A research team at UCLA has used specially designed mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) to deliver drugs to targeted tumor cells. The research paper was released recently in the journal ACS Nano reveals that the team was able to enhance the number of drug-delivering nanoparticles that penetrate and remain in tumor cells long enough to fight the cancer.
The multiple and specially designed features enable the platform to carry the chemotherapeutic drugs to diverse targeted cancer cells. The team was led by Dr. Andre Nel, professor of medicine, pediatrics and public health and chief of the nanomedicine division at the university’s Department of Medicine, and Jeffrey Zink, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Nel and Zink worked with the members of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA.
Researchers have been trying to enhance the nano systems that carry drugs to target cancer cells by exploiting features such as leakiness of tumor blood vessels in the abdomen, which enable nanoparticles to penetrate and remain in tumor cells. This calls for precisely sized nanoparticles that will be retained in the blood for sufficiently long periods and temporarily avoid the liver and spleen, attaching the drug strongly.
The platform monitors the size and surface characteristics of the nanoparticle to enhance tumor biodistribution and protected delivery. The team used an iterative design to remodel and maximize the MSNP to deliver doxorubicin to cancer xenografts in a mouse. The design allowed more nanoparticles to remain at the targeted site, with nearly 10% to 12% of the drug-laden particles injected intravenously into the blood to reach and destroy the targeted tumor.
According to Nel, who is also a member of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the quantity of doxorubicin reaching the tumor was seen to be more than that achieved by the independent drug, and also enabled efficient penetration into the cancer cells. Systemic side effects like weight loss and liver and renal injury were also reduced.
The research revealed that the customized design of the platform could allow better drug delivery in laboratory trials. The platform enables effective and safe packaging of hydrophobic and charged anticancer drugs for monitored and time-bound delivery. It induced the tumor to shrink and apoptosis and enhanced the safety of the systemic doxorubicin delivery.
The team also included Dr. Zhaoxia Ji of the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Xue Min and Derrick Y. Tarm of the department of chemistry and Dr. Huan Meng and Dr. Tian Xia of the division of nanomedicine,
A U.S. Health Service grant from the National Cancer Institute funded this study.
Source: http://www.ucla.edu