An overview on the exploring the interaction of inorganic nanoparticles with microtubules for the advancement of cancer therapeutics

Weidong Zhang, William C. Cho, Samir Haj Bloukh, Zehra Edis, Wenjun Du, Yiling He, Hong Yu Hu*, Timo L.M.ten Hagen*, Mojtaba Falahati*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)
145 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Targeting microtubules (MTs), dynamic and stable proteins in cells, by different ligands have been reported to be a potential strategy to combat cancer cells. Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely used as anticancer, antibacterial and free radical scavenging agents, where they come in contact with biological macromolecules. The interaction between the NPs and biological macromolecules like MTs frequently occurs through different mechanisms. A prerequisite for a detailed exploration of MT structures and functions for biomedical applications like cancer therapy is to investigate profoundly the mechanisms involved in MT–NP interactions, for which the full explanation and characterization of the parameters that are responsible for the formation of a NP-protein complex are crucial. Therefore, in view of the fact that the goal of the rational NP-based future drug design and new therapies is to rely on the information of the structural details and protein–NPs binding mechanisms to manipulate the process of developing new potential drugs, a comprehensive investigation of the essence of the molecular recognition/interaction is also of considerable importance. In the present review, first, the microtubule (MT) structure and its binding sites upon interaction with MT stabilizing agents (MSAs) and MT destabilizing agents (MDAs) are introduced and rationalized. Next, MT targeting in cancer therapy and interaction of NPs with MTs are discussed. Furthermore, interaction of NPs with proteins and the manipulation of protein corona (PC), experimental techniques and direct interaction of NPs with MTs, are discussed, and finally the challenges and future perspective of the field are introduced. We envision this review can provide useful information on the manipulation of the MT lattice for the progress of cancer nanomedicine.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)358-369
Number of pages12
JournalInternational Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Volume212
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation ( LGF22H300015 ), and the Science and Technology Project of Jinhua ( 2021-3-108 ).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022

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