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Bisphosphonates are used to treat a number of bone related diseases such as osteosarcoma, malignant hypercalcemia, osteomyelitis. Developing novel drug delivery systems may overcome the adverse reactions caused by traditional administration. This study uses a combination of molecular docking studies and correlation techniques between structure – physical and chemical properties to assess how different bisphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate, pamidronate, zoledronate) interact with polydopamine in order to later design new formulations. The structure of polydopamine is still under discussion therefore, its bisphosphonate binding properties have not been completely established. Polydopamine was modeled by repeated docking of tetrameric subunits combined in two ways which led to simple and mixed oligomers. Fingerprint descriptors, namely electronegativity of the OMO-UMO quantum molecular states, were used for the correlation studies. The correlation coefficients suggest that several atom species such as nitrogen and carbon have increased contributions to the formation of both HOMO and LUMO molecular states. The results showed that the most stable complex was obtained with risedronate for both simple and mixed dopamine oligomers (-186.00 kJ/mol and -184.92 kJ/mol).

The central nervous system tumors are the most common solid tumors in adults.. Unlike other types of cancers, brain cancer is much difficult to treat because of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that prevents drug substances from crossing it and accessing the brain. Different types of methods to overcome BBB have been used in vivo and in vitro, of which the use of nanoparticle-mediated delivery of therapeutic drugs is particularly promising. In the present study, we used iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) as carrier system for helianthin (He/NPs) to treat cancer cells derived from glioblastoma. An early passage cell cultures (GB1B), established in our laboratory from tissue obtained from a patient diagnosed with glioblastoma, was used. The cells were treated with different concentrations of NPs or HeNPs and then cell proliferation was measured at 24, 48 and 72 hours. Our results showed that the treatment with NPs was well tolerated by glioblastoma cells, the viability of the cells increased very slightly after the treatment. Furthermore, we demonstrated that helianthin loaded Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles induced cytotoxicity in human glioblastoma cells. The treatment with HeNPs induced dose and time dependent.

Nanotechnology offers a new horizon for cancer drug administration and systemic safety of oncological treatments. Compared with conventional pharmaceutical forms, nanoparticles (NPs) have many advantages such as larger surface, ability to adsorb and targeted delivery of different types of drugs, providing decreased side effects and a patient customed approach in cancer treatment. Due to their diverse chemical composition, NPs offer the possibility of developing innovative therapies, which may be also applied in glioblastoma treatment. Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been previously used in cancer treatment, as targeted drug delivery systems. Helianthin is an azo dye compound that we found to induce cell death in high grade glioma (HGG) cells. In this study, we analyzed the in vitro effect of MNPs loaded with Helianthin (HeMNPs) on a glioblastoma cell line (GB2B).

Due to its localisation, rapid onset, high relapse rate and resistance to most currently available treatment methods, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is considered to be the deadliest type of all gliomas. Although surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are among the therapeutic strategies used for the treatment of GBM, the survival rates achieved are not satisfactory, and there is an urgent need for novel effective therapeutic options. In addition to single-target therapy, multi-target therapies are currently under development. Furthermore, drugs are being optimised to improve their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. In the present review, the main strategies applied for GBM treatment in terms of the most recent therapeutic agents and approaches that are currently under pre-clinical and clinical testing were discussed. In addition, the most recently reported experimental data following the testing of novel therapies, including stem cell therapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, genomic correction and precision medicine, were reviewed, and their advantages and drawbacks were also summarised.