Mussel-Derived, Cancer-Targeting Peptide as pH-Sensitive Prodrug Nanocarrier.

Abstract

In this work, we prepared a novel cancer chemotherapeutic nanocarrier through the self-assembly of a mussel-derived, cancer-targeting peptide with a pH-sensitive conjugation of antitumor drugs. The biomimetic peptide was designed with a fluorescent molecule fluorescein isothiocyanate for imaging, a RGD sequence for cancer-targeting and tetravalent catechol groups for dynamic conjugation of the antitumor drug bortezomib via pH-cleavable boronic acid-catechol esters. Our study demonstrated that the peptide-based prodrug nanocarrier dramatically the enhanced specific cellular uptake and cytotoxicity toward human breast cancer cells in vitro in comparison with free drug and nontargeting control nanoparticles. Likewise, the prodrug nanocarrier showed improved therapeutic efficacy and low systematic toxicity in vivo. Considering highly biomimetic nature of the peptide-based nanocarriers, rapid drug release from the dynamically conjugated prodrugs, and convenience of introducing cancer-targeting activity onto this nanosystem, we believe our work would provide new ideas for the development of intelligent and biocompatible drug delivery systems to improve the chemotherapy efficacy in clinic. Furthermore, the pH-sensitive drug conjugation mechanism on peptide-based nanocarriers would provide a hint for the exploitation of dynamic prodrug strategies and the development of highly biocompatible nanocarriers using biogenic materials, e.g., the proteinogenic nanomaterials decorated with drugs through dynamic covalent chemistry.

• Authors: Yue Ma, Peiyan He, Xiaohua Tian, Guanglei Liu, Xiaowei Zeng, Guoqing Pan
• Journal: ACS applied materials & interfaces (ACS Appl Mater Interfaces) Vol. 11 Issue 27 Pg. 23948-23956 (Jul 10 2019) ISSN: 1944-8252 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 31192575 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Delayed-Action Preparations
• Drug Carriers
• Oligopeptides
• Prodrugs
• Bortezomib
• arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid

Topics

• Animals
• Bivalvia (chemistry)
• Bortezomib (chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Delayed-Action Preparations (chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology)
• Drug Carriers (chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology)
• HEK293 Cells
• Humans
• Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C
• Mice, Nude
• Nanoparticles (chemistry, therapeutic use)
• Neoplasms, Experimental (drug therapy, metabolism, pathology)
• Oligopeptides (chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology)
• Prodrugs (chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology)
• Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays