Cancer cell membrane–coated nanocarriers for homologous target inhibiting the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma

The cancer cell–specific targeting and controlled drug delivery at the cancer site still remain the main challenges for anticancer therapy. A cancer cell membrane–camouflaged nanoparticle can achieve specific recognition, long circulation time, and immune escaping, owing to the coated special cancer cell membrane structure. Here, using the advantages of cancer cell membrane, we fabricated cancer cell membrane–coated poly(lactide-co-glycolide)–doxorubicin nanoparticles to enhance the antitumor efficiency in vivo. The cancer cell membrane–coated poly(lactide-co-glycolide)–doxorubicin nanoparticles exhibited an obvious core–shell nanostructure consisting of a poly(lactide-co-glycolide)–doxorubicin core and a cancer cell membrane shell with a particle size of about 100 nm and a zeta potential at −29.49 mV. Benefited from the homologous binding adhesion molecules from the cancer cell membrane, the cancer cell membrane–coated poly(lactide-co-glycolide)–doxorubicin nanoparticles significantly enhanced the cellular endocytosis of doxorubicin compared to poly(lactide-co-glycolide)–doxorubicin nanoparticles toward HepG2 cells and exhibited satisfactory antitumor effect in vitro. In the in vivo mice bearing HepG2 xenograft mouse models, the cancer cell membrane–coated poly(lactide-co-glycolide)–doxorubicin nanoparticles achieved satisfactory antitumor effect and depressed system toxicity when compared with free doxorubicin, owing to the prolonged blood circulation, effective immune escape, and enhanced doxorubicin accumulation at the tumor site. The robust cancer cell membrane–coated poly(lactide-co-glycolide)–doxorubicin nanoparticles with homologous properties of the cancer cell membrane provide an effective mimetic therapy for inhibiting the growth of HepG2 cells. With simple compositions and satisfactory therapeutic effects, cancer cell membrane–coated poly(lactide-co-glycolide)–doxorubicin nanoparticles can be a promising nanodelivery system for the future therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.