Article In: orcid, cienciavitae

Aptamer-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery to Gynecological Carcinoma Cells

Cancers

Lopes-Nunes, Jessica; Agonia, Ana S.; et al. — 2021 — MDPI

Key information

Authors:

Lopes-Nunes, Jessica; Agonia, Ana S.; Rosado, Tiago; Gallardo, Eugénia; Palmeira-de-Oliveira, Rita; Palmeira-de-Oliveira, Ana; Martinez-de-Oliveira, José; Fonseca-Moutinho, J.; Campello, M.P.C. (Maria Paula Cordeiro Crespo Cabral Campello Aboim de Barros); Paiva, A.; Paulo, António (António Manuel Rocha Paulo); et al.

Published in

08/11/2021

Abstract

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers and is one of the major cause of deaths in women, especially in underdeveloped countries. The patients are usually treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, these treatments can cause several side effects and may lead to infertility. Another concerning gynecologic cancer is endometrial cancer, in which a high number of patients present a poor prognosis with low survival rates. AS1411, a DNA aptamer, increases anticancer therapeutic selectivity, and through its conjugation with gold nanoparticles (AS1411-AuNPs) it is possible to improve the anticancer effects. Therefore, AS1411-AuNPs are potential drug carriers for selectively delivering therapeutic drugs to cervical cancer. In this work, we used AS1411-AuNPs as a carrier for an acridine orange derivative (C8) or Imiquimod (IQ). The AS1411 aptamer was covalently bound to AuNPs, and each drug was associated via supramolecular assembly. The final nanoparticles presented suitable properties for pharmaceutical applications, such as small size, negative charge, and favorable drug release properties. Cellular uptake was characterized by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, and effects on cellular viability were determined by MTT assay. The nanoparticles were then incorporated into a gel formulation of polyethylene glycol, suitable for topical application in the female genital tract. This gel showed promising tissue retention properties in Franz cells studies in the porcine vaginal epithelia. These findings suggest that the tested nanoparticles are promising drug carriers for cervical cancer therapy.

Publication details

Authors in the community:

Publication version

AO - Author's Original

Publisher

MDPI

Link to the publisher's version

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers

Title of the publication container

Cancers

First page or article number

4038

Volume

13

Issue

16

ISSN

2072-6694

DOI

10.3390/cancers13164038

WoS (Web of Science)

WOS:000689930900001

Fields of Science and Technology (FOS)

chemical-sciences - Chemical sciences

Keywords

  • cervical cancer
  • endometrial carcinoma
  • acridine orange derivative
  • Imiquimod
  • aptamer
  • gold nanoparticle

Publication language (ISO code)

eng - English

Alternative identifier (URI)

https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13164038

Rights type:

Open access

Creative Commons license

CC-BY - CC-BY