Reduced polydopamine coated graphene for delivery of Hset1 antisense as A photothermal and gene therapy of breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer in women; hence, many researches have been focused on developing effective treatment protocols. In this study, a novel nanocarrier was fabricated for gene and photothermal combination cancer therapy by conjugating histone methyltransferase complex subunit SET1 (hSET1) on reduced polydopamine coated graphene oxide nanosheets (rGO-PDA).The rGO-PDA nanocarriers provide higher near-infrared absorption and further integrating with hSET1 antisense as an anticancer gene that down-regulates the amount of hSET1 overexpressed and suppresses the proliferation of cancer cells.The nanoplatform was prepared by polymerizing of dopamine, a mussel adhesive protein, on graphene oxide nanosheets in alkaline media, followed by conjugation of hSET1 antisense on rGO-PDA nanocarriers which was examined by gel retardation assay. After Laser irradiation, the amount of hSET1 was estimated in overexpressed cells treated with this formulation by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).The size and zeta potential of prepared nanocarriers were 140 nm and −29.4 mv respectively. In vitro cellular tests confirmed that the prepared nanoplatform was biocompatible with no cell toxicity. The nanocarrier as a photothermal agent generating hyperthermia, led to a better release of hSET1 antisense under NIR (near-infrared) and more apoptosis of cancer cells and RT-PCR implied a considerable decrease of hSET1 expression. Outstanding photothermal conversion and suitable potential of rGO-PDA for interaction with oligonucleotides is expected as a suitable system for gene delivery and photoresponsive therapy of solid tumors simultaneously.