M1 Macrophage-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Loaded with CX3CR1 siRNA for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a highly fatal malignancy, with inadequate therapeutic strategies and an adverse prognosis. Gene therapy raises a prospective option to overcome the challenges posed by conventional therapeutic strategies. The CX3CL1-CX3CR1 axis plays a critical role in promoting tumor cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis in PDAC. Targeted delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) against CX3CR1 through M1 phenotype macrophage extracellular vesicles is a potential strategy to achieve accurate PDAC treatment. This study sought to investigate the therapeutic potential of siRNA specifically targeting CX3CR1 in PDAC via loading into extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from M1 macrophages, evaluating its therapeutic efficacy through in vitro and in vivo experiments. The results demonstrated that siCX3CR1 was successfully incorporated into extracellular vesicles originating from M1 macrophages. M1 EV/siCX3CR1 significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of AsPC-1 cells in vitro. In the AsPC-1 subcutaneously transplanted tumor model, M1 EV/siCX3CR1 also exhibited a significant tumor-suppressive effect. Overall, the loading of siCX3CR1 into M1 EVs holds promise as a potential therapeutic approach for pancreatic cancer treatment in the future.