Folate-targeted nanoparticle delivery of androgen receptor shRNA enhances the sensitivity of hormone-independent prostate cancer to radiotherapy.
NANOMEDICINE-NANOTECHNOLOGY BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2017;
13:1309-1321. [PMID:
28185938 DOI:
10.1016/j.nano.2017.01.015]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 01/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Androgen receptor (AR) plays a crucial role in the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). PCa patients typically receive androgen deprivation therapy; nonetheless, these patients eventually develop castration and radiation resistance. We hypothesized that we could further improve radiotherapeutic efficacy of hormone-independent PCa (HIPC) by silencing AR. In this study, nanoparticle (NP) AR-shRNA was formulated using folate-targeted H1 nanopolymer. We demonstrated that NP AR-shRNA enhances PCa radiosensitivity as indicated by the inhibition of cell growth, increased apoptosis, and increased cell cycle arrest in AR-dependent HIPC in vitro. The radiosensitizing effect of NP AR-shRNA could be validated in vivo, as NP AR-shRNA significantly suppressed tumor growth and prolonged the survival of HIPC tumor-bearing mice. Analysis at the molecular level revealed that NP AR-shRNA inhibits DNA damage repair signaling pathways. Our study supports further investigation of NP AR-shRNA for the improvement of radiotherapy efficacy in HIPC.
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