Newly Developed Self-Assembling Antioxidants as Potential Therapeutics for the Cancers

Babita Shashni; Yukio Nagasaki

doi:10.3390/jpm11020092

Newly Developed Self-Assembling Antioxidants as Potential Therapeutics for the Cancers

J Pers Med. 2021 Feb 2;11(2):92. doi: 10.3390/jpm11020092.

Authors

Babita Shashni¹, Yukio Nagasaki^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan.
² Master's School of Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan.
³ Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics (CRiED), University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan.

Abstract

Elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated as significant for cancer survival by functioning as oncogene activators and secondary messengers. Hence, the attenuation of ROS-signaling pathways in cancer by antioxidants seems a suitable therapeutic regime for targeting cancers. Low molecular weight (LMW) antioxidants such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpyperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO), although they are catalytically effective in vitro, exerts off-target effects in vivo due to their size, thus, limiting their clinical use. Here, we discuss the superior impacts of our TEMPO radical-conjugated self-assembling antioxidant nanoparticle (RNP) compared to the LMW counterpart in terms of pharmacokinetics, therapeutic effect, and adverse effects in various cancer models.

Keywords: antioxidant; cancer; reactive oxygen species; self-assembling drug.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

Grants and funding