Tumor-targeting peptide conjugated pH-responsive micelles as a potential drug carrier for cancer therapy

Bioconjug Chem. 2010 Feb 17;21(2):208-13. doi: 10.1021/bc9005283.

Abstract

Herein, we prepared tumor-targeting peptide (AP peptide; CRKRLDRN) conjugated pH-responsive polymeric micelles (pH-PMs) in cancer therapy by active and pH-responsive tumor targeting delivery systems, simultaneously. The active tumor targeting and tumoral pH-responsive polymeric micelles were prepared by mixing AP peptide conjugated PEG-poly(d,l-lactic acid) block copolymer (AP-PEG-PLA) into the pH-responsive micelles of methyl ether poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG)-poly(beta-amino ester) (PAE) block copolymer (MPEG-PAE). These mixed amphiphilic block copolymers were self-assembled to form stable AP peptide-conjugated and pH-responsive AP-PEG-PLA/MPEG-PAE micelles (AP-pH-PMs) with an average size of 150 nm. The AP-pH-PMs containing 10 wt % of AP-PEG-PLA showed a sharp pH-dependent micellization/demicellization transition at the tumoral acid pH. Also, they presented the pH-dependent drug release profile at the acidic pH of 6.4. The fluorescence dye, TRITC, encapsulated AP-pH-PMs (TRITC-AP-pH-PMs) presented the higher tumor-specific targeting ability in vitro cancer cell culture system and in vivo tumor-bearing mice, compared to control pH-responsive micelles of MPEG-PAE. For the cancer therapy, the anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), was efficiently encapsulated into the AP-pH-PMs (DOX-AP-pH-PMs) with a higher loading efficiency. DOX-AP-pH-PMs efficiently deliver anticancer drugs in MDA-MB231 human breast tumor-bearing mice, resulted in excellent anticancer therapeutic efficacy, compared to free DOX and DOX encapsulated MEG-PAE micelles, indicating the excellent tumor targeting ability of AP-pH-PMs. Therefore, these tumor-targeting peptide-conjugated and pH-responsive polymeric micelles have great potential application in cancer therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Doxorubicin / chemistry
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology
  • Doxorubicin / therapeutic use
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry*
  • Drug Carriers / metabolism
  • Drug Carriers / pharmacokinetics
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Mice
  • Micelles*
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry*
  • Oligopeptides / metabolism
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Time Factors
  • Tissue Distribution

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Drug Carriers
  • Micelles
  • Oligopeptides
  • Polymers
  • poly(beta-amino ester)
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • Doxorubicin
  • monomethoxypolyethylene glycol