The robust proliferation of tumors relies on a rich neovasculature for nutrient supplies. Therefore, a basic strategy of tumor targeting therapy should include not only killing regular cancer cells but also blocking tumor neovasculature. D-peptide DA7R, which was previously reported to specifically bind vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and neuropilin-1 (NRP-1), could achieve the goal of multitarget recognition. Accordingly, the main purposes of this work were to establish a carfilzomib-loaded lipid nanodisk modified with multifunctional peptide DA7R (DA7R-ND/CFZ) and to evaluate its anti-glioblastoma efficacy in vitro and in vivo. It is testified that the DA7R peptide-conjugated lipid nanodisk can be specifically taken up by U87MG cells and HUVECs. Furthermore, DA7R-ND demonstrated a more enhanced penetration than that of the nonmodified formulation on the tumor spheroid model in vitro and more tumor region accumulation in vivo on the subcutaneous and intracranial tumor-bearing nude mice model. DA7R-ND was shown to co-localize with tumor neovasculature in vivo. When loaded with proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib, the DA7R-decorated nanodisk could remarkably suppress tumor proliferation, extend survival time of nude mice bearing an intracranial tumor, and inhibit neovasculature formation with an efficacy higher than that of the nonmodified nanodisk in vitro and in vivo. The present study verified that the heptapeptide DA7R-conjugated nanodisk is a promising nanocarrier for glioblastoma targeting therapy.
Keywords: DA7R peptide; carfilzomib; glioma; nanodisk; neovasculature; target therapy.