title: DNA aptamer-micelle as an efficient detection/delivery vehicle toward cancer cells.
abstract: We report the design of a self-assembled aptamer-micelle nanostructure that achieves selective and strong binding of otherwise low-affinity aptamers at physiological conditions. Specific recognition ability is directly built into the nanostructures. The attachment of a lipid tail onto the end of nucleic acid aptamers provides these unique nanostructures with an internalization pathway. Other merits include: extremely low off rate once bound with target cells, rapid recognition ability with enhanced sensitivity, low critical micelle concentration values, and dual-drug delivery pathways. To prove the potential detection/delivery application of this aptamer-micelle in biological living systems, we mimicked a tumor site in the blood stream by immobilizing tumor cells onto the surface of a flow channel device. Flushing the aptamer-micelles through the channel demonstrated their selective recognition ability under flow circulation in human whole-blood sample. The aptamer-micelles show great dynamic specificity in flow channel systems that mimic drug delivery in the blood system. Therefore, our DNA aptamer-micelle assembly has shown high potential for cancer cell recognition and for in vivo drug delivery applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Shands Cancer Center, Center for Research at Bio/Nano Interface, University of Florida Genetics Institute, and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200, USA.
authors.forename: Yanrong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kwame
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sefah
authors.forename: Haipeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ruowen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004705:Endocytosis; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008823:Micelles; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008823:Micelles