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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

Synthesis of Aptamer-PEI-g-PEG Modified Gold Nanoparticles Loaded with Doxorubicin for Targeted Drug Delivery
Published on: June 23, 2020
Multifunctional drug nanocarriers formed by cRGD-conjugated βCD-PAMAM-PEG for targeted cancer therapy
Manju Saraswathy1, Gavin T Knight1, Srikanth Pilla1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering and Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Abstract:
Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer was conjugated with both carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (βCD) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Cyclic RGD peptide, used as a tumor targeting ligand, was then selectively conjugated onto the distal ends of the PEG arms. The resulting βCD-PAMAM-PEG-cRGD polymer was able to form stable and uniform nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous solution. Doxorubicin (Dox), a model hydrophobic anticancer drug, was effectively encapsulated in the NPs via an inclusion complex formed between the drug and βCD. The Dox loading level was 16.8 wt%. The cellular uptake of cRGD-conjugated Dox-loaded NPs in the U87MG cell line was much higher than that of non-targeted NPs. Furthermore, the anti-proliferative effect of the cRGD-conjugated NPs was superior to that of free drug and non-targeted NPs. These results suggest that NPs formed by βCD-PAMAM-PEG-cRGD with a high drug payload may significantly improve the anticancer efficacy by tumor-targeted delivery and enhanced cellular uptake.
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