Biocompatible AIEgen/p-glycoprotein siRNA@reduction-sensitive paclitaxel polymeric prodrug nanoparticles for overcoming chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer

Nanoparticle drug delivery system (NDDS) is quite different from the widely studied traditional chemotherapy which suffers from drug resistance and side effect. NDDS offers the straightforward solution to the chemotherapy problem and provides an opportunity to monitor the drug delivery process in real time. In this vein, we developed one NDDS, namely Py-TPE/siRNA@PMP, to relieve resistance and side effects during chemotherapy against ovarian cancer. The Py-TPE/siRNA@PMP is a multifunctional polymeric nanoparticle contained several parts as follows: (1) a nanoparticle (NP) self-assembled by reduction-sensitive paclitaxel polymeric prodrug (PMP); (2) the glutathione (GSH)-responsive release of paclitaxel (PTX) for the suppression of ovarian cancer cells; (3) the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) siRNA for restoring the sensitivity of chemo-resistant tumor cells to chemotherapy; (4) the positively charged aggregation-induced emission fluorogen (AIEgen) Py-TPE for tumor imaging and promoting encapsulation of siRNA into the nanoparticle. Methods: The Py-TPE/siRNA@PMP nanoparticles were prepared by self-assembly method and characterized by the UV-Vis absorption spectra, zeta potentials, TEM image, stability assay and hydrodynamic size distributions. The combinational therapeutic effects of Py-TPE/siRNA@PMP on overcoming chemotherapy resistance were explored both in vitro and in vivo. Result: The Py-TPE/siRNA@PMP exhibited an average hydrodynamic size with a good stability. Meanwhile they gave rise to the remarkable chemotoxicity performances in vitro and suppressed the tumors growth in both SKOV-3/PTX (PTX resistance) subcutaneous and intraperitoneal metastasis tumor models. The investigations on ovarian cancer patient-derived xenografts (PDX) model revealed that Py-TPE/siRNA@PMP was able to effectively overcome their chemo-resistance with minimal side effects. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated the Py-TPE/siRNA@PMP as a promising agent for the highly efficient treatment of PTX-resistant cells and overcoming the shortage of chemotherapy in ovarian cancer.