Poly(L-γ-glutamylglutamine) polymer enhances doxorubicin accumulation in multidrug resistant breast cancer cells

Background: Drug resistance is one of the bottlenecks of cancer chemotherapy in the clinic. Polymeric nanomedicine is one of the most promising strategies for overcoming poor chemotherapy responses due to the multidrug resistance (MDR). Methods: In this study, a new polymer-based drug delivery system, poly(L-γ-glutamylglutamine)-doxorubicin (PGG-Dox) conjugate, was studied in both drug-induced resistant human breast cancer MDA-MB-231/MDR cells and their parent human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. The effect of PGG on facilitating the growth inhibition of Dox against multidrug resistant cells were investigated by evaluating the cytotoxicity of PGG-Dox conjugate, PGG/Dox unconjugated complex and free Dox on both cells. The underlying mechanisms in resistant cells were further studied via the intracellular traffic studies. Results: Both conjugated and unconjugated PGG significantly increased Dox uptake, prolonged Dox retention and reduced Dox efflux in the MDA-MB-231/MDR cells. The PGG-Dox conjugate is taken up by tumor cells mainly by pinocytosis pathway, in which PGG-Dox conjugate-containing vesicles are formed and enter the cells. Conclusions: This study indicated that both polymer-drug conjugate and unconjugated complex are promising strategies of overcoming resistance of anti-tumor drugs.