Enhancement of gold-nanocluster-mediated chemotherapeutic efficiency of cisplatin in lung cancer

A novel delivery system for cisplatin was constructed based on electrostatics-mediated assemblies of gold nanoclusters and PEGylated cationic peptide (cisplatin@GC-pKs). Encapsulated cisplatin in the as-formed micelle like assemblies was observed to demonstrate improved cellar uptake and enhanced chemotherapeutic efficiency in the cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells. In vivo assays further confirmed that cisplatin@GC-pKs had profound anti-tumor efficiency due to deep penetration and accumulation of nanoscale cisplatin@GC-pKs via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect at tumor tissues. The constructed cisplatin@GC-pKs in this work demonstrated enhanced anti-tumor activity for lung cancer therapy, as well as a potential treatment strategy for a variety of cisplatin-resistance related malignancies.

Automated summary

A novel delivery system for cisplatin was constructed using gold nanoclusters and PEGylated cationic peptide, which showed improved cellular uptake and enhanced chemotherapeutic efficiency against cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells. In vivo assays confirmed the profound anti-tumor efficiency of the system, attributed to deep penetration and accumulation of the nanoscale cisplatin@GC-pKs via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect in tumor tissues, suggesting a potential treatment strategy for various cisplatin-resistant malignancies.