Bioengineered Ferritin Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Ferritin naturally exists in most organisms and can specifically recognize the transferrin 1 receptor (TfR1), which is generally highly expressed on various types of tumor cells. The pH dependent reversible assembling and disassembling property of ferritin renders it as a suitable candidate for encapsulating a variety of anticancer drugs and imaging probes. Ferritins external surface is chemically and genetically modifiable which can serve as attachment site for tumor specific targeting peptides or moieties. Moreover, the biological origin of these protein cages makes it a biocompatible nanocarrier that stabilizes and protects the enclosed particles from the external environment without provoking any toxic or immunogenic responses. Recent studies, further establish ferritin as a multifunctional nanocarrier for targeted cancer chemotherapy and phototherapy. In this review, we introduce the favorable characteristics of ferritin drug carriers, the specific targeted surface modification and a multifunctional nanocarriers combined chemotherapy with phototherapy for tumor treatment. Taken together, ferritin is a potential ideal base of engineered nanoparticles for tumor therapy and still needs to explore more on its way.

Keywords: cancer therapy; ferritin; phototherapy; surface modification; targeted drug delivery.

Figure 1

External and internal structure of ferritin.

Figure 2

Delivery and release of ferritin drug carrier in vivo.

Figure 3

Strategies for surface functionalization of ferritin.

Figure 4

Schematic diagram of PASE polypeptide. Reproduced with permission from ref [33].

Figure 5

Preparation and targeted delivery of Nb-FTn. Reproduced with permission from ref [44].

Figure 6

Three drug loading methods of ferritin.

Figure 7

Assembly and in vivo release of grenade-like nanoparticles. Reproduced with permission from ref [60].

Figure 8

Assembly and in vivo release of drug dual-delivery system INR@FRT. Reproduced with permission from ref [62].

Figure 9

PDT affects the accumulation of ferritin nanoparticles in tumor sites. Reproduced with permission from ref [68].