BACKGROUND: The concept of
precision medicine to treat
cancer shows promise and a co-delivery carrier for
chemotherapy drugs and target genes is the key tool for both basic research and clinical application. To address this, we developed a
cancer-targeting nanoparticle vector to transfer
gemcitabine (Gem) and
small interfering RNA (
siRNA) to
pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) resonant at 15 nm were conjugated with the
single chain variable fragment (scFv) against CD44v6 (scFvCD44v6), which has proven
pancreatic cancer-targeting specificity as reported in our previous study. Gem was then linked through a lysosomally cleavable tetrapeptide linker, resulting in a scFv-targeted nanoparticle construct, which was subsequently conjugated to
siRNA targeting the Bmi-1 oncogene (siBmi-1) to obtain the multifunctional nanoparticle scFv-Gem-siBmi-1-NPs. A series of biological experiments were performed to test its biophysical characterization, gene silencing efficacy and anti-
tumor effect in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: The multifunctional nanoparticle not only possesses an ultra-small size of approximately 80 nm, excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, but also exerts a synergistic anti-
tumor effect both in vitro and in vivo, such as inhibition of
tumor cell growth, invasion and migration, reduction of cell cycle progression and promotion of
tumor apoptosis. Furthermore, this nanoparticle can efficiently target
pancreatic cancer in vivo, resulting in the enhanced bioavailability and efficacy of Gem. CONCLUSION: scFv-Gem-siBmi-1-NPs provide an effective and targeted co-delivery of Gem and siBmi-1 to
pancreatic cancer, and exert an efficient and corporate anti-
tumor therapeutic effect. This prospective vector shows promise for precise treatment of
pancreatic cancer.