Enhanced antiproliferative activity of Herceptin (HER2)-conjugated gemcitabine-loaded chitosan nanoparticle in pancreatic cancer therapy.

Currently, effective drug delivery in pancreatic cancer treatment is a major challenge. Nanomedicine plays an essential role by delivering anticancer drugs in a targeted manner to the malignant tumor cells, leading to increased efficacy by reducing the toxicity of anticancer drugs to normal, sensitive sites. This study investigated the preparation and characterization of a targeted system represented by Herceptin-conjugated gemcitabine-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (HER2-Gem-CS-NPs) for pancreatic cancer therapy. The targeted NPs displayed superior antiproliferative activity along with an enhanced S-phase arrest, leading to apoptosis in comparison with unconjugated gemcitabine-loaded nanoparticles and free gemcitabine due to higher cellular binding with eventual uptake and prolonged intracellular retention. Thus, HER2-Gem-CS-NPs are able to provide an efficient and targeted delivery of gemcitabine for pancreatic cancer treatment. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: This study investigated the preparation and characterization of a targeted drug delivery system consisting of Herceptin-conjugated gemcitabine-loaded chitosan nanoparticles for pancreatic cancer therapy.