A self-delivery photodynamic sensitizer for enhanced DNA damage by PARP inhibition

Ren-Jiang Kong1, Xin-Yu Li1, Jia-Qi Huang1

  • 1School of Biomedical Engineering & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Construction and Detection in Tissue Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, P. R. China. chengh@smu.edu.cn.

Biomaterials Science
|November 18, 2022
PubMed

Insights

This study developed a self-delivery photodynamic sensitizer (CeOla) that inhibits DNA repair by blocking poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). This approach enhances photodynamic therapy (PDT) effectiveness against tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Nanomedicine
  • Cancer Therapy

Background:

  • Tumor cells resist photodynamic therapy (PDT) by activating DNA repair pathways against reactive oxygen species (ROS).
  • Inhibiting DNA repair mechanisms presents a strategy to overcome this therapeutic resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a self-delivery photodynamic sensitizer that enhances oxidative damage by inhibiting DNA repair via poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition.
  • To evaluate the efficacy of this novel nanomedicine in sensitizing tumor cells to PDT and improving antitumor performance.

Main Methods:

  • Constructed a self-delivery photodynamic sensitizer (CeOla) through self-assembly of chlorine e6 (Ce6) and olaparib (Ola).
  • Investigated CeOla's internalization by tumor cells, its effect on PARP activation, DNA repair markers (γ-H2AX, Rad51), and PDT-induced oxidative damage.
  • Assessed the antitumor efficacy and side effects of CeOla-mediated PDT in vitro and in vivo.

Main Results:

  • Carrier-free CeOla exhibited high drug content and water stability, facilitating tumor cell internalization.
  • CeOla effectively inhibited PARP activation, upregulated γ-H2AX, and reduced Rad51 expression, thus blocking DNA repair.
  • CeOla-mediated PDT significantly promoted tumor cell apoptosis and demonstrated high antitumor activity with minimal side effects.

Conclusions:

  • The self-delivery CeOla acts as a potent nanomedicine platform for overcoming tumor oxidative resistance in PDT.
  • This strategy effectively sensitizes cancer cells to PDT by concurrently inducing oxidative damage and inhibiting DNA repair.
  • CeOla holds promise for developing advanced nanotherapeutics for enhanced cancer treatment.

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