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Immunotherapy is emerging as a groundbreaking cancer treatment, offering the unprecedented opportunity to effectively treat and in several cases, even cure previously untreatable malignancies. Anti-tumour immunotherapies designed to amplify T cell responses against defined tumour antigens have long been considered effective approaches for cancer treatment. Despite a clear rationale behind such immunotherapies, extensive past efforts were unsuccessful in mediating clinically relevant anti-tumour activity in humans. This is mainly because tumours adopt specific mechanisms to circumvent the host´s immunity. Emerging data suggest that the full potential of cancer immunotherapy will be only achieved by combining immunotherapies designed to generate or amplify anti-tumour T cell responses with strategies able to impair key tumour immune-evasion mechanisms. However, many approaches aimed to re-shape the tumour immune microenvironment (TIME) are commonly associated with severe systemic toxicity, require frequent administration, and only show modest efficacy in clinical settings. The use of nanodelivery systems is revealing as a valid means to overcome these limitations by improving the targeting efficiency, minimising systemic exposure of immunomodulatory agents, and enabling the development of novel combinatorial immunotherapies. In this review, we examine the emerging field of therapeutic modulation of TIME by the use of nanoparticle-based immunomodulators and potential future directions for TIME-targeting nanotherapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

mRNA-based vaccines have the benefit of triggering robust anti-cancer immunity without the potential danger of genome integration from DNA vaccines or the limitation of antigen selection from peptide vaccines. Yet, a conventional mRNA vaccine comprising of condensed mRNA molecules in a positively charged protein core structure is not effectively internalized by the antigen-presenting cells. It cannot offer sufficient protection for mRNA molecules from degradation by plasma and tissue enzymes either. Here, we have developed a lipopolyplex mRNA vaccine that consists of a poly-(β-amino ester) polymer mRNA core encapsulated into a 1,2-dioleoyl- sn -glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine/1,2-dioleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphatidyl-ethanolamine/1,2-distearoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine- N -[amino(polyethylene glycol)-2000 (EDOPC/DOPE/DSPE-PEG) lipid shell. This core-shell structured mRNA vaccine enters dendritic cells through macropinocytosis. It displayed intrinsic adjuvant activity by potently stimulating interferon-β and interleukin-12 expression in dendritic cells through Toll-like receptor 7/8 signaling. Dendritic cells treated with the mRNA vaccine displayed enhanced antigen presentation capability. Mice bearing lung metastatic B16-OVA tumors expressing the ovalbumin antigen were treated with the lipopolyplex mRNA, and over 90% reduction of tumor nodules was observed. Collectively, this core-shell structure offers a promising platform for mRNA vaccine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green tea and apple are natural products with health benefits. These healthy properties are linked closely to the antioxidant compounds, mainly phenolic compounds. These antioxidant compounds have a potential for preventing and treating cancer, cardiovascular, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases in humans. The aim of the present work was to design a new beverage with high antioxidant power combining extracts of green tea and apple, studying the antioxidant composition and activity, organoleptic properties (colour) and stability status during storage at different temperatures. The majority compounds identified in the beverage were flavan-3-ols, being the (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate which had the highest concentration. After storage, floridzine was the compound with lower decrease of concentration. The new designed beverage had a good colour, and high antioxidant activity and stability at room temperature, so that the beverage needs no refrigeration, showing potential for the development of new healthy functional beverages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of different solvents and extraction methods on total anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity from x'kijit (Renealmia alpinia Rottb. Maas) peels was evaluated. In order to evaluate the effect of solvents on the bioactive compounds extraction efficiency and antioxidant capacity, a special cubic mixture design model was implemented with ethanol, methanol, and acetone as solvents and conventional (agitation - 1 and 6 h; Soxhlet - 2 and 4 h), novel (power ultrasound - 2.5 and 5 min) methods, and combination of extraction methods. Acceptable correlations between predicted and experimental data were obtained for total anthocyanins (R2 = 0.95), phenolic compounds (R2 = 0.78), and antioxidant capacity (R2 = 0.97), with methanol exhibiting the highest extraction yield of bioactive compounds and resultant antioxidant capacity. Although the extraction of total anthocyanins (82.2-85.8 mg cyanidine/kg) and phenolic compounds (183.6-207.0 mg GAE/kg) was best carried out through Soxhlet, the ultrasonic treatment showed similar antioxidant capacity values (27.4-34.3 mg Trolox/kg) to those of 2-h Soxhlet. Moreover, a 5-min ultrasound pretreatment significantly increased (P < 0.05) phenolic compounds by 11, 21, and 12% when combined with agitation 1, 6, and 2-h Soxhlet treatments, respectively; while the antioxidant capacity increased by 26, 48, and 22% for the same treatments. Ultrasound might be used as a valuable, green alternative procedure for improving the solvent extraction of bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]