Engineered nanotubes for chemotherapeutics

7 Feb 2015 Scientists fabricated nanotubes for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics resulting in remarkable anti-cancer activity.

Mitochondria are part of a cell carrying essential functions such as energy generation; cancer cells are particularly eager to use more energy in comparison to normal cells. Hence, it is of interest to directly damage mitochondria in cancer cells. Nevertheless, not all drugs are able to enter cells and reach mitochondria. Hence, a novel nano-delivery system, made up of hollow nanotubes with a fluorescent tag, has been fabricated to selectively target mitochondria in cancer cells. When anticancer drugs were incorporated inside the nanotubes, we found that the efficacy was significantly augmented compared to the drugs alone.

A team led by Prof Giorgia PASTORIN from the Department of Pharmacy in NUS ensured that the nano-delivery system is fluorescent so as to apply it for detection and imaging of cancer cells mitochondria. Overall, they have provided a versatile platform for the delivery of anticancer drugs to mitochondria of cancer cells (see Figure). This could increase the availability of the drugs at this vital subcellular organelle. With the delivery system, they envision that premature deactivation of drugs could be avoided. Cocktail of different anticancer drugs could be potentially delivered to patient by their nanocarrier with just single administration. Hence, the engineered nanotubes possess the potential of improving therapeutic efficacy of anticancer drugs while mitigating the undesirable side effects.

This study won the inaugural TienTe Lee Biomedical Foundation–Excellent Scientific Paper Award 2014. This award recognizes outstanding achievement in the pharmaceutical sciences demonstrated by the candidate in the quality and originality of the research project published in reputable, peer-reviewed journal. The scientific impact of the published work and the applicant’s future academic potential are the criteria used in selecting the winners of the award. The team winning manuscript, “Enhanced cytotoxicity to cancer cells by mitochondria-targeting MWCNTs containing platinum(IV) prodrug of cisplatin”, was published in the January, 2014 issue of Biomaterials.

The confocal images depict the localization of their engineered nanotubes “mitochondrial targeting MWCNT” at mitochondria. The illustrative scheme shows that the anticancer drugs incorporated nanotube enter cancer cell, reach mitochondria, and release the drugs leading to death of cancer cell. [Image credit: Yoong Sia Lee]

Reference

Yoong SL, Wong BS, Zhou QL, Chin CF, Li J, Venkatesan T, Ho HK, Yu VCK, Ang WH, Pastorin G.”Enhanced cytotoxicity to cancer cells by mitochondria-targeting MWCNTs containing platinum (IV) prodrug of cisplatin.” Biomaterials. 35 (2014) 748.