Cancer targeting potential of some ligand-anchored poly(propylene imine) dendrimers: a comparison.

The present investigation was aimed at developing and comparing the cancer-targeting potential of ligand-anchored dendrimers. Folate-, dextran-, and galactose-anchored poly(propylene imine) dendrimers were synthesized and characterized. Dendritic formulations were evaluated for ex vivo cytotoxicity on HeLa and SiHa cell lines. Flow cytometry studies were performed on the HeLa cell line. An ex vivo MTT assay on HeLa cells indicated IC(50) values of 0.05, 0.2, 0.8, and 0.08 μM for folate, dextran, and galactose formulations, and for free paclitaxel (PTX), respectively. An analogous observation was carried out in SiHa cells, where IC(50) values of 0.6, 0.8, 10, and 6 μM were observed by folate, dextran, and galactose formulations, and free PTX, respectively. The outcome of the MTT assay and flow cytometry suggested the order of targeting potential of various ligands under investigation as folate > dextran > galactose. The outcome is deemed to be of scientific value and is believed to assist drug delivery scientists during selection of targeting ligands. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: The cancer targeting potential of folate, dextran and galactose functionalized polypropyleneimine (PPI) dendrimers was studied by this group of investigators, reporting the order of targeting potential as folate > dextran > galactose.