PLGA from PolySciTech used in development of sialic acid-targeting nanoparticles for delivery of doxorubicin to cancer

 

Cancer therapy remains difficult as the cancer cells themselves are actually the same as normal human cells but behaving in a pathological manner. For this reason obtaining a medicine which specifically affects the cancer cells without damaging normal tissues remains difficult. Targetted therapies, designed to deliver the majority of the drug into the cancer or tumor site is one means to achieve at least some degree of this specificity. Recently, researchers at Kangwon National University (Korea) used PLGA (AP059) from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) to create doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles for cancer therapy. This research holds promise to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy in the future. Read more: Lee, Song Yi, Suyeong Nam, Ja Seong Koo, Sungyun Kim, Mingyu Yang, Da In Jeong, ChaeRim Hwang, JiHye Park, and Hyun-Jong Cho. "Possible contribution of sialic acid to the enhanced tumor targeting efficiency of nanoparticles engineered with doxorubicin." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1 (2020): 1-15. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-76778-9

“Doxorubicin (DOX)-engineered poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) including phloretin (PHL) were designed and the feasible contribution of sialic acid (SA) to the improved tumor targeting and penetration capabilities was elucidated in lung adenocarcinoma models. DOX has been clinically used as liposomal formulations after its introduction to the inner side of vehicles, however DOX is anchored in the outer surface of PLGA NPs for improved tumor penetration by interactions with SA in this study. DOX (positively charged at physiological pH) was adsorbed onto the negatively charged PLGA NPs via electrostatic interactions and consequent binding of SA (negatively charged at physiological pH) to DOX located in NPs was also elucidated. DOX layer in DOX@PLGA NPs rendered improved endocytosis and partial contribution of SA (expressed in cancer cells) to that endocytosis was demonstrated. DOX@PLGA/PHL NPs provided enhanced antiproliferation potentials in A549 cells rather than single agent (DOX or PHL)-installed NPs. In addition, DOX-SA interactions seemed to play critical roles in tumor infiltration and accumulation of DOX@PLGA NPs in A549 tumor-xenografted mouse model. All these findings support the novel use of DOX which is used for the surface engineering of NPs for improved tumor targeting and penetration.”