ABSTRACT
Combinatorial drug delivery is an attractive, but challenging requirement of next generation cancer nanomedicines. Here, we report a transferrin-targeted core-shell nanomedicine formed by encapsulating two clinically used single-agent drugs, doxorubicin and sorafenib against liver cancer. Doxorubicin was loaded in poly(vinyl alcohol) nano-core and sorafenib in albumin nano-shell, both formed by a sequential freeze-thaw/coacervation method. While sorafenib from the nano-shell inhibited aberrant oncogenic signaling involved in cell proliferation, doxorubicin from the nano-core evoked DNA intercalation thereby killing >75% of cancer cells. Upon targeting using transferrin ligands, the nanoparticles showed enhanced cellular uptake and synergistic cytotoxicity in ~92% of cells, particularly in iron-deficient microenvironment. Studies using 3D spheroids of liver tumor indicated efficient penetration of targeted core-shell nanoparticles throughout the tissue causing uniform cell killing. Thus, we show that rationally designed core-shell nanoparticles can effectively combine clinically relevant single-agent drugs for exerting synergistic activity against liver cancer. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: Transferrin-targeted core-shell nanomedicine encapsulating doxorubicin and sorafenib was studied as a drug delivery system against hepatocellular carcinoma, resulting in enhanced and synergistic therapeutic effects, paving the way towards potential future clinical applications of similar techniques.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy , Doxorubicin/chemistry , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Nanomedicine/methods , Niacinamide/analogs & derivatives , Phenylurea Compounds/chemistry , Transferrin/chemistry , Apoptosis/drug effects , Doxorubicin/administration & dosage , Drug Carriers/chemistry , Drug Delivery Systems , Hep G2 Cells , Humans , Niacinamide/administration & dosage , Niacinamide/chemistry , Phenylurea Compounds/administration & dosage , SorafenibABSTRACT
Aberrant epigenetics play a key role in the onset and progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Herein we report in silico modelling based development of a novel, protein-vorinostat nanomedicine exhibiting selective and superior anti-leukemic activity against heterogeneous population of AML patient samples (n=9), including refractory and relapsed cases, and three representative cell lines expressing CD34(+)/CD38(-) stem cell phenotype (KG-1a), promyelocytic phenotype (HL-60) and FLT3-ITD mutation (MV4-11). Nano-vorinostat having ~100nm size exhibited enhanced cellular uptake rendering significantly lower IC50 in AML cell lines and patient samples, and induced enhanced HDAC inhibition, oxidative injury, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis compared to free vorinostat. Most importantly, nanomedicine showed exceptional single-agent activity against the clonogenic proliferative capability of bone marrow derived leukemic progenitors, while remaining non-toxic to healthy bone marrow cells. Collectively, this epigenetics targeted nanomedicine appears to be a promising therapeutic strategy against various French-American-British (FAB) classes of AML. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: Through the use of a protein-vorinostat agent, exceptional single-agent activity was demonstrated against the clonogenic proliferative capability of bone marrow derived leukemic progenitors, while remaining non-toxic to healthy bone marrow cells. The studied epigenetics targeted nanomedicine approach is a promising therapeutic strategy against various French-American-British classes of acute myeloid leukemia.
Subject(s)
Apoptosis/drug effects , Computer Simulation , Epigenesis, Genetic/drug effects , Hydroxamic Acids/pharmacology , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy , Models, Biological , Nanomedicine/methods , HL-60 Cells , Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors , Humans , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology , VorinostatABSTRACT
A multifunctional core-shell nanomedicine capable of inhibiting the migratory capacity of metastatic cancer cells followed by imparting cytotoxic stress by photodynamic action is reported. Based on in silico design, we have developed a core-shell nanomedicine comprising of ~80nm size poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nano-core encapsulating photosensitizer, m-tetra(hydroxyphenyl)chlorin (mTHPC), and ~20nm size albumin nano-shell encapsulating tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Dasatinib, which impair cancer migration. This system was prepared by a sequential process involving electrospray of polymer core and coacervation of protein shell. Cell studies using metastatic breast cancer cells demonstrated disruption of Src kinase involved in the cancer migration by albumin-dasatinib nano-shell and generation of photoactivated oxidative stress by mTHPC-PLGA nano-core. This unique combinatorial photo-chemo nanotherapy resulted synergistic cytotoxicity in ~99% of the motility-impaired metastatic cells. This approach of blocking cancer migration followed by photodynamic killing using rationally designed nanomedicine is a promising new strategy against cancer metastasis. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: A multifunctional core-shell nanomedicine capable of inhibiting metastatic cancer cell migration, in addition to inducing photodynamic effects, is described in this paper. The authors document cytotoxicity in approximately 99% of the studied metastatic breast cancer cells. Similar approaches would be a very welcome addition to the treatment protocols of advanced metastatic breast cancer and other types of neoplasms.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Drug Carriers/chemistry , Mesoporphyrins/administration & dosage , Neoplasm Metastasis/drug therapy , Photosensitizing Agents/administration & dosage , Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors , Pyrimidines/administration & dosage , Thiazoles/administration & dosage , Breast/drug effects , Breast/pathology , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement/drug effects , Dasatinib , Female , Humans , Lactic Acid/chemistry , Mesoporphyrins/therapeutic use , Molecular Docking Simulation , Nanomedicine/methods , Neoplasm Metastasis/pathology , Photochemotherapy/methods , Photosensitizing Agents/therapeutic use , Polyglycolic Acid/chemistry , Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer , Pyrimidines/therapeutic use , Serum Albumin/chemistry , Thiazoles/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Simultaneous inhibition of deregulated cancer kinome using rationally designed nanomedicine is an advanced therapeutic approach. Herein, we have developed a polymer-protein core-shell nanomedicine to inhibit critically aberrant pro-survival kinases (mTOR, MAPK and STAT5) in primitive (CD34(+)/CD38(-)) Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) cells. The nanomedicine consists of poly-lactide-co-glycolide core (~250 nm) loaded with mTOR inhibitor, everolimus, and albumin shell (~25 nm thick) loaded with MAPK/STAT5 inhibitor, sorafenib and the whole construct was surface conjugated with monoclonal antibody against CD33 receptor overexpressed in AML. Electron microscopy confirmed formation of core-shell nanostructure (~290 nm) and flow cytometry and confocal studies showed enhanced cellular uptake of targeted nanomedicine. Simultaneous inhibition of critical kinases causing synergistic lethality against leukemic cells, without affecting healthy blood cells, was demonstrated using immunoblotting, cytotoxicity and apoptosis assays. This cell receptor plus multi-kinase targeted core-shell nanomedicine was found better specific and tolerable compared to current clinical regime of cytarabine and daunorubicin. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: These authors demonstrate simultaneous inhibition of critical kinases causing synergistic lethality against leukemic cells, without affecting healthy blood cells by using rationally designed polymer-protein core-shell nanomedicine, provoding an advanced method to eliminate cancer cells, with the hope of future therapeutic use.
