Combination of Nanovectorized siRNA Directed against Survivin with Doxorubicin for Efficient Anti-Cancer Activity in HER2+ Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

According to Globocan 2020, breast cancer is considered one of the most common cancers affecting women and is one of the leading causes of death in over 100 countries. The available classical treatment options do not always give satisfactory outcomes, and some patients develop resistance to these treatments. This study aims to investigate the combination of nanovectorized siRNA directed against anti-apoptotic protein Survivin (siSurvivin) by targeted stealth magnetic siRNA nanovectors (TS-MSN), designed in our lab, with Doxorubicin (DOX), as an option for HER2+ breast cancer treatment. The hypothesis is that the pretreatment of the HER2+ breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3 with siSurvivin will induce apoptosis in the cancer cells and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of DOX, allowing a dose reduction of DOX and hence a reduction of potential side effects. TS-MSN are based on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) covalently coupled with a fluorophore sulfocyanine-5 and polyethylene glycol 5000 (PEG5000) and functionalized with single-chain variable fragments (scFv) of an antibody targeting the HER2 membrane receptor. These covalently functionalized SPIONs are then complexed via electrostatic interactions with therapeutic siRNA and the cationic polymers, chitosan, and poly-L-arginine. TS-MSNsiSurvivin had an average size of 144 ± 30 nm, a PDI of 0.3, and a slightly positive zeta potential value of 10.56 ± 05.70 mV. The agarose gel electrophoresis assay confirmed that the siRNA is well-complexed into TS-MSN without leakage, as no free siRNA was detected. Moreover, siRNA in TS-MSN was protected from RNAse A degradation for up to 6 h at 37 °C. Formulations of TS-MSN with siSurvivin demonstrated in vitro gene knockdown up to 89% in the HER2+ breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3. Furthermore, qRT-PCR confirmed a significant Survivin mRNA relative expression inhibition (about 50%) compared to control siRNA or untreated cells. A combination protocol was evaluated between TS-MSN and Doxorubicin (DOX) for the first time. Therefore, SK-BR-3 cells were pretreated with TS-MSN formulated with siSurvivin at 50 nM for 24 h alone, before a DOX treatment at a concentration of 0.5 µM (corresponding to the IC50) was added for 48 h. The MTT cytotoxicity tests, performed after 72 h of treatment, revealed that the combination had a significant synergistic cytotoxic effect on SK-BR-3 cells compared to monotherapies or untreated cells. We confirmed that pretreatment of cells with siSurvivin potentializes the cytotoxic effect of DOX as an alternative approach for treating HER2+ breast cancer. In conclusion, a combination of anti-Survivin siRNA and DOX would be a good alternative in HER2+ breast cancer therapy.