Liposome modification by targeting ligands has been used to mediate specific interactions and drug delivery to target cells. In this study, a new peptide ligand, CP7, was found to be able to effectively bind to FGFR1 through reverse molecular docking and could cooperate with VEGFR3 to achieve targeting of A549 cells. CP7 was modified on the surface of the liposome to construct a targeted and safe nanovehicle for the delivery of a therapeutic gene, Mcl-1 siRNA. Due to the specific binding between CP7 and A549 cells, siRNA-loaded liposome-PEG-CP7 showed increased cellular uptake in vitro, resulting in significant apoptosis of tumor cells through silencing of the Mcl-1 gene, which is associated with apoptosis and angiogenesis. This gene delivery system also showed significantly better antitumor activity in tumor-bearing mice in vivo. All of these suggested that siRNA-loaded liposome-PEG-CP7 could be a promising gene drug delivery system with good bioavailability and minimal side effects for treatment.
Keywords: CP7; FGFR1; gene drug; liposome; target delivery.