Enhancing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) therapy with targeted carbon nano-onion (CNO)-mediated delivery of gemcitabine (GEM)-derived prodrugs

Nanotechnology has a record of transformative capabilities. With its potential to revolutionise cancer treatments, targeted drug delivery systems are being engineered with the goal of enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimising toxicity. This study examines a novel nanocarrier constructed with carbon nano-onions (CNOs), which was engineered and evaluated for its ability to selectively target cancer cells overexpressing the hyaluronic acid receptor; CD44. The results demonstrated that the CNOs-based nanocarrier exhibited excellent intracellular uptake and biocompatibility. Notably, the CNO-based nanocarrier was successfully loaded with chemotherapeutic prodrugs derived from gemcitabine, and showed remarkable efficacy in killing CD44+ pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells, which are known to be gemcitabine resistant. These findings indicate CNOs’ potential as a promising scaffold for the development of sophisticated targeted drug delivery systems. This study demonstrates a robust pathway for advancing drug delivery techniques through the use of CNOs as nanocarriers, which signifies translational potential of carbon nanoparticles for targeted cancer therapy treatments

BARTOWSKI Michal;  BINCOLETTO Valeria;  SALAROGLIO Iris Chiara;  CECCONE Giacomo;  ARENAL Raul;  NERVO Sara;  ROLANDO Barbara;  RIGANTI Chiara;  ARPICCO Silvia;  GIORDANI Silvia; 

2024-01-10

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

JRC134992

0021-9797 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021979723025092,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC134992,   

10.1016/j.jcis.2023.12.166 (print),