Tumor-targeting templated silica nanoparticles as a dual-drug delivery system for anti-angiogenic ovarian cancer therapy

The present study indicated the successful construction of a silica nanoparticle (SLN)-based drug delivery system (DDS) for the tumor-targeted co-delivery of two anti-angiogenic drugs, candesartan (CD) and trastuzumab (Tra), for ovarian cancer therapy via different anti-angiogenic mechanisms using hyaluronic acid (HA)/Tra/CD/SLNs. In vitro and in vivo anti-angiogenic assays indicated that CD and Tra exert beneficial functions on suppressing cancer angiogenesis, and exhibited significantly enhanced effects compared with the angiotensin stimulated group (P<0.01). CD and Tra co-delivery also significantly increased the anti-angiogenic effect compared with applying either drug alone (P<0.01). Furthermore, HA on the surface of the DDS was demonstrated to reduce the cytotoxicity of the DDS and also endowed the particles with an advanced tumor-homing property in vitro and in vivo. The present results revealed that HA/Tra/CD/SLNs may be a preferable formulation for anti-angiogenic ovarian cancer therapy.