Folate-Modified Smart Responsive Nanosystems for Enhancing Anti-Tumor Therapy Through Calcium Overload and...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Oncology

Background:

• Doxorubicin (DOX) and 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) are key chemotherapy drugs but lack tumor targeting.
• Folate-modified nanomaterials offer a strategy to improve drug delivery, efficacy, and reduce toxicity in solid tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a smart, dual drug-carrying nanosystem (FA-DCFP) for targeted chemotherapy.
• To investigate the synergistic effect of calcium overload and chemotherapy for enhanced tumor cell death.
• To evaluate the in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor effectiveness and biosafety of the developed nanosystem.

Main Methods:

• Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanoparticles were loaded with DOX and 5-Fu.
• Nanoparticles were encapsulated with folic acid-modified polydopamine (PDA) to create the FA-DCFP system.
• Characterization, drug release kinetics, cellular studies, and in vivo animal experiments were performed.

Main Results:

• FA-DCFP nanoparticles (188.79±0.93nm) showed pH-sensitive drug release.
• Synergistic effects led to significant tumor cell death.
• In vivo imaging confirmed FA-DCFP enrichment in tumors.
• FA-DCFP demonstrated significant tumor growth inhibition, reduced toxicity, and good biosafety.

Conclusions:

• An intelligent-responsive nano-dual drug delivery system was successfully developed.
• The system enhances tumor therapeutic effectiveness via calcium overload synergistic chemotherapy.
• This approach offers a novel strategy for improved tumor treatment.