Cationic Peptide-Modified Gold Nanostars as Efficient Delivery Platform for RNA Interference Antitumor Therapy

Abstract

siRNA interference therapy can silence tumor cell target genes and specifically regulate tumor cell behavior and function, which is an effective antitumor therapy. However, in somatic circulation, naked siRNAs are not only susceptible to degrade, but it is also difficult to realize the tumor cells’ internalization. Therefore, novel siRNA delivery vectors that could promote efficacy need to be developed urgently. Here, we designed high-surface gold nanostars (GNS-P) which are decorated with cationic tumor-targeting peptide as an efficient and functional siRNA delivery nanoplatform for tumor therapy. The positively charged amino acid sequence and huge surface area enabled the vector to load a large amount of siRNA, while the tumor-targeting peptide sequence and nano size enabled it to rapidly and precisely target the tumor regions for fast and effective siRNA delivery. This tumor-targeting nanoplatform, GNS-P, displayed good biocompatibility, low toxicity and an extraordinary tumor accumulation capability.