Synthesis and functionalization of iron oxide nanoparticles for targeted cancer therapy

Abstract

Over the last decades, nanoparticles as drug carriers have attracted a lot of attention as potential systems for targeted drug delivery. Their tunable size and properties have opened a wide variety of possibilities to design future drug vehicles. On the other hand, Polypurine Reverse Hoogsteen Hairpins (PPRHs) molecules are DNA hairpins bound via Hoogsteen bonds. The PPRHs can bind by Watson-Crick bonds to the desired DNA sequence. In this particular case, the PPRHs are synthetized to act against the survivin production, which is an antiapoptotic protein, so its inhibition provokes cellular apoptosis, as it has already been proved and reported in literature. In this work, a new system for targeted cancer therapy is presented from the combination of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and the PPRHs. Monodisperse SPIONs are synthetized and functionalized with dopamine, hyaluronic acid and PPRHs. Dopamine acts as an anchor to the nanoparticle, whereas hyaluronic acid is a known ligand to the CD44 receptor, apart from preventing the SPIONs to agglomerate. The paramagnetic behavior of these nanoparticles, along with their tunable size, makes them a very promising system for future cancer treatments