Objective To determine the expression of cathepsin D (CD), cathepsin H (CH) and cathepsin L (CL) in human primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to investigate their mechanisms. Methods The protein expression of CD, CH and CL in hepatic specimens consisted of control (n = 17), HCC (n = 37) and paracancerous (n = 28) tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The relative values of CD, CH and CL protein expression were examined with absorbent density analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS11. 5 software. The univariate analysis was used to compare the difference among groups. Results The mean absorbance of CD, CH and CL proteins in HCC tissues (1.21± 0.33, 0. 89 ± 0.22 and 1.16± 0. 25, respectively) were significantly higher in comparison with those in control tissues (0. 19 ± 0. 07, 0. 24 ± 0. 12 and 0. 28 ± 0. 14,respectively) and in paracancerous tissues (0.27±0.13,0. 31± 0.14 and 0. 36±0.15)(all P values =0.0001). Whereas there was no difference between control and paracancerous tissues with respect to CD, CH and CL proteins (P ＞0. 05). Three proteins immunohistochemically appeared as a lot of diffused spots and stripes staining in cytoplasma of HCC tissues,but only a few scatted spots staining was found in control and paracancerous tissues. Conclusion The high expression of CD, CH and CL protein in primary HCC may be important markers for carcinogenesis and malignant progress.

Accurate tumor targeting, deep penetration and superb retention are still the main pursuit of developing excellent nanomedicine. To achieve these requirements, a stepwise stimuli-responsive strategy was developed through co-administration tumor penetration peptide iRGD with shape-transformable and GSH-responsive SN38-dimer (d-SN38)-loaded nanoparticles (d-SN38@NPs/iRGD). Upon intravenous injection, d-SN38@NPs with high drug loading efficiency (33.92 ± 1.33%) could effectively accumulate and penetrate into the deep region of tumor sites with the assistance of iRGD. The gathered nanoparticles simultaneously transformed into nanofibers upon 650 nm laser irradiation at tumor sites so as to promote their retention in the tumor and burst release of reactive oxygen species for photodynamic therapy. The loaded d-SN38 with disulfide bond responded to the high level of GSH in tumor cytoplasm, which consequently resulted in SN38 release and excellent chemo-photodynamic effect on tumor.

Drug delivery systems (DDS) are defined as methods by which drugs are delivered to desired tissues, organs, cells and subcellular organs for drug release and absorption through a variety of drug carriers. Its usual purpose to improve the pharmacological activities of therapeutic drugs and to overcome problems such as limited solubility, drug aggregation, low bioavailability, poor biodistribution, lack of selectivity, or to reduce the side effects of therapeutic drugs. During 2015-2018, significant progress in the research on drug delivery systems has been achieved along with advances in related fields, such as pharmaceutical sciences, material sciences and biomedical sciences. This review provides a concise overview of current progress in this research area through its focus on the delivery strategies, construction techniques and specific examples. It is a valuable reference for pharmaceutical scientists who want to learn more about the design of drug delivery systems.

In order to better evaluate the transport effect of nanoparticles through the nasal mucosa, an nasal cavity-mimic model was designed based on M cells. The differentiation of M cells was induced by co-culture of Calu-3 and Raji cells in invert model. The ZO-1 protein staining and the transport of fluorescein sodium and dexamethasone showed that the inverted co-culture model formed a dense monolayer and possessed the transport ability. The differentiation of M cells was observed by up-regulated expression of Sialyl Lewis A antigen (SLAA) and integrin 1, and down-regulated activity of alkaline phosphatase. After targeting M cells with iRGD peptide (cRGDKGPDC), the transport of nanoparticles increased. , the co-administration of iRGD could result in the increase of nanoparticles transported to the brain through the nasal cavity after intranasal administration. In the evaluation of immune effect , the nasal administration of OVA-PLGA/iRGD led to more release of IgG, IFN-, IL-2 and secretory IgA (sIgA) compared with OVA@PLGA group. Collectively, the study constructed M cell model, and proved the enhanced effect of targeting towards M cell with iRGD on improving nasal immunity.

Insurmountable blood‒brain barrier (BBB) and complex pathological features are the key factors affecting the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Poor accumulation of drugs in lesion sites and undesired effectiveness of simply reducing A

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.04.022.].