Co-delivery of paclitaxel and anti-VEGF siRNA by tripeptide lipid nanoparticle to enhance the anti-tumor activity for lung cancer therapy

Drug Deliv. 2020 Dec;27(1):1397-1411. doi: 10.1080/10717544.2020.1827085.

Abstract

The combination of chemotherapeutic drug paclitaxel (PTX) and VEGF siRNA could inhibit cancer development with synergistic efficacy. However, efficient and safe delivery systems with high encapsulation efficiency of PTX and a long-time release of drugs are urgently needed. In this study, novel nanoparticles (PTX/siRNA/FALS) were constructed by using tripeptide lipid (L), sucrose laurate (S), and folate-PEG2000-DSPE (FA) to co-deliver PTX and siRNA. The cancer cell targeting nanoparticle carrier (PTX/siRNA/FALS) showed anticipated PTX encapsulation efficiency, siRNA retardation ability, improved cell uptake and sustained and controlled drug release. It led to significant anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo by efficient inhibition of VEGF expression and induction of cancer cell apoptosis. Importantly, the biocompatibility of the carriers and low dosage of PTX required for effective therapy greatly reduced the toxicity to mice. The targeting nanoparticles show potential as an effective co-delivery platform for RNAi and chemotherapy drugs, aiming to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy.

Keywords: Tripeptide lipid nanoparticle; VEGF siRNA; lung cancer; paclitaxel; targeted drug delivery.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / administration & dosage*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Carriers / administration & dosage
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Lipids
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Nanoparticles / administration & dosage*
  • Paclitaxel / administration & dosage*
  • Peptides / administration & dosage
  • RNA, Small Interfering / administration & dosage*
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays / methods

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Drug Carriers
  • Lipids
  • Peptides
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • vascular endothelial growth factor A, mouse
  • Paclitaxel

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China [863 Program, 2014AA020707], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [21503035, 21606041 and 21776044], the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.