Nanodiamond therapeutic delivery agents mediate enhanced chemoresistant tumor treatment

• Published in: Science translational medicine Vol. 3; no. 73; p. 73ra21
• Main Authors: Chow, Edward K, Zhang, Xue-Qing, Chen, Mark, Lam, Robert, Robinson, Erik, Huang, Houjin, Schaffer, Daniel, Osawa, Eiji, Goga, Andrei, Ho, Dean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 09.03.2011
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacokinetics; Apoptosis - drug effects; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters - metabolism; Cell Line, Tumor; Diamond; Doxorubicin - administration & dosage; Doxorubicin - pharmacokinetics; Drug Carriers; Drug Delivery Systems; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Female; Humans; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental - drug therapy; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental - metabolism; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental - pathology; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental - drug therapy; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental - metabolism; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental - pathology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Nanomedicine; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology; Neoplasms, Experimental - drug therapy; Neoplasms, Experimental - metabolism; Neoplasms, Experimental - pathology
• ISSN: 1946-6242
• DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3001713

Enhancing chemotherapeutic efficiency through improved drug delivery would facilitate treatment of chemoresistant cancers, such as recurrent mammary tumors and liver cancer. One way to improve drug delivery is through the use of nanodiamond (ND) therapies, which are both scalable and biocompatible. Here, we examined the efficacy of an ND-conjugated chemotherapeutic in mouse models of liver and mammary cancer. A complex (NDX) of ND and doxorubicin (Dox) overcame drug efflux and significantly increased apoptosis and tumor growth inhibition beyond conventional Dox treatment in both murine liver tumor and mammary carcinoma models. Unmodified Dox treatment represents the clinical standard for most cancer treatment regimens, and NDX had significantly decreased toxicity in vivo compared to standard Dox treatment. Thus, ND-conjugated chemotherapy represents a promising, biocompatible strategy for overcoming chemoresistance and enhancing chemotherapy efficacy and safety.