Drug delivery

Polyamine-based nanoparticles loaded with AGO2 could be used as delivery vehicles for therapeutic siRNA. The nanoparticles consist of a polyamine capsule containing a therapeutic siRNA and AGO2, an RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC)-interacting protein that enhances loading of siRNA into the RISC complex. In a mouse melanoma cell line, polyamine nanoparticles loaded with AGO2 and siRNA targeting STAT3 decreased STAT3 protein expression and increased apoptosis compared with nanoparticles loaded with the STAT3 siRNA alone. In a mouse model of melanoma, intratumoral injection of the nanoparticles loaded with AGO2 and STAT3 siRNA decreased tumor levels of STAT3 and tumor volume and increased survival. Next steps could include testing the AGO2-loaded nanoparticles as delivery vehicles for other therapeutic siRNAs...