ABSTRACT
In the study reported, Paclitaxel molecules are covalently attached to gold nanoparticles via fluorescent oligonucleotide linkers, resulting in a multimodal drug delivery system with simultaneous capabilities in imaging and enhanced therapy. The data suggest that these conjugates may solve three common problems associated with Paclitaxel as an effective chemotherapeutic agent. First, they enhance the solubility of the drug in aqueous systems such as buffers containing high concentrations of salts and serum-containing cell culture media. Second, they increase drug efficacy in Paclitaxel-resistant cell lines. Third, they provide a useful way of tracking the movement of the conjugates and delivery of the drug. An effective chemical strategy is developed for delivering hydrophobic Paclitaxel while simultaneously overcoming drug efflux in human cancer cells. Covalently attaching hydrophobic Paclitaxel onto gold nanoparticles via a DNA spacer resulted in significantly enhanced hydrophilicity and stability as compared to free Paclitaxel alone.
