A Macromolecular Drug for Cancer Therapy via Extracellular Calcification.

Abstract

Cancer chemotherapy typically relies on drug endocytosis and inhibits tumor cell proliferation via intracellular pathways; however, severe side effects may arise. In this study, we performed a first attempt to develop macromolecular-induced extracellular chemotherapy involving biomineralization by absorbing calcium from the blood through a new type of drug, polysialic acid conjugated with folate (folate-polySia), which selectively induces biogenic mineral formation on tumor cells and results in the pathological calcification of tumors. The macromolecule-initiated extracellular calcification causes cancer cell death mainly by intervening with the glycolysis process in cancer cells. Systemic administration of folate-polySia inhibited cervical and breast tumor growth and dramatically improved survival rates in mice. This study provides an extracellular therapeutic approach for malignant tumor diseases via calcification that is ready for clinical trials and offers new insights into macromolecular anticancer drug discovery.

• Authors: Ning Tang, Hanhui Li, Lihong Zhang, Xueyun Zhang, Yanni Chen, Hao Shou, Shuaishuai Feng, Xinhua Chen, Yan Luo, Ruikang Tang, Ben Wang
• Journal: Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) (Angew Chem Int Ed Engl) Vol. 60 Issue 12 Pg. 6509-6517 (03 15 2021) ISSN: 1521-3773 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 33427367 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Macromolecular Substances
• Sialic Acids
• polysialic acid
• Folic Acid
• Calcium

Topics

• Antineoplastic Agents (administration & dosage, chemistry, pharmacology)
• Breast Neoplasms (drug therapy, metabolism, pathology)
• Calcium (metabolism)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
• Female
• Folic Acid (administration & dosage, chemistry, pharmacology)
• Humans
• Macromolecular Substances (administration & dosage, chemistry, pharmacology)
• Molecular Structure
• Sialic Acids (administration & dosage, chemistry, pharmacology)
• Structure-Activity Relationship