RESUMO
Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), which is crucial in cell cycle regulation, is considered a promising anticancer drug target. Herein, we present the N-degron pathway-based proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) for PLK1 degradation, targeting the Polo-box domain (PBD). We identified DD-2 as the most potent PROTAC that selectively induces PLK1 degradation in cancer cells, including HeLa and nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), through the N-degron pathway. DD-2 exhibited significant in vitro anticancer effects, inducing G2/M arrest and apoptosis in HeLa and NSCLC cell lines. DD-2 showed significant tumor growth inhibition in a xenograft mouse model using HeLa and NSCLC cell lines, highlighting its potential in cancer treatment. Furthermore, the combination of DD-2 with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), osimertinib, effectively suppressed tumor growth in double-mutated H1975 cell lines, emphasizing DD-2's potential in combination cancer therapies. Collectively, this study demonstrates the potential of the N-degron pathway, especially using DD-2, for targeted cancer therapies.
Assuntos
Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/tratamento farmacológico , Carcinoma Pulmonar de Células não Pequenas/patologia , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular , Quimera de Direcionamento de Proteólise , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases , Quinase 1 Polo-Like , Apoptose , Degrons , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patologia , Pontos de Checagem da Fase G2 do Ciclo Celular , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/uso terapêuticoRESUMO
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been widely used as nanocarriers in drug delivery to improve the efficiency of chemotherapy treatment and enhance early disease detection. The advantages of AuNPs include their excellent biocompatibility, easy modification and functionalization, facile synthesis, low toxicity, and controllable particle size. This study aimed to synthesize a conjugated citraconic anhydride link between morphologically homogeneous AuNPs and doxorubicin (DOX) (DOX-AuNP). The carrier was radiolabeled for tumor diagnosis using positron emission tomography (PET). The systemically designed DOX-AuNP was cleaved at the citraconic anhydride linker site under the mild acidic conditions of a cancer cell, thereby releasing DOX. Subsequently, the AuNPs aggregated via electrostatic attraction. HeLa cancer cells exhibited a high uptake of the radiolabeled DOX-AuNP. Moreover, PET tumor images were obtained using radiolabeled DOX-AuNP in cancer xenograft mouse models. Therefore, DOX-AuNP is expected to provide a valuable insight into the use of radioligands to detect tumors using PET.