Oxidative Stress Amplifying Polyprodrug Micelles as Drug Carriers for Combination Anticancer Therapy

Biomacromolecules. 2022 Sep 12;23(9):3887-3898. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00700. Epub 2022 Aug 25.

Abstract

Cancer cells are more vulnerable to reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress than normal cells due to disturbed redox balance. It can be postulated that ROS-generating drug carriers exert anticancer actions, leading to combination anticancer therapy with drug payloads. Here, we report a ROS-generating polyprodrug of cinnamaldehyde (CA) that not only serves as a drug carrier but also synergizes with drug payloads. The polyprodrug of CA (pCA) incorporates ROS-generating CA in the backbone of an amphiphilic polymer through an acid-cleavable acetal linkage. pCA could self-assemble with tumor-targeting lipopeptide (DSPE-PEG-RGD) and encapsulate doxorubicin (DOX) to form T-pCAD micelles. At acidic pH, T-pCAD micelles release both CA and DOX to exert synergistic anticancer actions. Animal studies using mouse xenograft models revealed that T-pCAD micelles accumulate in tumors preferentially and suppress the tumor growth significantly. Based on the oxidative stress amplification and acid-responsiveness, ROS-generating pCAD micelles hold tremendous potential as drug carriers for combination anticancer therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology
  • Doxorubicin / therapeutic use
  • Drug Carriers / therapeutic use
  • Drug Liberation
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Mice
  • Micelles*
  • Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Reactive Oxygen Species

Substances

  • Drug Carriers
  • Micelles
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Doxorubicin