Enhanced Doxorubicin Cytotoxicity on Breast Cancer Spheroids by Aptamer Targeted Co-Delivery with Hyaluronidase

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent solid tumors in women and can be classified into subtypes based on molecular characteristics, such as hormone receptor status and HER2 expression. Aptamers, highly specific affinity molecules, are extensively studied for targeted drug delivery using nanocarriers to enhance anti-cancer efficacy. This study focused on HER2-responsive co-delivery of doxorubicin and hyaluronidase via aptamer-gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles to improve therapeutic outcomes in solid tumors. SK-BR-3 spheroids are employed as a model for resistant tumor environments in solid tumors. Previous research is shown that conjugating cytotoxic drugs with nanoparticles or cells enhances drug penetration into tumor spheroids. In this work, doxorubicin is loaded into mesoporous silica nanoparticles and capped with HER2-specific aptamers, while the particle surface is functionalized with hyaluronidase. This dual-functionalized nanocarrier system achieves an ≈8.5-fold increase in cytotoxicity compared to aptamer-targeted delivery lacking hyaluronidase. The enhanced effect is attributed to hyaluronidase-mediated loosening of the spheroid structure, facilitating nanoparticle penetration and localized release of doxorubicin at high concentrations on HER2-positive cells.