UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Potential of siRNA-Bearing Subtilosomes in the Treatment of Diethylnitrosamine-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Jamal, Fauzia; Ahmed, Ghufran; Farazuddin, Mohammad; Altaf, Ishrat; Farheen, Saba; Zia, Qamar; Azhar, Asim; ... Owais, Mohammad; + view all (2023) Potential of siRNA-Bearing Subtilosomes in the Treatment of Diethylnitrosamine-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Molecules , 28 (5) , Article 2191. 10.3390/molecules28052191. Green open access

[thumbnail of molecules-28-02191.pdf]
Preview
Text
molecules-28-02191.pdf - Published Version

Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

Therapeutics, based on small interfering RNA (siRNA), have demonstrated tremendous potential for treating cancer. However, issues such as non-specific targeting, premature degradation, and the intrinsic toxicity of the siRNA, have to be solved before they are ready for use in translational medicines. To address these challenges, nanotechnology-based tools might help to shield siRNA and ensure its specific delivery to the target site. Besides playing a crucial role in prostaglandin synthesis, the cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme has been reported to mediate carcinogenesis in various types of cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We encapsulated COX-2-specific siRNA in Bacillus subtilis membrane lipid-based liposomes (subtilosomes) and evaluated their potential in the treatment of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. Our findings suggested that the subtilosome-based formulation was stable, releasing COX-2 siRNA in a sustained manner, and has the potential to abruptly release encapsulated material at acidic pH. The fusogenic property of subtilosomes was revealed by FRET, fluorescence dequenching, content-mixing assay, etc. The subtilosome-based siRNA formulation was successful in inhibiting TNF-α expression in the experimental animals. The apoptosis study indicated that the subtilosomized siRNA inhibits DEN-induced carcinogenesis more effectively than free siRNA. The as-developed formulation also suppressed COX-2 expression, which in turn up-regulated the expression of wild-type p53 and Bax on one hand and down-regulated Bcl-2 expression on the other. The survival data established the increased efficacy of subtilosome-encapsulated COX-2 siRNA against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Type: Article
Title: Potential of siRNA-Bearing Subtilosomes in the Treatment of Diethylnitrosamine-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28052191
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28052191
Language: English
Additional information: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: siRNA; COX-2; subtilosome; hepatocellular carcinoma; apoptosis
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy > Pharmaceutics
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10166695
Downloads since deposit
23Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item