Polyethylenimine-Bisphosphonate-Cyclodextrin Ternary Conjugates: Supramolecular Systems for the Delivery of Antineoplastic Drugs

J Med Chem. 2021 Aug 26;64(16):12245-12260. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00887. Epub 2021 Aug 9.

Abstract

Bisphosphonates (BPs) are bone-binding molecules that provide targeting capabilities to bone cancer cells when conjugated with drug-carrying polymers. This work reports the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of polyethyleneimine-BP-cyclodextrin (PEI-BP-CD) ternary conjugates with supramolecular capabilities for the loading of antineoplastic drugs. A straightforward, modular, and versatile strategy based on the click aza-Michael addition reaction of vinyl sulfones (VSs) allows the grafting of BPs targeting ligands and βCD carrier appendages to the PEI polymeric scaffold. The in vitro evaluation (cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, internalization routes, and subcellular distribution) for the ternary conjugates and their doxorubicin inclusion complexes in different bone-related cancer cell lines (MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts, MG-63 sarcoma cells, and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells) confirmed specificity, mitochondrial targeting, and overall capability to mediate a targeted drug transport to those cells. The in vivo evaluation using xenografts of MG-63 and MDA-MB-231 cells on mice also confirmed the targeting of the conjugates.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cyclodextrins / chemical synthesis
  • Cyclodextrins / chemistry*
  • Cyclodextrins / toxicity
  • Diphosphonates / chemical synthesis
  • Diphosphonates / chemistry*
  • Diphosphonates / toxicity
  • Doxorubicin / therapeutic use
  • Drug Carriers / chemical synthesis
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry*
  • Drug Carriers / toxicity
  • Drug Design
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Polyethyleneimine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Polyethyleneimine / chemical synthesis
  • Polyethyleneimine / toxicity
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Cyclodextrins
  • Diphosphonates
  • Drug Carriers
  • Doxorubicin
  • Polyethyleneimine