Naseer F, Ahmad T, Kousar K, et al. Int J Nanomedicine. 2023;18:185–205.
We, the Editor and Publisher of the journal International Journal of Nanomedicine are retracting the published article.
Following publication of the article, concerns were raised about the duplication of images from Figures 8, 10 and 13 with images from other unrelated articles. Specifically,
The image for Figure 8A, blank NF temperatures, has been duplicated with the image for Figure 13C, SEM of lyophilized NF after 3 months storage.
The image for Figure 8C, HA-coated OMV loaded TC, has been duplicated with the image for Figure 16C, lyophilized NFs after 3 months, from Kousar K, Naseer F, Abduh MS, Anjum S and Ahmad T. CD44 targeted delivery of oncolytic Newcastle disease virus encapsulated in thiolated chitosan for sustained release in cervical cancer: a targeted immunotherapy approach. Front. Immunol. 2023;14:1175535. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1175535.
The image for Figure 8D, HA-coated OMV loaded TCs, has been duplicated with the image for Figure 6B, CsA-loaded ThC-HA NF, from Abduh MS. Anticancer Analysis of CD44 Targeted Cyclosporine Loaded Thiolated Chitosan Nanoformulations for Sustained Release in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Int J Nanomedicine. 2023;18:5713-5732. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S424932.
The image for Figure 9D, HA-coated OMV-loaded TCs, has been duplicated with the image for Figure 10B, HA-ThCs-Cis NFs, from Kousar K, Naseer F, Abduh MS, et al. Green synthesis of hyaluronic acid coated, thiolated chitosan nanoparticles for CD44 targeted delivery and sustained release of Cisplatin in cervical carcinoma. Front. Pharmacol. 2023;13:1073004. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.1073004.
The entire Figure 10 has been duplicated with Figure 6 from Naseer F, Kousar K, Abduh MS, et al. Evaluation of the anticancer potential of CD44 targeted vincristine nanoformulation in prostate cancer xenograft model: a multi-dynamic approach for advanced pharmacokinetic evaluation. Cancer Nano. 2023;14:65. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12645-023-00218-2.
The images for Figure 10, Pure MV 12h, 90µg/ml and OMV-loaded TCs 24h, 50µg/ml have been duplicated.
The image for Figure 10, OMV-loaded TCs 24h, 90µg/ml has been duplicated with the image for Figure 10, MCF-10A, Pure CsA, 90µg/ml from Abduh MS, 2023.
The image for Figure 10, Pure MV 12h, 50µg/ml has been duplicated with the image for Figure 10, MCF-10A, CsA-NF, 60µg/ml from Abduh MS, 2023.
The images for Figure 13C, lyophilized NF after 3 months storage, has been duplicated with the image for Figure 7A, SEM image of spherical HA-ThCs-Cis loaded nanoparticles, from Kousar K, et al (2023).
The corresponding author responded to our queries but was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for how the images came to be duplicated and the editor no longer has confidence in the reported findings. As verifying the validity of published work is core to the integrity of the scholarly record, the Publisher and Editor requested to retract the article and the corresponding author does not agree with this decision.
We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and COPE guidelines.
The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.