KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to develop nanovesicles by encapsulating target substances to improve cancer therapy outcomes.
- The results showed the potential of astaxanthin nanovesicles as an anticancer agent.
The tumor and its secretion factors are widely used as drug carriers due to their great biocompatibility and ability to deliver drugs to the specific target site.
Melanoma stands out as the most aggressive form of skin cancer due to its high metastatic potential, making it particularly challenging to manage compared to other skin cancers.
Jui-Jen Chang and the team aimed to develop nanovesicles that mimic tumor cell membranes and encapsulate substances for improved cancer therapy.
The study manufactured astaxanthin nanovesicles by blending melanoma cells with astaxanthin at an optimal ratio. Subsequently, the genetic material and inflammatory factors of cancer cells were eliminated through extrusion, resulting in the production of the nanovesicle carrier.
The study’s findings revealed that after co-culturing astaxanthin nanovesicles with melanoma cancer cells, the nanovesicles demonstrated a significantly superior ability to impede the growth and metastasis of melanoma cancer cells compared to an equivalent amount of astaxanthin alone. Importantly, this inhibitory effect was observed without any impact on normal human cells, indicating the nanovesicles’ selective transport capability.
The study concluded that astaxanthin nanovesicles hold significant potential as an anticancer drug, as evidenced by their ability to inhibit the growth and metastasis of melanoma cancer cells while leaving normal cells unaffected.
Research was supported by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan, and Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38469059/
Chang JJ, Wang YC, Yang SH, et al. (2024). “Pioneering Astaxanthin-Tumor Cell Membrane Nanoparticles for Innovative Targeted Drug Delivery on Melanoma.” Int J Nanomedicine. 2024 Mar 7;19:2395-2407. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S439476. PMID: 38469059; PMCID: PMC10926870.
