[Development of an Anticancer Therapy Using Recombinant Bifidobacterium as a New Drug Delivery System (DDS)]

Yakugaku Zasshi. 2018;138(7):923-930. doi: 10.1248/yakushi.17-00220-4.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

Intravenously administered obligate anaerobic bacteria, such as bifidobacteria, grow specifically in tumor tissues. This specificity is attributed to the following: (1) Vascular walls in tumor tissues have nanometer- to micrometer-wide cracks, which allow the bacteria to pass through; (2) the intratumoral environment is hypoxic, due to poor vascularization, and therefore bifidobacteria can survive and proliferate in this anaerobic environment; (3) bifidobacteria cannot survive in well-oxygenated normal tissues. Moreover, unlike gram-negative bacteria, the gram-positive bifidobacteria do not produce endotoxins; therefore, there is no risk of endotoxin shock associated with their intravenous administration. Recently, the utility of bifidobacteria for specific drug delivery to tumor tissues has been highlighted. We have established a novel anti-cancer drug-delivery system using Bifidobacterium longum for the specific release of anti-tumor antibodies (e.g., antibody-drug complexes or single-chain antibodies) to targeted tumor tissues. Here, we introduce the results of our investigation.

Keywords: Bifidobacterium; anti-cancer drug; drug delivery system; obligate anaerobic bacteria.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anaerobiosis
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Bifidobacterium longum*
  • Drug Delivery Systems*
  • Humans
  • Immunotoxins
  • Mice
  • Neoplasms / blood supply
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms / microbiology*
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Recombination, Genetic

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Immunotoxins