Design and Characterization of pMyc/pMax Peptide-Coupled Gold Nanosystems for Targeting Myc in Prostate Cancer Cell...

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanomedicine
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Myc and Max proteins are crucial in prostate cancer development, promoting tumor growth through dimerization and E-box binding.
• Targeting the Myc:Max interaction or its DNA binding is a key strategy for cancer therapy.
• Developing novel therapeutic agents to disrupt these oncogenic pathways is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize novel pMyc and pMax peptides.
• To create and characterize nanosystems (NSs) by conjugating these peptides to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).
• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of these NSs in targeting Myc-driven prostate cancer.

Main Methods:

• Peptide design and synthesis.
• Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) to assess peptide-E-box binding.
• UV-Vis spectroscopy for peptide conjugation confirmation.
• Nanoparticle characterization (size, hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential).
• In vitro hemocompatibility and cytotoxicity assays on prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, PC-3, DU145) and a non-cancerous cell line (Vero CCL-81).

Main Results:

• EMSA confirmed peptide-nucleic acid interactions between the pMyc:pMax dimer and E-box sequences.
• Hemolysis tests indicated minimal hemolytic activity of the NSs at evaluated concentrations.
• Cell viability assays demonstrated NS-induced cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cell lines.

Conclusions:

• The developed NSs with pMyc and pMax peptides exhibit specific E-box binding and cytotoxic effects.
• These findings suggest the potential of these NSs as a therapeutic strategy for Myc-driven prostate adenocarcinomas.
• Further research is warranted to explore the therapeutic application of these peptide-conjugated nanosystems.