Improving Bioavailability of Hydrophobic Prodrugs through Supramolecular Nanocarriers Based on Recombinant Proteins for Osteosarcoma Treatment.

Supramolecular nanodrug assembly driven by supramolecular chemistry is becoming a powerful strategy for medication. The potential of engineered proteins as building blocks for nanoformulations is rarely investigated. Here, we developed a new generation of recombinant protein-based nanodrug carriers, which is very efficient for loading and delivering the hydrophobic prodrug aldoxorubicin. Significantly enhanced anti-tumor effects in osteosarcoma (OS) models were observed. The half-life of the nanodrug reached almost two days and the corresponding bioavailability increased by 17-fold. This is significantly superior to other drug counterparts, empowering long-acting OS treatment scenarios. Importantly, off-target side effects of the prodrug, including cardiotoxicity and lung-metastasis, were greatly mitigated with our medication. Thus, our assembly strategy enables the customized design of advanced nanodelivery systems employing broader biomaterial building blocks for cancer therapy.