Controlling cancer growth and preventing its spread from its original sites to other parts of the body has been an enduring challenge for medical researchers. Metastasis allows cancer to become more aggressive and is linked to almost 90% of cancer mortality. Therefore, therapeutic strategies disrupting this process can offer lifesaving clinical advances. However, previous attempts to target metastasis have encountered hurdles from ineffective delivery to poor efficacy across various cancer types.
Potential of Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy
Recent breakthroughs in nanomedicine provide new opportunities to overcome obstacles by developing customized nanoparticles. Experts can optimize the delivery, binding interactions, and therapeutic effects against cancer metastasis by tailoring nanoparticle size, surface chemistry, and other factors. The small size of nanoparticles helps in tissue and cell penetration, while their customizable surface chemistry allows binding with specific targets.
For instance, carboxyl groups transmit negative charge and stability in water to nanodiamonds, enabling effective interaction with cells. Through their low toxicity and high biocompatibility, carboxylated nanodiamonds appear well-suited for biomedical applications.
Read also: Cancer Metastasis: Fluid Surrounding the Cells Can Affect Its Migration, Disease Progression
Metastasis Inhibition Using Nanodiamonds
At South Asian University, a team of Indian researchers has taken an innovative approach to using nanodiamonds as a weapon against tumor metastasis. The team, led by Rajiv K. Saxena, customized nanoparticles called carboxyl nanodiamonds to block the mobility and invasiveness of metastatic tumor cells.
The study "Carboxyl nanodiamonds inhibit melanoma tumor metastases by blocking cellular motility and invasiveness" suggests that carboxyl nanodiamonds represent a promising candidate for antimetastasis treatment. It followed prior studies that suggested that dividing cells were more likely to absorb nanodiamonds.
Saxena and his colleagues determined whether carboxyl nanodiamonds can disrupt the physical mechanism of cancer metastasis. They focused on B16F10 melanoma, a widely used model for preclinical metastasis. In culture, B16F10 cells violently took up fluorescent carboxyl nanodiamonds, and the intake of intravenously injected nanodiamonds was verified in melanoma tumors that grew within mice's organs.
When administered intracellularly, carboxyl nanodiamonds also reduced the factors that promote metastasis, such as beta-catenin and vimentin, while increasing the levels of junction proteins E-cadherin and claudin-1. This process of protein modulation likely contributes to the observed suppression of cancer cell mobility.
In the areas where the B16F10 cells were directly injected into the blood, the carboxyl nanodiamond treatment took away the ability of these cells in blood circulation to discharge from the blood vessels. It also prevented the B16F10 cells from further spreading through the tissue extracellular matrix and reaching the premetastatic niche areas.
Results show that nanodiamonds successfully blocked the ability of cancer cells to migrate. On the other hand, untreated cancer cells were able to grow and move to new areas of the animal's body, leading to further development of tumors and more severe disease.
The method failed to affect early tumor survival and vascularization processes. Nevertheless, after mechanistic examination and therapeutic testing, the study's result demonstrated the potency of carboxyl nanodiamonds in suppressing B16F10 melanoma.
After identifying multifaceted chemical-biological antimetastasis mechanisms, the tailored nanodiamonds could impact clinical outcomes significantly. The researchers plan to expand its evaluation across diverse models to optimize treatment protocols before human trials.
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