Abstract
Combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is used to enhance local drug delivery while reducing off-target tissue effects. Anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) is loaded into l-cysteine modified G4.5 dendrimer (GC/DOX) and released at different pH values in the presence and absence of γ-radiation. Presence of γ-radiation significantly improves DOX release from the GC/DOX under acidic pH conditions, suggesting that GC dendrimer is a radiation-sensitive drug delivery system. GC/DOX is further evaluated by determining cytotoxicity in uterine cervical carcinoma HeLa cells. GC/DOX shows high affinity for cancer cells and effective drug release following an external stimulus (radiation exposure), whereas an in vivo zebrafish study confirms that l-cysteine acts as a radiosensitizer. GC/DOX treatment combined with radiotherapy synergistically and successfully inhibits cancer cell growth.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 1700339 |
Journal | Advanced Science |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2018 |
Keywords
- HeLa cells
- combination therapies
- dendrimers
- doxorubicin
- zebrafish
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Engineering
- General Chemical Engineering
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous)
- General Materials Science
- General Physics and Astronomy
- Medicine (miscellaneous)