Using nanoparticles to carry and delivery anticancer drugs holds much promise in cancer therapy, but nanoparticles per se are lacking specificity. Active targeting, that is, using specific ligands to functionalize nanoparticles, is attracting much attention in recent years. Aptamers, with their several favorable features like high specificity and affinity, small size, very low immunogenicity, relatively low cost for production, and easiness to store, are one of the best candidates for the specific ligands of nanoparticle functionalization. This review discusses the benefits and challenges of using aptamers to functionalize nanoparticles for active targeting and especially presents nearly all of the published works that address the topic of using aptamers to functionalize nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery and cancer therapy.

Aptamer-Functionalized Nanoparticles in Targeted Delivery and Cancer Therapy.

Iron oxide nanoparticles for therapeutic applications.

Distinctive physicochemical features make mesoporous silica magnetic nanoparticles (SPION@SiO2) as a multifunctional nanosystem (NS) for the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. In the present ...

Targeted delivery of doxorubicin by magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles armed with mucin-1 aptamer.

Background
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women. Chemotherapy to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells is considered to be the most important therapeutic strategy. The development of long-circulating PEG and targeting liposomes is a major advance in drug delivery. However, the techniques used in liposome preparation mainly involve conventional liposomes, which have a short half-life, high concentrations in the liver and spleen reticuloendothelial system, and no active targeting.

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Preparation, Characterization, and Pharmacokinetic Study of a Novel Long-Acting Targeted Paclitaxel Liposome with Antitumor Activity.

Methotrexate-conjugated chitosan-grafted pH- and thermo-responsive magnetic nanoparticles for targeted therapy of ovarian cancer.

Introduction: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) can be functionalized with various agents (e.g., targeting and therapeutic agents) and used for targeted imaging/therapy of cancer. In the present study, we engineered doxorubicin (DOX)-conjugated anti-mucin -1 (MUC-1) aptamer (Ap)-armed PEGylated SPIONs for targeted delivery of DOX molecules to the breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Methods: The SPIONs were synthesized using the thermal decomposition method and modified by polyethylene glycol (PEG) to maximize their biocompatibility and minimize any undesired cytotoxicity effects. Subsequently, DOX molecules were loaded onto the SPIONs, which were further armed with amine-modified MUC-1 aptamer by EDC/NHS chemistry. Results: The morphologic and size analyses of nanoparticles (NPs) by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed spherical and monodisperse MNPs with a size range of 5-64 nm. The FT-IR spectrophotometry and 1 HNMR analysis confirmed the surface modification of NPs. The cytotoxicity assay of the aptamer-armed MNPs exhibited a higher death rate in the MUC-1 over-expressing MCF-7 cells as compared to the MUC-1 under-expressing MDA-MB-231 cells. The flow cytometry analysis of the engineered Ap-armed SPIONs revealed a higher uptake as compared to the SPIONs alone. Conclusion: Based on our findings, the anti-MUC-1 Ap-armed PEGylated SPIONs loaded with DOX molecules could serve as an effective multifunctional theranostics for simultaneous detection and eradication of MUC-1-positive breast cancer cells.

Hiwa Babamiri

Papers

Mucin-1 aptamer-armed superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for targeted delivery of doxorubicin to breast cancer cells.