Exploration of RGD peptide-modified targeted delivery of doxorubicin using chitosan oligosaccharide-coated GQD...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Cancer therapy faces challenges with tumor targeting and systemic toxicity.
• Pre-modified drugs with targeting ligands, like RGD-4C peptide, offer a potential solution.
• RGD-modified doxorubicin (RGD-DOX) presents unique interactions with delivery systems and cancer cells.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate two distinct graphene quantum dot (GQD)-based carriers for delivering RGD-DOX.
• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of these novel drug delivery systems in cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• Two GQD carriers were developed: PEGylated GQDs with gold nanoparticles (APG) and chitosan oligosaccharide-coated GQD (CG).
• Both carriers encapsulated RGD-DOX and demonstrated pH-responsive release in acidic tumor environments.
• In vitro and in vivo studies assessed cellular apoptosis, tumor suppression, and systemic toxicity.

Main Results:

• Both APG and CG carriers effectively delivered RGD-DOX, inducing significant cellular apoptosis via DNA damage and apoptotic markers.
• In vivo experiments showed effective tumor suppression with reduced RGD-DOX dosage, indicating minimized systemic toxicity.
• The RGD-pre-modified DOX delivered by GQD systems demonstrated high targeting efficiency.

Conclusions:

• GQD-based drug delivery systems are validated as a novel strategy for RGD-pre-modified doxorubicin.
• These systems offer high targeting efficiency and reduced potential side effects in cancer therapy.
• The study presents a promising approach for designing advanced drug delivery systems.