Nanoparticles enhance delivery of treatments for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer among men . Despite its prevalence, treatment options are limited to surgery and endocrine therapy which both have limited success rates. Even cisplatin, a common chemotherapy drug used to treat a wide range of cancers, is ineffective for treating prostate cancer.

Employing a trifecta of tools, Peng et al. developed an alternative therapy that could improve prostate cancer treatment. The researchers combined cisplatin with a DNA damage response inhibitor, AZD7762, and incorporated hydrophobic poly polymer (Cys8E) nanoparticles as a delivery mechanism.

The researchers started by studying the drug loading capacity, stability, and release efficiency of Cys8E nanoparticles using dynamic light scattering, transition electron microscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Additional testing of the drug release profile was done with fluorescent labeling.

To confirm the nanoparticles could target the cancer, the researchers injected them in mice with prostate tumors. The researchers also tested the therapeutic advantages of combining cisplatin and AZD7762 with both in vitro and in vivo tests. The results found the combination of drugs to be more effective than either alone and the nanoparticles significantly increased the accumulation of the drugs at the tumor site.

“Our results suggest the combination of AZD7762 and cisplatin could be a new effective treatment for prostate cancer, and the application of Cys8E nanoparticles may enable this treatment,” said author Jun Wu.

The researchers plan to continue improving Cys8E nanoparticles to improve drug loading capacity, stability and efficient release, as well as reduce production time and cost.

Source: “Glutathione-sensitive nanoparticles enhance the combined therapeutic effect of checkpoint kinase 1 inhibitor and cisplatin in prostate cancer,” by Shirong Peng, Xinyu Zhang, Hao Huang, Bisheng Cheng, Zhi Xiong, Tao Du, Jun Wu, and Hai Huang, APL Bioengineering (2022). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0126095 .

This paper is part of the Drug/Gene Delivery and Theranostics Collection, learn more here .