Abstract
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) has multiple antitumor mechanisms that may be used to control tumor growth. Previously we have shown that treatment of solid tumors with a plasmid that encodes Sindbis viral RNA replicase complex, pSIN-β, significantly inhibited the growth of tumors in mice. In the present study, we evaluated the feasibility of further improving the antitumor activity of the pSIN-β plasmid by incorporating interleukin-2 (IL2) gene into the plasmid. The resultant pSIN-IL2 plasmid was delivered to mouse melanoma cells that overexpress the sigma receptor. Here we report that the pSIN-IL2 plasmid was more effective at controlling the growth of B16 melanoma in mice when complexed with sigma receptor-targeted liposomes than with the untargeted liposomes. Importantly, the pSIN-IL2 plasmid was more effective than pSIN-β plasmid at controlling the growth of B16 melanoma in mice, and B16 tumor-bearing mice that were treated with pSIN-IL2 had an elevated number of activated CD4+, CD8+, and natural killer cells, as compared to those treated with pSIN-β. The RNA replicase-based, IL2-expressing plasmid may have applications in melanoma gene therapy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2404-2415 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Molecular Pharmaceutics |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 3 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- IL2 therapy
- anisamide
- dsRNA therapy
- melanoma
- sigma receptor
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Medicine
- Pharmaceutical Science
- Drug Discovery