Anticancer Analysis of CD44 Targeted Cyclosporine Loaded Thiolated Chitosan Nanoformulations for Sustained Release in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer [Retraction]

Abduh MS. Int J Nanomedicine. 2023;18:5713–5732.

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 6, 7 and 10 with images from other unrelated articles. Specifically,

• The image for Figure 6B, CsA-loaded ThC-HA nanoparticle, has been duplicated with the image for Figure 8D, HA-coated OMV loaded TC nanoparticles, from Naseer F, Ahmad T, Kousar K, Kakar S, Gul R, Anjum S, Shareef U. Formulation for the Targeted Delivery of a Vaccine Strain of Oncolytic Measles Virus (OMV) in Hyaluronic Acid Coated Thiolated Chitosan as a Green Nanoformulation for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer: A Viro-Immunotherapeutic Approach. Int J Nanomedicine. 2023;18:185–205. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S386560.
• The image for Figure 7B, nanoformulation of CsA-encapsulated ThC-HA, has been duplicated with the image for Figure 10A, Blank NFs, from Kousar K, Naseer F, Abduh MS, Kakar S, Gul R, Anjum S and Ahmad T. 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.
• Images for Figure 10, MCF-10A, Pure CsA, 90 µg/ml; MCF-10A, Control 60 µg/ml; MCF-10A, CsA-NF, 60µg/ml and MCF-10A, CsA-NF, 20 µg/ml have been duplicated with images from 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 and Figure 10 from Naseer et al, 2023.
• In addition, the images for Figure 10, MDA-MB-231, Control, 90 µg/ml and MDA-MB-231, Control, 20 µg/ml have duplicated and the images for Figure 10, MDA-MB-231, Control, 60 µg/ml and MDA-MB-231, CsA-NF, 20 µg/ml have also been duplicated.

The corresponding author was cooperative and 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”.