Conclusion
The results indicated that PTX-MHI-mediated cancer therapy exerts an excellent inhibitory effect on colon carcinoma (HT-29) cell growth with low toxicity in normal fibroblasts (NIH3T3).
Methods
We successfully synthesized paclitaxel-MHI-148 conjugates (PTX-MHI) by coupling PTX with the tumor-targeting heptamethine cyanine dye MHI-148. Synthesis and purification were characterized using the absorbance spectrum and the
Results
PTX-MHI accumulates in tumor cells but not in normal cells, as observed by in vitro near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) imaging along with in vivo NIRF imaging and organ biodistribution studies. We observed that MHI-148-conjugated PTX shows greater efficiency in cancer cells than PTX alone, even in the absence of light treatment. PTX-MHI could also be used for specific drug delivery to intracellular compartments, such as the mitochondria and lysosomes of cancer cells, to improve the outcomes of tumor-targeting therapy.