Doxifluridine-based pharmacosomes delivering miR-122 as tumor microenvironments-activated nanoplatforms for synergistic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

A novel kind of anti-cancer pharmacosome (named NPC-D) derived from Doxifluridine (5 '-DFUR) was described, which could be activated by tumor microenvironments (TMEs). The NPC-D with H2O2-sensitive linker was dispersed well in water and simultaneously interacted with nucleic acids including plasmids encoding miR-122 (p122) and EpCAM-targeted aptamer (ap1) via charge interaction and hydrogen bonding. The integrated nanosystem (p122-ap1@NPC-D) was found to unleash by programmed TMEs (high level of H2O2 and low pH) to efficiently transfect miR-122 into MHCC-LM3 cells, followed by the releases of 5-FU. Besides, p122-ap1@NPC-D significantly countered the chemotherapy resistance and played a synergistic effect. These unique nanoparticles dramatically enhanced the anti-proliferation, and modulated the cellular apoptosis by the down-regulation of various signal pathways which imparted a bright application prospect in HCC treatment.

Automated summary

The novel anti-cancer pharmacosome, derived from Doxifluridine and activated by tumor microenvironments, effectively targeted tumor cells, counteracted chemotherapy resistance, and showed a synergistic effect, holding promising application prospects in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).