PLGA-PEG-Mal from PolySciTech used in development of targeted nanoparticles for treatment of liver cancer

 

The liver performs multiple, critical metabolic functions which are important for sustaining life. As such, cancer forming in the liver can be a very serious situation. Recently, researchers at Anhui University of Science and Technology (China) used PLGA-PEG-Mal (AI110) from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) to create targeted nanoparticles which interact with cellular signalling molecules to inhibit the progress of liver cancer. This research holds promise to improve treatments against this potentially life-threatening disease. Read more: Shen, Jing, Wenpeng Cai, Yongfang Ma, Ruyue Xu, Zhen Huo, Li Song, Xinyin Qiu et al. "hGC33-Modified and Sorafenib-Loaded Nanoparticles have a Synergistic Anti-Hepatoma Effect by Inhibiting Wnt Signaling Pathway." Nanoscale Research Letters 15, no. 1 (2020): 1-15. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s11671-020-03451-5

“Delivery of tumor-specific inhibitors is a challenge in cancer treatment. Antibody-modified nanoparticles can deliver their loaded drugs to tumor cells that overexpress specific tumor-associated antigens. Here, we constructed sorafenib-loaded polyethylene glycol-b-PLGA polymer nanoparticles modified with antibody hGC33 to glypican-3 (GPC3 +), a membrane protein overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma. We found that hGC33-modified NPs (hGC33-SFB-NP) targeted GPC3+ hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells by specifically binding to GPC3 on the surface of HCC cells, inhibited Wnt-induced signal transduction, and inhibited HCC cells in G0/1 by down-regulating cyclin D1 expression, thus attenuating HCC cell migration by inhibiting epithelial–mesenchymal transition. hGC33-SFB-NP inhibited the migration, cycle progression, and proliferation of HCC cells by inhibiting the Ras/Raf/MAPK pathway and the Wnt pathway in tandem with GPC3 molecules, respectively. hGC33-SFB-NP inhibited the growth of liver cancer in vivo and improved the survival rate of tumor-bearing mice. We conclude that hGC33 increases the targeting of SFB-NP to HCC cells. hGC33-SFB-NP synergistically inhibits the progression of HCC by blocking the Wnt pathway and the Ras/Raf/MAPK pathway.”