Systemic co-delivery of doxorubicin and siRNA using nanoparticles conjugated with EGFR-specific targeting peptide to enhance chemotherapy in ovarian tumor bearing mice

This aim of this study was to develop peptide-conjugated nanoparticles (NPs) for systemic co-delivery of siRNA and doxorubicin to enhance chemotherapy in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) high-expressed ovarian tumor bearing mice. The active targeting NPs were prepared using heptapeptide-conjugated poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol). The particle sizes of peptide-free and peptide-conjugated NPs were 159.3 ± 32.5 and 184.0 ± 52.9 nm, respectively, with zeta potential -21.3 ± 3.8 and -15.3 ± 2.8 mV. The peptide-conjugated NPs uptake were more efficient in EGFR high-expressed SKOV3 cells than in EGFR low-expressed HepG2 cells due to heptapeptide specificity. The NPs were used to deliver small molecule anticancer drug (e.g., doxorubicin) and large molecule genetic agent (e.g., siRNA). The IC50 of doxorubicin-loaded peptide-conjugated NPs (0.09 ± 0.06 μM) was significantly lower than peptide-free NPs (5.72 ± 2.64 μM). The similar result was observed in siRNA-loaded NPs. The peptide-conjugated NPs not only served as a nanocarrier to efficiently deliver doxorubicin and siRNA to EGFR high-expressed ovarian cancer cells but also increased the intracellular accumulation of the therapeutic agents to induce assured anti-tumor growth effect in vivo. ? 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.