Surface engineering of doxorubicin-loaded hollow gold nanoparticle for targeted metastatic breast cancer therapy and imaging

Aim and Background: Chemotherapy and toxic drugs have shown severe disadvantages and irreversible side effects on brain, skin, liver, and heart. Nanocarriers and drug delivery systems have provided potential properties to overcome side effects. Methods: In this regard, we designed a novel and biocompatible targeted-delivery system for metastatic breast cancer. Hallow gold (HGold) nanoparticles were synthesized as the main carrier and coated with mesenchymal stem cell (extracted from mice bone marrow) and functionalized with MUC1-aptamer. This engineered bio-nanocarrier was investigated in vitro on the 4T1 breast cancer cell line and in vivo on 4T1 tumorized Female Balb/c mice. Results and discussion: Hallow gold nanoparticles demonstrated high drug loading capacity above 90% and well dispersity in the biological buffer. Coating of HGold with MSC was confirmed with the increasing of zeta-potential from -27 to -11 mV and MUC1-aptamer conjugation was affirmed by conducting agarose gel (4%) electrophoresis. MTT assay exhibited higher cellular toxicity of targeted platform in comparison with non-targeted one. Biodistribution study also exhibited the safety of the engineered bio-nanocarrier owing to the least DOX penetration into pivotal organs as heart and liver besides high accumulation into the tumor site. Conclusion: Doxorubicin-loaded MSC membrane-coated biomimetic HGold NPs were prepared and functionalized with MUC-1 aptamer. The targeted platform showed desirable potency in vitro and in vivo against metastatic breast cancer. Results of In vivo study on 4T1 tumorized mice revealed the efficiency of the targeted platform in which all mice in this group were cured and become tumor free