The uniqueness of paclitaxel’s antimitotic action mechanism has fueled research toward its application in more effective and safer cancer treatments. However, the low water solubility, recrystallization, and side effects hinder the clinical success of classic paclitaxel chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo efficacy and biodistribution of paclitaxel encapsulated in injectable amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles of different surface charges. It was found that paclitaxel-loaded amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles showed an antitumoral effect earlier than the drug solution. Moreover, the blank nanoparticles reduced the tumor growth with a similar trend to the paclitaxel solution. At 24 h, the nanoparticles had not accumulated in the heart and lungs according to the biodistribution assessed by in vivo imaging. Therefore, our results indicated that the amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles are potentially devoid of cardiac toxicity, which limits the clinical use and commercialization of certain polymeric nanoparticles. In conclusion, the amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoparticles with different surface charge increased the efficiency of paclitaxel in vitro and in vivo. Cyclodextrin nanoparticles could be a good candidate vehicle for intravenous paclitaxel delivery.

Naringenin may play a role in browning by increasing thermogenic gene expression. In this study, we encapsulated naringenin using a liposomal formulation and examined the effects of both free and liposomal naringenin on white adipose tissue browning in C57BL6/J mice. In the first phase of the study, naringenin was encapsulated by the liposome method, which is biocompatible and biodegradable. The physical and chemical properties of liposomal naringenin were tested. In the second phase, a total of 48 six-week-old mice were divided into two main groups: prevention and recovery. Each main group was divided into four subgroups: nano-naringenin, void, free-naringenin, and control. The prevention group received a high-fat diet for 10 weeks along with weekly intravenous injections of 20 µM naringenin. On the other hand, the recovery group was first subjected to a high-fat diet for 10 weeks, followed by an additional 10 weeks of the same diet, along with weekly intravenous injections of 20 µM naringenin. Body weight was measured once per week, and brown adipose tissue, inguinal white adipose tissue, and serum samples were collected from each mouse. The mean particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential values of liposomal naringenin were ∼207 nm, 0.35, and -27 mV, respectively. The encapsulation and loading efficiencies of liposomal naringenin were 94.6 and 19.2%, respectively. Liposomal naringenin exhibited sustained-release behavior, while free naringenin showed a burst-release profile. Liposomal naringenin showed the best physical stability in light and at 4 °C, while free naringenin was more chemically stable in light and at 4 and 22 °C. Free and liposomal naringenin did not significantly reduce weight gain. In the prevention group, liposomal naringenin increased PRDM16 gene expression in inguinal white adipose tissue 4.29 times more than free naringenin (p = 0.010). However, neither formulation significantly altered the expression levels of other browning or adipogenesis markers in the tissues. The results suggest that free naringenin can be efficiently encapsulated in biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticles. Further research is needed to better understand the physiological effects of liposomal naringenin.

Background and Objectives: Berberine is a promising phytochemical for obesity prevention due to its effects on adipogenesis and adipose tissue browning. Despite the benefits shown in cell studies, the clinical use of berberine is limited because of its low stability and bioavailability. Materials and Methods: Our study aimed to investigate the effects of intravenous liposomal and free berberine on body weight and adipose tissue browning in C57BL/6J mice. The mice were divided into two main groups for obesity prevention and treatment: the prevention group received treatment with a high-fat diet for 10 weeks; the recovery group received treatment after 10 weeks on a high-fat diet. Treatments included liposomal berberine (10 mcM), free berberine (10 mcM), and void nano-encapsule, and PBS was used as a control. Results: Berberine did not affect body weight in the prevention group. In the treatment group, nano-berberine reduced weight gain, while free berberine caused weight loss (p < 0.05). PRDM16 and CIDEA expressions in white and brown adipose tissues were higher in the berberine-treated groups (p < 0.05). No changes were observed in UCP1, PGC1α, C/EBPβ, and FABP4 expressions. The protein concentrations of UCP1, PGC1α, and PPARγ did not change. Conclusions: The effects of liposomal berberine on gene expression and protein concentrations were not different from the free form, but the nano form had higher stability.

This study investigates the detection of micrometastases in a mouse model of lung cancer using luciferase-expressing Lewis Lung Carcinoma cells (LLC1-Luc2), comparing bioluminescence imaging and quantitative PCR targeting the sex determining region Y gene. LLC1-Luc2 cells were intravenously injected into female C57BL/6 mice to establish a syngeneic metastasis model. Metastatic progression in lungs and liver was monitored over four weeks using bioluminescence imaging, with luciferase signals recorded on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Concurrently, quantitative PCR was employed to quantify metastatic cell numbers by amplifying the male-specific sex determining region Y gene, leveraging the sex mismatch between male-derived LLC1-Luc2 cells and female hosts. A standard curve was generated to correlate quantitative PCR cycle threshold values with cell numbers, enabling precise estimation of metastatic burden. Results demonstrated that BLI effectively visualized metastatic foci in deep tissues, while quantitative PCR provided superior sensitivity for detecting micrometastases, particularly at early stages or in low-cell-number lesions. The integration of bioluminescence imaging and sex determining region Y gene quantitative PCR offers a robust framework for both qualitative and quantitative assessment of metastasis, providing valuable insights for preclinical evaluation of anti-metastatic therapies

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a growing global health concern, ranging from simple steatosis to advanced fibrosis. SMAD3 promotes liver injury, while Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR) regulates lipid metabolism and may have protective effects. This study evaluated the preventive and therapeutic effects of hesperidin, nanohesperidin and obeticholic acid (OCA) in an HFD/fructose-fed mice, focusing on FXR and SMAD3 levels. Forty-eight female C57BL/6J mice were utilized in prevention (10 weeks) and recovery (20 weeks) protocols. Hepatic and serum SMAD3 and FXR protein levels were measured by ELISA, gene expression by qPCR, and liver injury markers (ALT, AST) were also evaluated. No significant differences in body weight were observed between the experimental groups (p > 0.05). In the recovery protocol, nanohesperidin treatment exhibited the highest hepatic FXR protein levels (p > 0.05). Serum SMAD3 levels were significantly lower in hesperidin, nanohesperidin and OCA study groups than in the control group. Although there were significant reductions in AST levels in the treatment groups, no statistically significant differences were detected in hepatic mRNA expression levels for FXR or SMAD3 (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that hesperidin, nanohesperidin, and OCA may influence fibrosis-related pathways in experimental MASLD, possibly through modulation of FXR and SMAD3 signaling. The more pronounced FXR response observed with nanohesperidin indicates that formulation strategies may affect the biological activity of hesperidin.