Targeted Delivery of Combination Therapeutics Using Monoclonal Antibody 2C5-Modified Immunoliposomes for Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Purpose To develop immunoliposomes modified with monoclonal cancer-specific antibody (mAb) 2C5 and co-loaded with a combination of two chemotherapeutics, in order to simultaneously target bulk cancer cells using paclitaxel and cancer stem cells (CSCs) using salinomycin to prevent cancer growth and metastases. Methods Breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 and/or SK-BR-3) were chosen as models for all in vitro testing. Liposomes composed of natural phospholipids co-loaded with salinomycin and paclitaxel were prepared and physically characterized. Immunoliposomes modified with mAb 2C5 coupled to polymeric conjugate were prepared and characterized for specific targeting. Wound healing assay was performed using the combination of free drugs in vitro. In vitro studies on cellular interaction and uptake were followed by holographic imaging to study cell-killing, cell-division and proliferation inhibiting effects of the formulation. Ex-vivo study on hemolysis was investigated to check possible toxicity of the formulation. Results Physical characterization of the liposomes showed stable nanoparticles of consistent and desirable size range (170-220 nm), zeta potential (-13 mV to – 20 mV), polydispersity indices ((p value ≤ 0.05) by MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells confirmed the effectiveness of the approach. Holographic imaging using MDA-MB-231 cells produced visible increase in cell-killing, proliferation and division in vitro. Ex-vivo experimentation showed reduced hemolysis correlating with low toxicity in athymic nude mice model. Conclusion The results demonstrated the enhanced therapeutic efficacy of a combination of salinomycin and paclitaxel delivered by mAb 2C5-modified liposomal preparation in cancer therapy.