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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Aleksandra Grela-Wojewoda

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Guest Editor

Department of Clinical Oncology, The Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Kraków Branch, 31-115 Kraków, Poland
Interests: breast cancer; melanoma; target therapy; immunotherapy

Prof. Dr. Wojciech Wysocki

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Guest Editor

Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, 30-705 Kraków, Poland
Interests: melanoma; breast cancer; colon cancer; gastric cancer

Dr. Marek Ziobro

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Guest Editor

Department of Clinical Oncology, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Kraków Branch, 31-115 Kraków, Poland
Interests: immuntherapy; melanoma; kidney cancer; breast cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is an increasing epidemiological issue worldwide. The therapeutic landscape of systemic therapy for cancer patients has significantly expanded in the past 20 years, and advancements in understanding cancer heterogeneity have resulted in the development and introduction of innovative drugs encompassing a range of disease-modifying therapies. Molecularly targeted therapies directed at various molecular targets, along with immunotherapy, have fundamentally transformed the therapeutic outlook for patients undergoing radical or palliative treatment for cancer. The primary objective of palliative therapy is to prolong the progression of cancer in the long term. Monoclonal antibodies have enabled the targeting of molecular pathways, such as PDL, PDL1, and CTLA4. CDK4/6 kinase inhibitors effectively overcome hormone resistance in the treatment of advanced breast cancer. Targeted therapies are widely utilized in the fields of hematology and oncology. Novel approaches to combination therapy in the context of overcoming resistance represent a compelling subject that merits investigation. This Special Issue warmly welcomes fundamental and translational research, original articles, and concise communications that focus on innovative anti-cancer strategies. Special attention will be given to manuscripts that describe molecular mechanisms of drug resistance, predictive biomarkers, as well as original contributions that present real-world evidence and introduce novel action protocols.

Dr. Aleksandra Grela-Wojewoda
Prof. Dr. Wojciech Wysocki
Dr. Marek Ziobro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

immunotherapy
PDL/PDL1

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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30 pages, 10378 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dual Role of Vitamin C-Encapsulated Liposomal Berberine in Effective Colon Anticancer Immunotherapy

by Martyna Mianowska, Magdalena Zaremba-Czogalla, Adrianna Zygmunt, Mohamed Mahmud, Regine Süss and Jerzy Gubernator

Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17010005 - 20 Dec 2023

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to achieve effective colon anticancer immunotherapy using the alkaloid berberine. In the presented paper we attempt to develop a formulation of berberine loaded into liposomal carriers using the vitamin C gradient method, characterized by efficient drug encapsulation, high stability during long-term storage, low drug release in human plasma with specific cytotoxicity towards colon cancer cells. Liposomal berberine was responsible for the induction of oxidative stress, the presence of Ca²⁺ ions in the cytosol, the reduction of Δψm, and ATP depletion with a simultaneous lack of caspase activity. Moreover, treatment with liposomal berberine led to CRT exposure on the surface of cancer cells, extracellular ATP, and HMGB1 release. The above-described mechanism of action was most likely associated with ICD induction, contributing to the increased number of phagocytic cancer cells. We have shown that cancer cells treated with liposomal berberine were phagocytosed more frequently by macrophages compared to the untreated cancer cells. What is more, we have shown that macrophage pre-treatment with liposomal berberine led to a 3-fold change in the number of phagocytosed SW620 cancer cells. The obtained results provide new insights into the role of berberine in maintaining the immune response against colorectal cancer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Combining Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapies in Cancer Treatment)

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Other

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13 pages, 1177 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Risk of Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer in Patients with Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Treated with Targeted Therapies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

by Marta Krzysztofik, Paweł Brzewski, Przemysław Cuber, Artur Kacprzyk, Aleksandra Kulbat, Karolina Richter, Tomasz Wojewoda and Wojciech M. Wysocki

Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17010014 - 21 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1206

Abstract

Targeted therapies represent major advancements in the treatment of chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis. While previous studies have shown an increased risk of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in patients receiving TNF-α inhibitors, the risks associated with newer biologics (IL-12/23 inhibitors, IL-23 inhibitors, IL-17 inhibitors) and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors remain less known. Using a systematic and meta-analytical approach, we aimed to summarize the currently available literature concerning skin cancer risk in patients treated with targeted therapies. The MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to find studies reporting the incidence rates (IR) of melanoma and NMSC in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis treated with biologics or JAK inhibitors. Nineteen studies were included in the analysis with a total of 13,739 patients. The overall IR of melanoma was 0.08 (95% CI, 0.05–0.15) events per 100 PYs and the overall IR of NMSC was 0.45 (95% CI, 0.33–0.61) events per 100 PYs. The IRs of melanoma were comparable across patients treated with IL-17 inhibitors, IL-23 inhibitors, and JAK inhibitors, while the IRs of NMSC were higher in patients treated with JAK inhibitors than in those treated with biologics. Prospective, long-term cohort studies are required to reliably assess the risks associated with novel targeted therapies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Combining Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapies in Cancer Treatment)

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