New paper published in collaboration with Prof. Angela Scala (University of Messina)
A new paper entitled “Design of naturally inspired jellyfish-shaped cyclopolylactides to manage osteosarcoma cancer stem cells fate” has been recently published in Materials Science and Engineering: C.
We report the synthesis, characterization and biological profile of new bis-triazoled cyclo-(polylactide)s functionalized with folic acid (c-PLA-FA) or rhodamine (c-PLA-Rhod), obtained by an optimized combination of ROP and “click” chemistry reactions. Salinomycin (Sal) was loaded into jellyfish-shaped c-PLA-FA and c-PLA-Rhod nanoparticles (NPs) by nanoprecipitation, with a good encapsulation efficiency and loading content. The biological studies focused on their antiproliferative effects on osteosarcoma bulk MG63 and cancer stem cells (CSCs). The cyclo-PLA-based nanoparticles killed CSCs and MG63, with a higher efficacy on CSCs; they (unloaded or Sal-loaded) evoked on CSCs a cellular response similar to the payload, with a higher effect than the free Sal. Internalization studies indicated a fast cellular uptake (within 2 h). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting anti-CSCs properties of cyclo-PLA with jellyfish architecture and we believe could contribute to the development of effective strategies for osteosarcoma targeting.
