Aim: The study developed a prohibitin (PHB) targeted nanotherapy for selective induction of apoptosis in target cells.
Methods: Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were bifunctionalized with adipose homing and proapoptotic peptides. The efficacy and mode of cell death induced by the AuNPs were investigated in vitro on three cancer cell lines.
Results: The antiproliferative activity of PHB-targeted bifunctionalized AuNPs was more pronounced on cells that express the PHB receptor, and demonstrated receptor-mediated targeting and selectivity. The bifunctionalized AuNPs induced cell death by apoptosis.
Conclusion: The PHB-targeted nanotherapy under study could potentially be used for treatment of diseases that are characterized by overexpression of PHB. As such, further investigations will be conducted in vivo.
Keywords: apoptosis; cancer; gold nanoparticles; nanotechnology; nanotherapy; obesity; prohibitin; targeted therapy.