title: Coassembled nanostructured bioscaffold reduces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines to induce apoptosis in epithelial cancer cells.
abstract: The local inflammatory environment of the cell promotes the growth of epithelial cancers. Therefore, controlling inflammation locally using a material in a sustained, non-steroidal fashion can effectively kill malignant cells without significant damage to surrounding healthy cells. A promising class of materials for such applications is the nanostructured scaffolds formed by epitope presenting minimalist self-assembled peptides; these are bioactive on a cellular length scale, while presenting as an easily handled hydrogel. Here, we show that the assembly process can distribute an anti-inflammatory polysaccharide, fucoidan, localized to the nanofibers within the scaffold to create a biomaterial for cancer therapy. We show that it supports healthy cells, while inducing apoptosis in cancerous epithelial cells, as demonstrated by the significant down-regulation of gene and protein expression pathways associated with epithelial cancer progression. Our findings highlight an innovative material approach with potential applications in local epithelial cancer immunotherapy and drug delivery.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia; Coconut Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang, Hainan, China.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia; School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Sivapriya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pavuluri
authors.affiliation: Research School of Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: Kiara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bruggeman
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia.
authors.forename: Benjamin M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Parnell
authors.affiliation: Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martel
authors.affiliation: Low Energy Neutron Source (LENS), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Parnell
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia.
authors.forename: Frederick M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Pfeffer
authors.affiliation: Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France; TU Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrew J C
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Dennison
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia; School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Kevin R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Nicholas
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia.
authors.forename: Colin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Barrow
authors.affiliation: Research School of Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Nisbet
authors.affiliation: Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Australia; School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and the Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: Richard.Williams@RMIT.edu.au.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D016207:Cytokines; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels; D057139:Nanofibers; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D016207:Cytokines; D020100:Hydrogels
keywords: Bionanotechnology; Cancer; Hydrogels; Self-assembly; Supramolecular materials; Tissue engineering