Targeted delivery of daunorubicin to T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia by aptamer

Application of daunorubicin in treatment of leukemia has been limited for its side effects like cardiotoxicity. Specific delivery of chemotherapy drugs is an important factor in decreasing their side effects. In this study, sgc8, an aptamer for protein tyrosine kinase-7 (PTK7), was used for specific delivery of daunorubicin to Molt-4 cells (PTK7(+)). Flow cytometric experiments showed that aptamer-daunorubicin complex was internalized effectively to Molt-4 cells (PTK7(+)), but not to U266 cells (PTK7(-)). This fact was confirmed by less cytotoxicity of aptamer-drug complex in U266 cells in compare to daunorubicin alone. No significant change in viability between daunorubicin and aptamer-daunorubicin complex treated Molt4 cells was observed. In conclusion, sgc8-daunorubicin complex is introduced as a simple and efficient system for targeted delivery of drug to acute lymphoblastic leukemia T cells.