Antiadhesive Nanosomes Facilitate Targeting of the Lysosomal GlcNAc Salvage Pathway through Derailed Cancer Endocytosis

Abstract

Activated endocytosis of extracellular macromolecules and their intracellular trafficking to lysosomes is an essential metabolic mechanism in cancer cells during their rapid proliferation. Cancer cells reuse a vast amount of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) supplied from the GlcNAc salvage pathway for the accelerated synthesis of a pivotal uridine diphosphate (UDP)-GlcNAc. A method to inactivate key glycosidases in lysosomes could critically contribute to the development of potent anticancer therapy. Here we demonstrate that "nanosomes" made of core metals covered by an antiadhesive mixed self-assembled monolayer allow for avoiding nonspecific surface protein corona and targeted molecular delivery through activated endocytosis. Nanosomes carrying suicide substrates showed that lysosomal glycosidases such as β-hexosaminidase and β-galactosidase in cancer cells are promising targets for novel anticancer therapeutic nanomedicine that induce apoptotic cell death through lysosomal membrane permeabilization. The advantage of this method is evident because multivalent surface loading by antiadhesive nanosomes makes it possible to highlight "weak interactions" such as carbohydrate-lectin interactions independent of surface protein corona.