Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be responsible for the long-term growth of a tumor, as well as its metastasis and recurrence after conventional therapies. Here, it is demonstrated that the sigma-2 receptor is overexpressed on the surface of breast CSCs, and thus could serve as a biomarker for the purpose of targeting. Breast CSCs are targeted with Au nanocages (AuNCs) by functionalizing their surfaces with SV119, a synthetic small molecule capable of binding to the sigma-2 receptor with high specificity. The interiors of the AuNCs could also be loaded with an anticancer drug to be selectively delivered to breast CSCs and released in a controllable fashion. The results demonstrate that the SV119-AuNC conjugate can serve as a new platform to carry out photothermal and chemo therapies simultaneously, eradicating breast CSCs more effectively through a synergetic effect.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1283-1291 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Advanced Healthcare Materials |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2014 |
Keywords
- Cancer stem cells
- Gold nanocages
- SV119
- Sigma-2 receptor
- Synergetic effect