Neural stem cells improve intracranial nanoparticle retention and tumor-selective distribution.

Journal: 
Future Oncol
Publication Year: 
2014
Authors: 
Rachael Mooney
Yiming Weng
Revathiswari Tirughana-Sambandan
Valerie Valenzuela
Soraya Aramburo
Elizabeth Garcia
Zhongqi Li
Margarita Gutova
Alexander J Annala
Jacob M Berlin
Karen S Aboody
PubMed link: 
24559447
Public Summary: 
AIM: The purpose of this work is to determine if tumor-tropic neural stem cells (NSCs) can improve the tumor-selective distribution and retention of nanoparticles (NPs) within invasive brain tumors. MATERIALS & METHODS: Streptavidin-conjugated, polystyrene NPs are surface-coupled to biotinylated human NSCs. These NPs are large (798 nm), yet when conjugated to tropic cells, they are too large to passively diffuse through brain tissue or cross the blood-tumor barrier. NP distribution and retention was quantified 4 days after injections located either adjacent to an intracerebral glioma, in the contralateral hemisphere, or intravenously. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: In all three in vivo injection paradigms, NSC-coupled NPs exhibited significantly improved tumor-selective distribution and retention over free-NP suspensions. These results provide proof-of-principle that NSCs can facilitate the tumor-selective distribution of NPs, a platform useful for improving intracranial drug delivery.
Scientific Abstract: 
AIM: The purpose of this work is to determine if tumor-tropic neural stem cells (NSCs) can improve the tumor-selective distribution and retention of nanoparticles (NPs) within invasive brain tumors. MATERIALS & METHODS: Streptavidin-conjugated, polystyrene NPs are surface-coupled to biotinylated human NSCs. These NPs are large (798 nm), yet when conjugated to tropic cells, they are too large to passively diffuse through brain tissue or cross the blood-tumor barrier. NP distribution and retention was quantified 4 days after injections located either adjacent to an intracerebral glioma, in the contralateral hemisphere, or intravenously. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: In all three in vivo injection paradigms, NSC-coupled NPs exhibited significantly improved tumor-selective distribution and retention over free-NP suspensions. These results provide proof-of-principle that NSCs can facilitate the tumor-selective distribution of NPs, a platform useful for improving intracranial drug delivery.