Silk Fibroin-Modified Liposome/Gene Editing System Knocks out the PLK1 Gene to Suppress the Growth of Lung Cancer Cells

Hybride nanoparticles composed of SN38-modified [12]aneN3 and biotinylated lipids for targeted and synergistic lung Cancer therapy

The combination of chemo- and gene-therapy for lung cancer therapy has attracted continuous attention due to its high synergistic therapeutic efficiency. Here, three novel esterase-responsive prodrug-based amphiphiles, SCN1 ∼ SCN3, composed of 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38, S) and di-(triazole-[12]aneN3, N) moiety through different length of carbon chain (C, 5, 7, 11‑carbon alkyl chains, respectively) were designed and synthesized. The amphiphiles displayed excellent self-assembly capabilities and the ability to effectively condense and release siRNA, and SCN2 showed the most effective in inhibiting proliferation of A549 cells. Furthermore, SCN2, siRNA, DOPE (D) and DSPE-PEG2000-Biotin (B) were co-assembled into hybrid nanoparticles (SCN2-DB/siRNA) with an average size of 198 nm, outstanding serum tolerance, high targeting capability, and biocompatibility. Additionally, the release of SN38 (80 %) and siPLK1 (abundant) were observed clearly in the presence of esterase. In vitro experiments verified that SCN2-DB/siPLK1 NPs could efficiently suppress the proliferation, migration, and invasion of A549 cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated that SCN2-DB/siPLK1 NPs efficiently inhibited tumor growth (90 %) with negligible toxic side effects. The results showed that the combination of SN38 and siPLK1 through esterase-responsive amphiphile provided a strategy for lung cancer therapy that combined chemotherapy, gene therapy, and targeted delivery.

A quaternary ammonium-based nanosystem enables delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 for cancer therapy

Genome editing mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 is an attractive weapon for cancer therapy. However, in vivo delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 components to achieve therapeutic efficiency is still challenging. Herein, a quaternary ammonium-functionalized poly(L-lysine) and a cholesterol-modified PEG (QNP) were self-assembled with a negatively charged CRISPR Cas9/sgRNA ribonucleoprotein (RNP) to form a ternary complex (QNP/RNP). Such a delivery system of QNP exhibited multiplex genome editing capabilities in vitro (e.g., the GFP gene and the PLK1 gene). In addition, QNP/RNPPLK1 containing PLK1 sgRNA led to 30.99% of genome editing efficiency in MCF-7 cells with negligible cytotoxicity of the carrier. QNP/RNPPLK1, which was capable of simultaneously inhibiting cell proliferation, mediating cell cycle arrest and downregulating expression of PLK1, held great in vitro therapeutic efficiency. Moreover, QNP/RNPPLK1 exhibited outstanding accumulation in tumors and high biocompatibility in vivo. In an MCF-7 xenograft animal model, QNP/RNPPLK1 showed excellent anti-tumor efficacy and achieved 17.75% indels ratio. This work showcases the successful delivery of CRISPR Cas9/sgRNA RNP with enhanced genome editing efficiency and provides a potential on-demand strategy for cancer therapy.