| 초록 |
Piperlongumine(PL), derived from Piper longum Linn, is known as a pro-oxidant drug that can exhibit specific toxicity towards cancer cells. PL is known to trigger apoptosis through elevation of intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS) and inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in various cancer cells. However, the utility of PL is hampered by its poor water-solubility. In this study, polyethylene glycol(PEG)-conjugated poly(histidine) micelles [PEG-poly(His)] micelles were developed as biocompatible and pH-sensitive nanocarriers to overcome the drawbacks of PL such as hydrophobicity and cellular uptake. The size of PL-loaded PEG-poly(His) micelles was found to be less than 100 nm. In vitro studies have shown that PL-loaded PEG-poly(His) micelles have cancer-targeted cytotoxicity compared to normal cells through ROS-mediated cell death. This study demonstrates that PEG-poly(His) micelles have great potential as nanocarriers for efficient delivery of PL and thus pro-oxidant cancer therapy |
