title: Targeted delivery of chemotherapy agents using a liver cancer-specific aptamer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Using antibody/aptamer-drug conjugates can be a promising method for decreasing toxicity, while increasing the efficiency of chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study, the antitumor agent Doxorubicin (Dox) was incorporated into the modified DNA aptamer TLS11a-GC, which specifically targets LH86, a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. Cell viability tests demonstrated that the TLS11a-GC-Dox conjugates exhibited both potency and target specificity. Importantly, intercalating Dox into the modified aptamer inhibited nonspecific uptake of membrane-permeable Dox to the non-target cell line. Since the conjugates are selective for cells that express higher amounts of target proteins, both criteria noted above are met, making TLS11a-GC-Dox conjugates potential candidates for targeted delivery to liver cancer cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the large number of available aptamers that have specific targets for a wide variety of cancer cells, this novel aptamer-drug intercalation method will have promising implications for chemotherapeutics in general.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Shands Cancer Center and Center for Research at the Bio/Nano Interface, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xiangxuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Haizhen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D006690:Bisbenzimidazole; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D004317:Doxorubicin; D006690:Bisbenzimidazole