Supramolecular trap for catching polyamines in cells as an anti-tumor strategy.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31391464.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-11553-7 and PMC identifier 6685945.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Polyamines are essential for the growth of eukaryotic cells and can be dysregulated in tumors. Here we describe a strategy to deplete polyamines through host-guest encapsulation using a peptide-pillar[5]arene conjugate (P1P5A, P1 = RGDSK(N<sub>3</sub>)EEEE) as a supramolecular trap. The RGD in the peptide sequence allows the molecule to bind to integrin α<sub>v</sub>β<sub>3</sub>-overexpressing tumor cells. The negative charged glutamic acid residues enhance the inclusion affinities between the pillar[5]arene and cationic polyamines via electrostatic interactions and facilitate the solubility of the conjugate in aqueous media. The trap P1P5A efficiently encapsulates polyamines with association constants of 10<sup>5</sup>-10<sup>6</sup> M<sup>-1</sup>. We show that P1P5A has a wide spectrum of antitumor activities, and induces apoptosis via affecting the polyamine biosynthetic pathway. Experiments in vivo show that P1P5A effectively inhibits the growth of breast adenocarcinoma xenografts in female nude mice. This work reveals an approach for suppressing tumor growth by using supramolecular macrocycles to trap polyamines in tumor cells.
Medical subject headings
- Antineoplastic Agents
- Apoptosis
- Breast Neoplasms
- Polyamines