Encapsulation of platinum anticancer drugs by apoferritin

Abstract

Apoferritin derived from the native protein ferritin was employed to encapsulate anticancer drugs cisplatin and carboplatin.

Excellent Correlation between Drug Release and Portal Size in Metalla‐Cage Drug‐Delivery Systems

“…[2] It is not surprising that cisplatin, [3] the most widely used metal-based drug in the treatment of cancer, has been encapsulated in various hosts to reduce the severe side-effects associated with this drug. [4] Indeed, platinum-based drugs have been attached to various structures including carbon nanotubes, [5] proteins, [6] macrocycles [7] and dendrimers. [8] These large systems tend to accumulate preferentially in tumours due to enhanced permeability and retention (the EPR effect) of macromolecules in cancerous tissue.…”

“…Recently we combined the medicinal properties of areneruthenium complexes, a promising class of organometallic drugs, [14] with aspects of supramolecular chemistry [15] to generate a new hybrid drug-delivery system, [Ru 6 (piPrC 6 H 4 Me) 6 …”

An Apoferritin‐based Drug Delivery System for the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Gefitinib

“…[ 12,13 ] The unique architecture of AFt provides two interfaces: the outer surface of AFt can be modifi ed chemically or genetically with functional motifs [ 14 ] and the internal cavity can be used to encapsulate pharmaceutical agents such as anticancer drugs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and fl uorescent imaging agents. [ 6,9,15,16 ] Recently, selective targeting and cargo delivery with heavy chain apoferritin (H-AFt) was demonstrated both in vitro [ 17 ] and in vivo. [ 18 ] Gefi tinib ("Iressa," ZD1839) is an orally active, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor.…”

“…[ 5 ] When selecting a delivery system a major consideration is controlled release of the drug to the target site at a therapeutically optimal rate. [ 1,6 ] Human ferritin is an ideal drug delivery carrier due to the nanoscale structure, and biocompatible, biodegradable, stable, nontoxic properties. [ 2,7,8 ] Ferritin consists of an apoferritin (AFt) protein cage and an iron core, and prevents accumulation of toxic levels of free iron in cells.…”

“…Among the 14 channels, eight are hydrophilic and six are hydrophobic. [ 6,7,9 ] Also, the AFt cage can disassemble into subunits at low pH (<pH 4.0) allowing release of cargo, and reassemble at higher pH (>pH 5.0). [ 5 ] Ferritin circulates and binds to a variety of cell types, however, specifi c binding to cells has been seen only for H-ferritins.…”