Star Polymers as Non-Viral Carriers for Apoptosis Induction
Agnieszka Fus-Kujawa,
Łukasz Sieroń,
Estera Dobrzyńska,
Łukasz Chajec,
Barbara Mendrek,
Natalia Jarosz,
Łukasz Głowacki,
Kamila Dubaj,
Wojciech Dubaj,
Agnieszka Kowalczuk,
Karolina Bajdak-Rusinek
Affiliations
Agnieszka Fus-Kujawa
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Medykow 18 Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Łukasz Sieroń
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Medykow 18 Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Estera Dobrzyńska
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Medykow 18 Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Łukasz Chajec
Animal Histology and Embryology Group, Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-007 Katowice, Poland
Barbara Mendrek
Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, M. Curie-Sklodowskiej 34, 41-819 Zabrze, Poland
Natalia Jarosz
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Medykow 18 Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Łukasz Głowacki
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Medykow 18 Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Kamila Dubaj
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Medykow 18 Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Wojciech Dubaj
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Medykow 18 Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Agnieszka Kowalczuk
Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, M. Curie-Sklodowskiej 34, 41-819 Zabrze, Poland
Karolina Bajdak-Rusinek
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Medykow 18 Street, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Apoptosis is a widely controlled, programmed cell death, defects in which are the source of various diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases as well as cancer. The use of apoptosis in the therapy of various human diseases is of increasing interest, and the analysis of the factors involved in its regulation is valuable in designing specific carriers capable of targeting cell death. Highly efficient and precisely controlled delivery of genetic material by low-toxic carriers is one of the most important challenges of apoptosis-based gene therapy. In this work, we investigate the effect of the star polymer with 28 poly(N,N′-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) arms (STAR) on human cells, according to its concentration and structure. We show that star polymer cytotoxicity increases within its concentration and time of cells treatment. Except for cytotoxic effect, we observe morphological changes such as a shrinkage, loss of shape and begin to detach. We also prove DNA condensation after star polymer treatment, one of the most characteristic feature of apoptosis. The results indicate that the use of STAR triggers apoptosis in cancer cells compared to various normal cells, what makes these nanoparticles a promising drug in therapeutic strategy, which targets apoptosis. We demonstrate highlighting potential of star polymers as an innovative tool for anti-cancer therapy.
