Mitochondria-targeting cancer therapies have achieved unprecedented advances attributed to their superior ability for improving drug delivery efficiency and producing an enhanced therapeutic effect. Herein, we report a mitochondria-targeting camptothecin (CPT) polyprodrug system (MCPS) covalently decorated with a high-proportioned CPT content, which can realize drug release specifically responsive to a tumor microenvironment. The nonlinear structure of MCPS can form water-soluble unimolecular micelles with high micellar stability and improved drug accumulation in tumoral cells/tissues. Furthermore, a classical mitochondria-targeting agent, triphenylphosphonium bromide, was tethered in this prodrug system, which causes mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization and mediates the transport of CPT into mitochondria. The disulfide bond in MCPS can be cleaved by an intracellular reductant such as glutathione, leading to enhanced destruction of mitochondria DNA and cell apoptosis induced by a high level of reactive oxygen species. The systematic analyses both in vitro and in vivo indicated the excellent tumor inhibition effect and biosafety of MCPS, which is believed to be an advantageous nanoplatform for subcellular organelle-specific chemotherapy of cancer.
Keywords: cancer therapy; chemotherapy; mitochondria-targeted; polyprodrug; reduction-activated.