Polysaccharide guided tumor delivery of therapeutics: A bio-fabricated galactomannan-gold nanosystem for augmented cancer therapy

Green chemistry-enabled nanotechnology offers novel eco-friendly therapeutics in the management of cancer. Here, a biocompatible gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) was fabricated by making use of the polysaccharide (PSP001) endorsed with anti-cancer and anti-metastatic properties isolated from the fruit rind of Punica granatum. The asprepared PSP-AuNPs were employed for the delivery of antineoplastic agent doxorubicin (DOX) for cancer cell targeted release. The galactose moieties in PSP001 served as tumor homing motifs for targeting the galactin and asialoglycoprotein receptors overexpressed in cancers. The drug-loaded AuNPs (DOX@PSP-AuNPs) demonstrated selective killing of cancer cells to reduce the collateral damages induced by DOX up on systemic delivery. Appraisal of the off-target toxicity through detailed studies in BALB/c mice illustrated a bench-marked reduction in the consequential damages in comparison with DOX treatment wherein detriment to cardiac tissues was much pronounced among many other indicators. Finally, a benchmarked reduction in the tumor volume was observed along with marked survival benefits when the tumor reduction capacity was evaluated in syngeneic murine models. Furthermore, a tumor-targeted bio-distribution pattern was demonstrated with favorable drug release kinetics. Hence this facile approach of using biopolymers in the design of drug delivery platforms can be subjected to detailed investigation for enabling bed-side applications.