title: Anti-DR5 monoclonal antibody-mediated DTIC-loaded nanoparticles combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy for malignant melanoma: target formulation development and in vitro anticancer activity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The increased incidence of malignant melanoma in recent decades, along with its high mortality rate and pronounced resistance to therapy pose an enormous challenge. Novel therapeutic strategies, such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy, are urgently needed for melanoma. In this study, a new active targeting drug delivery system was constructed to combine chemotherapy and active specific immunotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The chemotherapeutic drug, dacarbazine (DTIC), that induces apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway which typically responds to severe DNA damage, was used as a model drug to prepare DTIC-loaded polylactic acid (PLA) nanoparticles (DTIC-NPs), which were covalently conjugated to a highly specific targeting functional TRAIL-receptor 2 (DR5) monoclonal antibody (mAb) that can contribute directly to cancer cell apoptosis or growth inhibition through the extrinsic pathway.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our in vitro experiments demonstrated that DTIC-PLA-DR5 mAb nanoparticles (DTIC-NPs-DR5 mAb) are an active targeting drug delivery system which can specifically target DR5-overexpressing malignant melanoma cells and become efficiently internalized. Most strikingly, compared with conventional DTIC-NPs, DTIC-NPs-DR5 mAb showed significantly enhanced cytotoxicity and increased cell apoptosis in DR5-positive malignant melanoma cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The DTIC-NPs-DR5 mAb described in this paper might be a potential formulation for targeting chemotherapy and immunotherapy to DR5-overexpressing metastatic melanoma.
authors: Department of Pharmaceutics, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai.
authors: Baoyue
authors: B
authors: Ding
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Wu
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Fan
authors: Zhaoyong
authors: Z
authors: Wu
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Gao
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Zhang
authors: Lulu
authors: L
authors: Ma
authors: Wang
authors: W
authors: Xiang
authors: Quangang
authors: Q
authors: Zhu
authors: Jiyong
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Xueying
authors: X
authors: Ding
authors: Shen
authors: S
authors: Gao
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D058726:Nanoconjugates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053220:Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D058726:Nanoconjugates; D053220:Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; D003606:Dacarbazine