In situ self-assembling Au-DNA complexes for targeted cancer bioimaging and inhibition
Menée in vitro et à l'aide d'un modèle murin, cette étude analyse l'intérêt d'un complexe biosynthétique fluorescent composé de nanoparticules d'or et d'ADN du suppresseur de tumeur PTEN pour identifier, à l'aide de l'imagerie, les cellules cancéreuses et inhiber les oncogènes
Although many efforts have been devoted to localize and monitor cancer progression, it is still difficult to precisely evaluate the development of cancers for efficient targeted treatments. Herein, we demonstrate a straightforward strategy using in situ self-assembly of gold nanocluster–DNA complexes. In combination with the tumor suppressor gene-phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), the gold nanocluster-PTEN complexes could realize targeted bioimaging and identification of cancers and simultaneously inhibit the effect of relevant oncogenes. Meanwhile, these biocompatible self-assembling gold nanocluster–PTEN complexes cannot only facilitate safe and targeted therapeutics, but can also avoid the side effects of conventional DNA transfection. This strategy allows the possibility of establishing a multimode platform for accurately targeted cancer theranostics to eradicate tumors and vascularized metastases.Cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases to treat. For accurate cancer diagnosis and targeted therapy, it is important to assess the localization of the affected area of cancers. The general approaches for cancer diagnostics include pathological assessments and imaging. However, these methods only generally assess the tumor area. In this study, by taking advantage of the unique microenvironment of cancers, we effectively utilize in situ self-assembled biosynthetic fluorescent gold nanocluster-DNA (GNC-DNA) complexes to facilitate safe and targeted cancer theranostics. In in vitro and in vivo tumor models, our self-assembling biosynthetic approach allowed for precise bioimaging and inhibited cancer growth after one injection of DNA and gold precursors. These results demonstrate that in situ bioresponsive self-assembling GNC-PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) complexes could be an effective noninvasive technique for accurate cancer bioimaging and treatment, thus providing a safe and promising cancer theranostics platform for cancer therapy.