RNA Nanoparticles Derived from Three-Way Junction of Phi29 Motor pRNA Are Resistant to I-125 and Cs-131 Radiation.

Radiation reagents that specifically target tumors are in high demand for the treatment of cancer. The emerging field of RNA nanotechnology might provide new opportunities for targeted radiation therapy. This study investigates whether chemically modified RNA nanoparticles derived from the packaging RNA (pRNA) three-way junction (3WJ) of phi29 DNA-packaging motor are resistant to potent I-125 and Cs-131 radiation, which is a prerequisite for utilizing these RNA nanoparticles as carriers for targeted radiation therapy. pRNA 3WJ nanoparticles were constructed and characterized, and the stability of these nanoparticles under I-125 and Cs-131 irradiation with clinically relevant doses was examined. RNA nanoparticles derived from the pRNA 3WJ targeted tumors specifically and they were stable under irradiation of I-125 and Cs-131 with clinically relevant doses ranging from 1 to 90 Gy over a significantly long time up to 20 days, while control plasmid DNA was damaged at 20 Gy or higher.