Brittany E. Givens

In Vitro Assessment of a Paclitaxel‐Poly(Caprolactone) Drug Delivery System in Endometrial Cancer

ABSTRACTDrug delivery systems (DDSs) have grown in popularity for their astute ability to encapsulate a drug into a biocompatible carrier, thus improving targeted and localized delivery to specific tissues. DDSs often increase circulation time and therapeutic effects while also decreasing systemic side effects. In diseases that are difficult to treat with conventional therapies, such as endometrial cancer, DDSs are a promising therapeutic alternative. In this study, a polycaprolactone (PCL) particle loaded with the chemotherapeutic paclitaxel (PTX) was generated as a DDS and investigated for efficacy in the Ishikawa and KLE endometrial cancer cell lines. Dye‐loaded particles were used to quantify particle uptake and identify cellular localization. Results indicated that polymeric encapsulation of PTX was achieved and approximately 22% of the cargo was released in the first 48 h, followed by at least 28 days of sustained release. These particles enhanced antiproliferative activity in cells at lower PTX concentrations compared with the free drug. Using a dye‐loaded particle, confocal microscopy confirmed intracellular localization of the dye, particularly in the nucleus and cytoplasm, which was also quantified using fluorescence. These data indicate that PCL is a potential polymer for further development of DDS for cancer therapeutics.

Particles and Prejudice: Nanomedicine Approaches to Reducing Health Disparities in Endometrial Cancer

AbstractEndometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy worldwide and unfortunately has a much higher mortality rate in Black women compared with White women. Many potential factors contribute to these mortality rates, including the underlying effects of systemic and interpersonal racism. Furthermore, other trends in medicine have potential links to these rates including participation in clinical trials, hormone therapy, and pre‐existing health conditions. Addressing the high incidence and disparate mortality rates in endometrial cancer requires novel methods, such as nanoparticle‐based therapeutics. These therapeutics have been growing in increasing prevalence in pre‐clinical development and have far‐reaching implications in cancer therapy. The rigor of pre‐clinical studies is enhanced by the likeness of the model to the human body. In systems for 3D cell culture, for example, the extracellular matrix mimics the tumor more closely. The increasing emphasis on precision medicine can be applied to cancer using nanoparticle‐based methods and applied to pre‐clinical models by using patient‐derived model data. This review highlights the intersections of nanomedicine, precision medicine, and racial disparities within endometrial cancer and provides insights into reducing health disparities using recent scientific advances on the nanoscale.

Tiny plastic, big trouble: how polystyrene nanoparticles impact DNA-damage repair deficient cervical cancer cells

Colloidal stability of micro- and nano-plastics influences interactions with human cells. These effects can be measured as a function of DNA damage repair via mitochondrial function, esterase activity, and oxidative stress.