Angiogenesis has been known to increase tumor growth and for its metastatic potential in human tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in tumor angiogenesis and is a promising therapeutic target for breast cancer. VEGF is an essential target for RNAi-based gene therapy of breast cancer. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) may act as an anti-angiogenic molecule that inhibits tumor growth and migration in rats. The purpose of the present study was to improve therapeutic efficacy in breast cancer with the codelivery of siRNA-expressing plasmid targeting VEGF and IL-4-expressing plasmid encapsulating into chitosan nanoparticles (NPs). The codelivery of psiVEGF and pIL-4 plasmids greatly enhanced in vitro and in vivo gene-silencing efficiency. For the in vitro study, when psiVEGF and pIL-4 into chitosan NPs were combined (81%), the gene-silencing effect was higher than psiVEGF and pIL-4 NPs alone. The in vivo study breast tumor model demonstrated that the administration of coencapsulation of psiVEGF and pIL-4 into chitosan NPs caused an additive effect on breast tumor growth inhibition (97%), compared with containing NPs psiVEGF or pIL-4 alone. These results indicate that chitosan NPs can be effectively used for the codelivery of pIL-4 and siVEGF-expressing plasmid in a combination therapy against breast cancer. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
C1 [Salva, Emine] Inonu Univ, Dept Pharmaceut Biotechnol, Fac Pharm, Malatya, Turkey.
[Kabasakal, Levent; Akbuga, Julide] Istanbul Univ, Fac Pharm, Dept Pharmaceut Biotechnol, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Kabasakal, Levent] Istanbul Univ, Fac Pharm, Dept Pharmacol, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Alan, Saadet] Malatya State Hosp, Dept Pathol, Malatya, Turkey.
[Ozkan, Naziye] Marmara Univ, Vocat Hlth Sch, Pathol Lab, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Eren, Fatih] Marmara Univ, Inst Gastroenterol, Istanbul, Turkey.