Synergistic Targeting of Cell Membrane, Cytoplasm, and Nucleus of Cancer Cells Using Rod-Shaped Nanoparticles

Abstract

Design of carriers for effective delivery and targeting of drugs to cellular and subcellular compartments is an unmet need in medicine. Here, we report pure drug nanoparticles comprising camptothecin (CPT), trastuzumab (TTZ), and doxorubicin (DOX) to enable cell-specific interactions, subcellular accumulation, and growth inhibition of breast cancer cells. CPT is formulated in the form of nanorods which are coated with TTZ. DOX is encapsulated in the TTZ corona around the CPT nanoparticle. Our results show that TTZ/DOX-coated CPT nanorods exhibit cell-specific internalization in BT-474 breast cancer cells, after which TTZ is recycled to the plasma membrane, leaving CPT nanorods in the perinuclear region and delivering DOX into the nucleus of the cells. The effects of CPT-TTZ-DOX nanoparticles on growth inhibition are synergistic (combination index = 0.17 ± 0.03) showing 10-10 000-fold lower inhibitory concentrations (IC50) compared to those of individual drugs. The design of antibody-targeted pure drug nanoparticles offers a promising design strategy to facilitate intracellular delivery and therapeutic efficiency of anticancer drugs.

Department(s)

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Camptothecin; Doxorubicin; Herceptin; Morphology; Nanoparticle; Shape; Synergistic

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1936-0851

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2013 American Chemical Society (ACS), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Nov 2013

PubMed ID

24053162

Link to Full Text

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