In this study, we report an active targeting liposomal formulation directed by a novel peptide (T7) that specifically binds to the transferrin receptor (TfR) overexpressed on ovarian carcinoma cells. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo tumor drug targeting delivery of T7-anchored liposomes on A2780 cells. T7 conjugated to the distal end of DSPE-PEG2000-maleimide was incorporated into the liposomes via a post-insertion method, the liposome could keep stability in 50% FBS for more than 24 h. The uptake efficiency of T7-LP was 3.7 times higher than that of LP on A2780 cells. The anti-proliferative activity of T7-LP-PTX against A2780 cells was much stronger compared to that of LP-PTX and free PTX, respectively. The homing specificity and anticancer efficacy of T7-LP-PTX were also evaluated on the tumor spheroids, which revealed that T7-LP-PTX was more efficaciously internalized into tumor cells than LP. Compared to LP, T7-LP-PTX showed the highest accumulation capability into tumor spheroids, and the greatest tumor growth inhibitory effect in vitro. In the in vivo study, the T7-LP-PTX showed the best inhibition effect of the tumor growth for the A2780-bearing mice and tumor accumulation. In brief, the T7-LP may be an efficient targeting drug delivery system for ovarian carcinoma.
Keywords: Ovarian carcinoma; liposome; transferrin receptor; tumor targeting.