Abstract 306: Cationic cholesterol liposomes for combination therapy to treat drug-resistant ovarian cancer
Authors: Gardner Samantha , Alatise Kharimat L. , Miller Emily , Grant Emily , Alexander-Bryant Angela 
Published: July 2021

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality in women, with nearly 75% of women who respond to initial platinum-based chemotherapy experiencing relapse due to drug resistance [1,2]. Liposomes are a promising solution to overcoming drug resistance due to their biocompatibility and capacity to encapsulate hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs as well as complex small interfering RNA (siRNA), which have the potential to downregulate the expression of genes related to drug resistance [3]. We aim to synthesize and characterize a cationic liposomal system to deliver siRNA and paclitaxel (PTX) to ovarian cancer cells.

Methods: Cholesterol (CHOL) liposomes were synthesized by the thin-film hydration method. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to determine the size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential of the liposomes. Uptake of liposomes into OVCAR3 and OVCAR3-T40, a wild-type and a paclitaxel-resistant human adenocarcinoma cell line, was examined using fluorescence microscopy. The cytotoxicity of unloaded CHOL liposomes was evaluated through MTS assay on OVCAR3 and OVCAR3-T40 cells.

Results: PTX- and siRNA-loaded CHOL liposomes had an average diameter of 114.9 ± 10.35 nm and a zeta potential of 27.6 ± 1.79 mV. Blank CHOL liposomes had an average diameter of 123.0 ± 2.49 nm and zeta potential of 32.3 ± 2.16 mV. All formulations of liposomes were cationic and formed monodisperse nanoparticles. The encapsulation efficiency of siRNA and PTX was 99.8% and 80.4% respectively. Coumarin 6, a hydrophobic model drug, was loaded into liposomes to verify cellular uptake through fluorescent imaging. Results demonstrated that the liposomal system was efficiently delivered intracellularly. Blank liposomes were used to determine the toxicity of the delivery system. The unloaded liposomes were not cytotoxic to both the wild-type and drug-resistant cell lines at concentrations up to 75 µg/mL, and therefore, cytotoxicity of drug-loaded liposomes can be attributed to paclitaxel, siRNA, or combination treatment.

Conclusions: Liposomes were successfully formed with a monodisperse size, exhibited effective drug and siRNA loading, and were internalized into OVCAR3 and OVCAR3-T40 cells. Future work includes investigating the efficacy of the liposomal system in mediating gene silencing.

Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Program under NSF Award # OIA-1655740 and Clemson Creative Inquiry.

References: [1] Torre, L. A., CA Cancer J Clin. 2018;68(4):284-296, [2], Norouzi-Barough L., J Cell Physiol.2018;233(6):4546-4562, [3] Farra R., Pharmaceutics. 2019;11(10):547.

Citation Format: Samantha Gardner, Kharimat L. Alatise, Emily Miller, Emily Grant, Angela Alexander-Bryant. Cationic cholesterol liposomes for combination therapy to treat drug-resistant ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 306.