A thin hydrogel barrier linked onto cell surface sialic acids through covalent bonds induces cancer cell death

• Published in: Biomaterials science 2020-01, Vol.8 (2), p.577-585
• Main Authors: Ono, Kimika, Sanada, Yuka, Kimura, Yuka, Aoyama, Seika, Ueda, Natsumi, Katayama, Tokitaka, Nagahama, Koji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2047-4830; 2047-4849
• DOI: 10.1039/c9bm01758e

Hypersialylation is the aberrant expression of sialic acid in cell surface glycans and is pervasive in cancer cells. Recent studies have shown that hypersialylation provides a microenvironment conducive to cancer progression, mediated by the interaction between sialic acid and sialic acid-binding receptors. Therefore, a technique to block the interaction between the overexpressed sialic acid on cancer cell surfaces and its receptors is a promising approach to develop new cancer therapies. We focused on hydrogels as an artificial barrier to block this interaction and present here the development of a novel technique for selectively covalently binding a thin hydrogel barrier on sialic acid residues on cancer cell surfaces. This technique effectively inhibited cancer cell adhesion, motility and growth, caused cancer cell death in vitro , and completely suppressed tumor growth in vivo , thereby clearly demonstrating a potent antitumor effect. A novel technique to form a thin hydrogel barrier on aberrantly expressed sialic acid residues on cancer cell surfaces was developed.