Ishiguro Kaori, Yan Irene K, Lewis-Tuffin Laura, Patel Tushar
Department of Transplantation Mayo Clinic Jacksonville FL.
Department of Cancer Biology Mayo Clinic Jacksonville FL.
Hepatol Commun. 2020 Jan 3;4(2):298-313. doi: 10.1002/hep4.1462. eCollection 2020 Feb.
By exploiting their biological functions, the use of biological nanoparticles such as extracellular vesicles can provide an efficient and effective approach for hepatic delivery of RNA-based therapeutics for the treatment of liver cancers such as hepatocellular cancer (HCC). Targeting liver cancer stem cells (LCSC) within HCC provide an untapped opportunity to improve outcomes by enhancing therapeutic responses. Cells with tumor-initiating capabilities such as LCSC can be identified by expression of markers such as epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) on their cell surface. EpCAM is a target of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, a fundamental pathway in stem-cell growth. Moreover, mutations in the β-catenin gene are frequently observed in HCC and can be associated with constitutive activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. However, targeting these pathways for the treatment of HCC has been challenging. Using RNA nanotechnology, we developed engineered biological nanoparticles capable of specific and effective delivery of RNA therapeutics targeting β-catenin to LCSC. Extracellular vesicles isolated from milk were loaded with small interfering RNA to β-catenin and decorated with RNA scaffolds to incorporate RNA aptamers capable of binding to EpCAM. Cellular uptake of these EpCAM-targeting therapeutic milk-derived nanovesicles resulted in loss of β-catenin expression and decreased proliferation. The uptake and therapeutic efficacy of these engineered biological nanotherapeutics was demonstrated using tumor xenograft mouse models. β-catenin can be targeted directly to control the proliferation of hepatic cancer stem cells using small interfering RNA delivered using target-specific biological nanoparticles. Application of this RNA nanotechnology-based approach to engineer biological nanotherapeutics provides a platform for developing cell-surface molecule-directed targeted therapeutics.
通过利用其生物学功能,使用细胞外囊泡等生物纳米颗粒可为基于RNA的治疗药物向肝脏递送提供一种高效且有效的方法,用于治疗肝癌,如肝细胞癌(HCC)。靶向HCC中的肝癌干细胞(LCSC)为通过增强治疗反应来改善治疗效果提供了一个尚未开发的机会。具有肿瘤起始能力的细胞,如LCSC,可通过其细胞表面上皮细胞粘附分子(EpCAM)等标志物的表达来识别。EpCAM是Wnt/β-连环蛋白信号通路的靶点,该信号通路是干细胞生长的基本途径。此外,β-连环蛋白基因的突变在HCC中经常出现,并且可能与Wnt/β-连环蛋白信号通路的组成性激活有关。然而,针对这些信号通路治疗HCC一直具有挑战性。利用RNA纳米技术,我们开发了能够将靶向β-连环蛋白的RNA治疗药物特异性且有效地递送至LCSC的工程化生物纳米颗粒。从牛奶中分离的细胞外囊泡装载了针对β-连环蛋白的小干扰RNA,并装饰有RNA支架以掺入能够与EpCAM结合的RNA适体。这些靶向EpCAM的治疗性牛奶衍生纳米囊泡的细胞摄取导致β-连环蛋白表达丧失和增殖减少。使用肿瘤异种移植小鼠模型证明了这些工程化生物纳米治疗药物的摄取和治疗效果。使用靶向特异性生物纳米颗粒递送的小干扰RNA可直接靶向β-连环蛋白以控制肝癌干细胞的增殖。这种基于RNA纳米技术的方法应用于工程化生物纳米治疗药物,为开发细胞表面分子导向的靶向治疗药物提供了一个平台。