Gold Nanoparticles Induce Tumor Vessel Normalization and Impair Metastasis by Inhibiting Endothelial Smad2/3 Signaling

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are a promising nanomaterial due to their drug-delivery properties and inherent anti-neoplastic activity. Here, we focused on the anti-neoplastic effects of an improved targeting polymer and folic acid-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPP-FA) without therapeutic drugs. AuNPP...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS nano 2020-07, Vol.14 (7), p.7940-7958
Main Authors: Huang, Na, Liu, Yuqing, Fang, Yisheng, Zheng, Siting, Wu, Jianhua, Wang, Miaohong, Zhong, Wen, Shi, Min, Xing, Malcolm, Liao, Wangjun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cell Line, Tumor
Gold
Humans
Metal Nanoparticles
Neoplasms
Neovascularization, Pathologic - drug therapy
Signal Transduction
Smad2 Protein
Smad3 Protein
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Summary:Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are a promising nanomaterial due to their drug-delivery properties and inherent anti-neoplastic activity. Here, we focused on the anti-neoplastic effects of an improved targeting polymer and folic acid-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPP-FA) without therapeutic drugs. AuNPP-FA inhibited tumor proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, and tumor metastasis was controlled in vivo. We also found that, in addition to inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, AuNPP-FA normalized tumor vasculature by increasing pericyte coverage and strengthening tight junctions by upregulating VE-cadherin (VE-cad) levels on endothelial cells. This decreased vascular permeability, improved vascular perfusion, and alleviated tissue hypoxia. The immunotherapeutic response was enhanced due to the increased infiltration of CD3+CD8+ T lymphocytes. AuNPP-FA increased the expression and secretion of semaphorin 3A (SEMA3A) in cancer cells to further inhibit Smad2/3 signaling in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This normalized tumor vasculature and inhibited metastasis. In conclusion, AuNPP-FA normalized tumor vasculature; therefore, AuNPP-FA has great potential for future clinical applications.
ISSN:1936-0851
1936-086X
DOI:10.1021/acsnano.9b08460