In order to eliminate cancer cells, scientists are increasingly turning to combinatorial therapies; recently, a research report published in the international journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition comes from Max Planck Institute of Polymer Research in Germany and Dalian University of Technology in China Scientists in, combined chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy to develop a new type of anti-cancer combination therapy. The researchers said that all preparations can be wrapped in nanocapsules with protein shells, and then transported to tumors. In, light irradiation will induce a series of cascade events, thereby destroying tumor cells.
Different anti-cancer agents use different strategies. DNA damage agents can cause DNA dysfunction so that tumors cannot grow. When tumor tissues are irradiated, photodynamic agents will produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which will then interfere. The organelle in the cell and push the cell to the process of programmed cell death (apoptosis). However, certain cancer cells will evolve drug resistance, so that the drugs cannot enter the cancer cells or the cancer cells will quickly repair the damaged DNA chain. In order to enhance the effectiveness of the therapy, the researchers used chemotherapy and photodynamics in this study. The combination of therapeutic preparations has developed a combined anti-cancer therapy. All preparations can be encapsulated in nanocapsules and transported to tumor cells.
Photodynamic therapy cannot effectively treat solid tumors because the oxygen level in solid tumors is too low to produce enough active oxygen. Therefore, scientists used a modified system to partially recover oxygen. In this system, when light is irradiated After the photosensitizer will produce reactive oxygen species, enzymes in the cell will convert the reactive oxygen species into hydrogen peroxide, and another reagent called Fenton reagent will reversely convert hydrogen peroxide into reactive oxygen species. And oxygen molecules, Fenton's reagent is iron in the highest oxidation state.
The researchers said that loading all the preparations into a nanocapsule is a major challenge. The chemotherapy drug cisplatin is difficult to dissolve in water, and ovalbumin, which is a nanocapsule protein, is insoluble in organic solvents. Then the researchers used a The microemulsion technology mixed the three preparations in a solvent mixture and encapsulated it in the shell of ovalbumin. Then they stabilised and emulsified the nanocapsules by adding a copolymer based on aggregated glycol. The researchers tested the system in tumor cell lines. This nanocapsule can enter the cell and release its load. At the same time, it can also release active oxygen when given red light. The loaded drug can also kill the cis Cancer cells that are resistant to platinum or have very low oxygen concentrations.
The researchers said that the co-packaged drugs can effectively block the growth of tumors in mice. These drug preparations will accumulate in tumor tissues and promote tumor shrinkage over time without affecting healthy tissues and tissues. Other organs, etc. The research in this article reveals how scientists load anticancer agents into nanocapsules and transport them to tumors to work synergistically. Therapies using only one or two agents may not be effective in killing cancer cells. Therefore, similar to this article The collaborative platform developed by researchers may play a key role in the development of new anti-cancer combination therapies in the future.