Despite the widespread availability of immunohistochemical and other methodologies for screening and early detection of lung and breast cancer biomarkers, diagnosis of the early stage of cancers can be difficult and prone to error. The identification and validation of early biomarkers specific to lung and breast cancers, which would permit the development of more sensitive methods for detection of early disease onset, is urgently needed. In this paper, ultra-small and bright nanoprobes based on quantum dots (QDs) conjugated to single domain anti-HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) antibodies (sdAbs) were applied for immunolabeling of breast and lung cancer cell lines, and their performance was compared to that of anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies conjugated to conventional organic dyes Alexa Fluor 488 and Alexa Fluor 568. The sdAbs-QD conjugates achieved superior staining in a panel of lung cancer cell lines with differential HER2 expression. This shows their outstanding potential for the development of more sensitive assays for early detection of cancer biomarkers.

Citrullination, or the post-translational deimination of polypeptide-bound arginine, is involved in several pathological processes in the body, including autoimmunity and tumorigenesis. Recent studies have shown that nanomaterials can trigger protein citrullination, which might constitute a common pathogenic link to disease development. Here we demonstrated auto-antibody production in serum of nanomaterials-treated mice. Citrullination-associated phenomena and PAD levels were found to be elevated in nanomaterials -treated cell lines as well as in the spleen, kidneys and lymph nodes of mice, suggesting a systemic response to nanomaterials injection, and validated in human pleural and pericardial malignant mesothelioma (MM) samples. The observed systemic responses in mice exposed to nanomaterials support the evidence linking exposure to environmental factors with the development of autoimmunity responses and reinforces the need for comprehensive safety screening of nanomaterials. Furthermore, these nanomaterials induce pathological processes that mimic those observed in Pleural MM, and therefore require further investigations into their carcinogenicity.

Clinically, overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ErbB2) is considered to be an important hallmark for a number of solitary and metastatic cancers, and has been approved as a drug treatment target for ErbB2-positive cancers. Additionally, the soluble cleaved form of ErbB2 protein (sErbB2), found in blood, has been shown to be a valuable marker for tumour diagnosis in ErbB2-positive breast cancer. Although a variety of clinical diagnostic approaches have been developed to establish ErbB2 load, they each have their own pitfalls. Nanotechnology has offered some promising breakthrough solutions towards imaging and quantifying ErbB2 at the molecular level and holds the possibility of improving the sensitivity and reliability of ErbB2 detection for clinical purposes. Here we review the currently available methods of ErbB2 detection and quantification in biological samples, followed by analysis and evaluation of those nanotechnological approaches which have demonstrated most potential to improve clinical diagnostic practises.

Lung cancer is a major and increasing global health problem. While there have been significant advances in the understanding of lung cancer biology, still no current therapy exists to reduce the inevitable and lethal progression of this disease. Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are promising candidates for a wide range of biomedical applications and the treatment of life-threatening diseases due to their unique physico-chemical and biochemical properties. However, the safety of this nanomaterial and its use as a biomedical tool are still under debate. This study evaluates the in vitro internalisation, cytotoxicity and influence on the cell cycle of AgNWs in lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells and lung normal fibroblasts (MRC-5 cells). Our results demonstrate that AgNWs could be internalised effectively into A549 and MRC-5 cells without inducing detectable cytotoxicity, thus providing preliminary evidence on the future potential of AgNWs as biocompatible drug delivery platforms applicable in lung cancer therapies.

Lung cancer is a major and increasing global health problem. While there have been significant advances in the understanding of lung cancer biology, still no current therapy exists to reduce the inevitable and lethal progression of this disease. Silver nanowires (AgNWs) are promising candidates for a wide range of biomedical applications and the treatment of life-threatening diseases due to their unique physico-chemical and biochemical properties. However, the safety of this nanomaterial and its use as a biomedical tool are still under debate. This study evaluates the in vitro internalisation, cytotoxicity and influence on the cell cycle of AgNWs in lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells and lung normal fibroblasts (MRC-5 cells). Our results demonstrate that AgNWs could be internalised effectively into A549 and MRC-5 cells without inducing detectable cytotoxicity, thus providing preliminary evidence on the future potential of AgNWs as biocompatible drug delivery platforms applicable in lung cancer therapies.Keywords: cell cycle; cytotoxicity; fibroblasts; lung adenocarcinoma cells; silver nanowires Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content. Please, subscribe or login to access all content.

No abstract