Rationale: With the advantages of tumor-targeting, pH-responsive drug releasing, and biocompatibility, ferritin nanocage emerges as a promising drug carrier. However, its wide applications were significantly hindered by the low loading efficiency of hydrophobic drugs. Herein, we redesigned the inner surface of ferritin drug carrier (ins-FDC) by fusing the C- terminus of human H ferritin (HFn) subunit with optimized hydrophobic peptides. Methods: Hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs were encapsulated into the ins-FDC through the urea-dependent disassembly/reassembly strategy and the natural drug entry channel of the protein nanocage. The morphology and drug loading/releasing abilities of the drug-loaded nanocarrier were then examined. Its tumor targeting character, system toxicity, application in synergistic therapy, and anti-tumor action were further investigated. Results: After optimization, 39 hydrophobic Camptothecin and 150 hydrophilic Epirubicin were encapsulated onto one ins-FDC nanocage. The ins-FDC nanocage exhibited programed drug release pattern and increased the stability and biocompatibility of the loaded drugs. Furthermore, the ins-FDC possesses tumor targeting property due to the intrinsic CD71-binding ability of HFn. The loaded drugs may penetrate the brain blood barrier and accumulate in tumors in vivo more efficiently. As a result, the drugs loaded on ins-FDC showed reduced side effects and significantly enhanced efficacy against glioma, metastatic liver cancer, and chemo-resistant breast tumors. Conclusions: The ins-FDC nanocarrier offers a promising novel means for the delivery of hydrophobic compounds in cancer treatments, especially for the combination therapies that use both hydrophobic and hydrophilic chemotherapeutics.
Keywords: dual drug payloads; hydrophobic drugs loading; inner surface engineering; re-design of ferritin nanocage; synergistic tumor therapy.
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