AI Article Synopsis
- Researchers developed tiny silica nanoparticles (under 10 nm) coated with polyethylene glycol and melanoma-targeting peptides to improve cancer treatment delivery.
- These nanoparticles can trigger ferroptosis, a form of programmed cell death, in cancer cells deprived of nutrients and in cancerous mice.
- In mice studies, using a high-dose injection of these nanoparticles slowed or reversed tumor growth, highlighting their potential as a targeted therapy, especially since the effect can be blocked by a specific inhibitor (liproxstatin-1).
Article Abstract
The design of cancer-targeting particles with precisely tuned physicochemical properties may enhance the delivery of therapeutics and access to pharmacological targets. However, a molecular-level understanding of the interactions driving the fate of nanomedicine in biological systems remains elusive. Here, we show that ultrasmall (<10 nm in diameter) poly(ethylene glycol)-coated silica nanoparticles, functionalized with melanoma-targeting peptides, can induce a form of programmed cell death known as ferroptosis in starved cancer cells and cancer-bearing mice. Tumour xenografts in mice intravenously injected with nanoparticles using a high-dose multiple injection scheme exhibit reduced growth or regression, in a manner that is reversed by the pharmacological inhibitor of ferroptosis, liproxstatin-1. These data demonstrate that ferroptosis can be targeted by ultrasmall silica nanoparticles and may have therapeutic potential.
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Source |
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5108575 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2016.164 | DOI Listing |
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