Daunorubicin and gambogic acid coloaded cysteamine-CdTe quantum dots minimizing the multidrug resistance of lymphoma in vitro and in vivo

Yi Zhou,^1,2 Ruju Wang,¹ Bing Chen,¹ Dan Sun,³ Yong Hu,² Peipei Xu<sup>1

1</sup>Department of Hematology, Drum Tower Hospital, School of Medicine, ²Institute of Materials Engineering and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Life Sciences, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing People’s Republic of China; ³School of Mechanical Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK

Abstract: To minimize the side effects and the multidrug resistance (MDR) arising from daunorubicin (DNR) treatment of malignant lymphoma, a chemotherapy formulation of cysteamine-modified cadmium tellurium (Cys-CdTe) quantum dots coloaded with DNR and gambogic acid (GA) nanoparticles (DNR-GA-Cys-CdTe NPs) was developed. The physical property, drug-loading efficiency and drug release behavior of these DNR-GA-Cys-CdTe NPs were evaluated, and their cytotoxicity was explored by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-y1]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. These DNR-GA-Cys-CdTe NPs possessed a pH-responsive behavior, and displayed a dose-dependent antiproliferative activity on multidrug-resistant lymphoma Raji/DNR cells. The accumulation of DNR inside the cells, revealed by flow cytometry assay, and the down-regulated expression of P-glycoprotein inside the Raji/DNR cells measured by Western blotting assay indicated that these DNR-GA-Cys-CdTe NPs could minimize the MDR of Raji/DNR cells. This multidrug delivery system would be a promising strategy for minimizing MDR against the lymphoma.

Keywords: daunorubicin, gambogic acid, Cys-CdTe QDs, multidrug resistance, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

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