Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus nanoparticles as a Platform for Drug Delivery to Shh-dependent Medulloblastoma
Abstract Background: Medulloblastoma (MB) is a primary central nervous system tumor that affects mainly young children. New strategies of drug delivery are urgent to treat this cancer and, in particular, the SHH-dependent subtype - the most common subgroup in infants - in whom radiotherapy is precluded due to the severe neurological side effects. Plant virus nanoparticles represent an innovative solution to approach this challenge.Methods: Tomato Bushy Stunt virus (TBSV) was functionally characterized using a murine model as carrier for targeted delivery to Shh-MB. The TBSV nanoparticles surface was engineered with peptides described as enabling targeting to brain cancer cells and the modified particles were then produced on large scale using Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Results: Tests on primary cultures of Shh-MB cells and on their cerebellar precursors allowed to define the most efficient peptides able to induce specific uptake of the viral NPs. Immunofluorescence and molecular dynamics simulations supported the hypothesis that the specific targeting of the NPs was mediated by the interaction of the peptides with their natural partners and reinforced by the presentation in association to the viral particle. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the delivery of Doxorubicin through the chimeric TBSV particles allowed to reduce the dose of the chemotherapeutic agent necessary to induce a significant decrease in tumor cells viability. Moreover, the systemic administration of TBSV nanoparticles in MB symptomatic mice confirmed the ability of the virus particles to reach the tumor in a specific manner. A significant advantage in the recognition of the target appeared when TBSV NPs were functionalized with the CooP peptide.Conclusion: Overall, these results open new perspectives for the use of TBSV particles as vehicle for the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics to MB in order to reduce early and late toxicity.