The softness of tumour-cell-derived microparticles regulates their drug-delivery efficiency
Menée à l'aide de xénogreffes de tumeurs sur un modèle murin, cette étude met en évidence l'intérêt thérapeutique des microparticules dérivées des cellules tumorales et démontre que leur efficacité pour délivrer les anticancéreux dépend de leurs propriétés mécaniques
Extracellular microparticles (MPs) can function as drug-delivery vehicles for anticancer drugs. Here, we show that the softness of MPs derived from tumour-repopulating cells (TRCs) isolated from three-dimensional fibrin gels enhances the MPs’ drug-delivery efficiency. We found that, compared with MPs derived from tumour cells cultured in conventional tissue-culture plastic, TRC-derived MPs intravenously injected in tumour-xenograft-bearing mice showed enhanced accumulation in tumour tissues, enhanced blood-vessel crossing and penetration into tumour parenchyma, and preferential uptake by highly tumorigenic TRCs. We also show that the cytoskeleton-related protein cytospin-A plays a critical role in the regulation of TRC-derived MP softness. The modulation of the mechanical properties of TRC-derived MPs could aid the efficiency of delivery of anticancer drugs.