Abstract
Most clinical cases of liver cancer cannot be diagnosed until they have evolved to an advanced stage, thus resulting in high mortality. It is well recognized that the implementation of early detection methods and the development of targeted therapies for liver cancer are essential to reducing the high mortality rates associated with this disease. To achieve these goals, molecular probes capable of recognizing liver cancer cell-specific targets are needed. Here we describe a panel of aptamers able to distinguish hepatocarcinoma from normal liver cells. The aptamers, which were selected by cell-based SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment), have Kd values in the range of 64-349 nM toward the target human hepatoma cell HepG2, and also recognize ovarian cancer cells and lung adenocarcinoma. The proteinase treatment experiment indicated that all aptamers could recognize target HepG2 cells through surface proteins. This outcome suggested that these aptamers could be used as potential probes for further research in cancer studies, such as developing early detection assays, targeted therapies, and imaging agents, as well as for the investigation of common membrane proteins in these distinguishable cancers.
Highlights
Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer-related death [1], resulting in 0.7 million deaths annually
The selection process began with a random library containing approximately 1.2×1016 (20 nmol) single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) sequences of 61 nucleotides, followed by sequential binding with the target HepG2 cells, elution and subsequent PCR amplification for a total of 19 rounds
No obvious fluorescence intensity increase was found with normal THLE-2 liver cells in pool 19 (Fig 1B), indicating that, compared to the initial library, enriched ssDNA pool 19 showed preferential binding to HepG2 cells, not THLE-2 cells
Summary
Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer-related death [1], resulting in 0.7 million deaths annually. As the largest internal organ and the largest gland in the human body, the liver serves many vital functions, including breaking down and storing nutrients required for energy production or tissue repair, filtering and degrading toxic wastes in the blood, synthesizing most of the clotting factors that keep the body from massive bleeding, and producing chemicals and hormones necessary for regulating many bodily
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
