Folic Acid-Modified Ibrutinib-Loaded Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles for Cancer Cell Therapy with Over-Expressed Folate...

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology in drug delivery
• Cancer biology and therapeutics
• Biomaterials science

Background:

• Ibrutinib (IB) is an anticancer drug targeting Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), primarily for B-cell neoplasms.
• BTK is crucial in the tumor microenvironment, but IB shows mixed results in solid tumors.
• Solid tumors often overexpress folate receptors on their surface.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a targeted drug delivery system for ibrutinib (IB) using folic acid-conjugated silk nanoparticles.
• To investigate the enhanced cellular uptake of IB in cancer cells with folate receptor overexpression.
• To evaluate the potential of this nanocarrier for targeted cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Conjugation of folic acid to silk nanoparticles for targeted delivery of ibrutinib (IB).
• Utilized cancer cell lines (HeLa, BT-474, SKBR3) overexpressing folate receptors.
• Compared cellular uptake of functionalized nanoparticles versus non-functionalized nanoparticles in cancer and healthy cells (EA.hy926).

Main Results:

• Folic acid-conjugated nanoparticles showed significantly higher cellular uptake in cancer cells compared to non-functionalized nanoparticles.
• Uptake was confirmed to be mediated by folate receptors overexpressed on cancer cell surfaces.
• Demonstrated enhanced ibrutinib (IB) uptake in targeted cancer cells.

Conclusions:

• Folic acid-conjugated silk nanoparticles serve as an effective nanocarrier for targeted ibrutinib (IB) delivery.
• This approach enhances drug uptake in cancer cells with high folate receptor expression.
• The developed nanocarrier shows promise for improving targeted cancer therapy strategies.