Radiation-Sensitive Dendrimer-Based Drug Delivery System

Szu Yuan Wu, Hsiao Ying Chou, Chiou Hwa Yuh, Shewaye Lakew Mekuria, Yu Chih Kao, Hsieh Chih Tsai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

59 Citations (Scopus)

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 languageEnglish
Article number1700339
JournalAdvanced Science
Volume5
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 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)

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