NPs and NIR laser irradiation was evaluated using densiometric protein analysis and Western blotting. Overall, the PMIR NPs exhibited excellent anti-cancer activity when combined with PTT with downregulated HSP70 expression against retinoblastoma cells.

Nanoparticle-based delivery systems as emerging therapy in retinoblastoma: recent advances, challenges and prospects

“… 121 In a recent study, an extract of Moringa oleifera and a photosensitizer (IR820) encapsulated in biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles showed excellent antitumor activity when combined with photothermal therapy. 122 The mechanism of the antitumor action was via the downregulation of heat shock proteins (HSP70), as reported by the authors. Hence, this combination treatment modality could prevent tumour cells from developing heat shock resistance to photothermal therapy.…”

Innovative Encapsulation Strategies for Food, Industrial, and Pharmaceutical Applications

“…In the case of nanocapsules, a vesicular system, the active ingredients are encapsulated in an internal liquid core forming a cavity. In general, the active substance is dissolved in the internal structure, although it can also be adsorbed on the surface of the capsule [21] …”

“…In general, the active substance is dissolved in the internal structure, although it can also be adsorbed on the surface of the capsule. [21] In 2020, Jummes and collaborators [53] employed nanoprecipitation to load EOs from Citrus aurantifolia into NPs. Likewise, other EOs such as those of Rosmarinus officinalis L., [54,55] Lippia graveolens Kunth, [56] Cymbopogon citratus DC, [57] Lavandula dentata L., [58] Shinus molle L., [59] and Laggera tomentosa [60] benefited from a improvement through encapsulation in starch NPs of different sizes.…”

“…Depending on the method, microcapsules of 3 to 800 μm (mononuclear, multinuclear, or matrix) or nanoparticles (capsules or spheres) with a size range of 10 to 1000 nm can be generated [2] . Several encapsulation methods are available such as microencapsulation, NPs encapsulation, liposomal encapsulation, polymer encapsulation, spray drying (SD), coacervation, and emulsification [19–39] . The most popular methods for encapsulating sensitive medications (pharmaceutics) and sensitive dietary supplements remains spray‐drying and freeze‐drying [8] …”

A comprehensive review on Moringa oleifera nanoparticles: importance of polyphenols in nanoparticle synthesis, nanoparticle efficacy and their applications

“…Currently, several studies are focusing on the translational clinical research of nanoparticles synthesized using Moringa extract. Some of them have shown promising effects in vivo for treating Leishmaniasis and Retinoblastoma [ 34 , 154 ]. However biosynthetic techniques have limited control over the particle size, and this may be achieved by better control of temperature, and also adjusting the concentration of Moringa oleifera leaf extract.…”