Multifunctional drug nanocarriers formed by cRGD-conjugated βCD-PAMAM-PEG for targeted cancer therapy.

PubMed ID: 25591850

Author(s): Saraswathy M, Knight GT, Pilla S, Ashton RS, Gong S. Multifunctional drug nanocarriers formed by cRGD-conjugated βCD-PAMAM-PEG for targeted cancer therapy. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2015 Feb 1;126:590-597. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2014.12.042. Epub 2015 Jan 3. PMID 25591850

Journal: Colloids And Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, Volume 126, Feb 2015

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer was conjugated with both carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Cyclic RGD peptide, used as a tumor targeting ligand, was then selectively conjugated onto the distal ends of the PEG arms. The resulting βCD-PAMAM-PEG-cRGD polymer was able to form stable and uniform nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous solution. Doxorubicin (Dox), a model hydrophobic anticancer drug, was effectively encapsulated in the NPs via an inclusion complex formed between the drug and βCD. The Dox loading level was 16.8 wt%. The cellular uptake of cRGD-conjugated Dox-loaded NPs in the U87MG cell line was much higher than that of non-targeted NPs. Furthermore, the anti-proliferative effect of the cRGD-conjugated NPs was superior to that of free drug and non-targeted NPs. These results suggest that NPs formed by βCD-PAMAM-PEG-cRGD with a high drug payload may significantly improve the anticancer efficacy by tumor-targeted delivery and enhanced cellular uptake.

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