Background: Nanomaterials exhibited intrinsic enzyme-like properties due to the unique properties compared with natural enzyme. Carbon dots (CDs) are an important kind of quantum-sized nanomaterials, which have enormous application potential in bio-imaging, drug carrier, and nanosystems. Carbon dots possess intrinsic enzyme-like properties, such as glutathione (GSH) oxidase or peroxidase activities.
Methods: A co-delivery nanosystem that could carry siRNA and doxorubucin (DOX) simultaneously has been studied in this work. The co-delivery based on carbon dots was surface-modified with poly-ethylenimine (PEI) and loaded the siMRP1 with chemotherapeutics on the surface with pH-triggered drug release. The CD-PEI was synthesized by one-step microwave assisted method; the PEI was raw materials and passivator during the reaction process that makes CDs exhibit excellent optical property.
Results: The CD-PEI was capable of loading and delivering siMRP1 and DOX to tumors and releasing them synchronously in cells in an acid-triggered manner. The particles exhibited GSH oxidase-like catalytic property, oxidizing GSH to oxidized glutathione with concomitant increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We found that silencing of MRP1 by co-delivery system antagonized chemoresistance by increasing DOX accumulation and significantly enhancing the inhibitory effect of cell viability induced by CD-PEI-DOX. The co-delivery system dramatically inhibited tumor growth in xenograft model, and CDs counteracted MRP1 function by siRNA-mediated knockdown of MRP1.
Conclusion: Taken together, we uncover the potential role of CDs with a combination of siRNA and chemotherapeutics in overcoming chemoresistance of lung cancer by suppressing MRP1 and oxidation of GSH. Our findings imply its potential of antagonizing chemoresistance to enhance therapeutic efficiency of doxorubicin in clinical practices of lung cancer treatment.
Keywords: carbon dots, chemoresistance, co-delivery, siRNA