AS1411 aptamer for targetable photosensitizer delivery

A specialized G-quadruplex DNA aptamer with nucleolin targeting ability, AS1411, has been studied for cancer therapy. In this study, we report a novel delivery strategy for chemo-photodynamic combined treatment using AS1411 aptamer conjugated with tetra-(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)-porphine by intercalation and outside binding. Our results show that the apt-TMP complex exhibited higher TMPyP4 accumulation in nucleolin over-expressing MCF-7 breast cancer cells than in M10 normal epithelium cells. After irradiation for 180 sec, the photodamage was apparently observed in MCF-7 cells. These results indicate that AS1411 aptamer can play as a potential photosensitizer carrier for for cancer therapy.