American Chemical Society, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 42(136), p. 14722-14725, 2014
DOI: 10.1021/ja5088024
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A bioinspired cocoon-like anticancer drug delivery system consisting of a deoxyribonuclease (DNase)-degradable DNA nanoclew (NCl) embedded with an acid-responsive DNase I nanocapsule (NCa) was developed for targeted cancer treatment. The NCl was assembled from a long-chain single-stranded DNA synthesized by rolling-circle amplification (RCA). Multiple GC-pair sequences were integrated into the NCl for enhanced loading capacity of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). Meanwhile, negatively charged DNase I was encapsulated in a positively charged acid-degradable polymeric nanogel to facilitate decoration of DNase I into the NCl by electrostatic interactions. In an acidic environment, the activity of DNase I was activated through the acid-triggered shedding of the polymeric shell of the NCa, resulting in the cocoon-like self-degradation of the NCl and promoting the release of DOX for enhanced therapeutic efficacy.