Cancer cell membrane camouflaged biomimetic gelatin-based nanogel for tumor inhibition

Enhancing the active tumor targeting ability and decreasing the clearance of reticuloendothelial system (RES) are important issues for drug delivery systems (DDSs) in cancer therapy. In recent years, cell membrane camouflage, as one of the biomimetic modification strategies, has shown huge potential. Many natural properties of source cells can be inherited, allowing the DDSs to successfully avoid phagocytosis by macrophages, prolong circulation time, and achieve homologous targeting to lesion tissue. In this study, a cancer cell membrane camouflaged nanoplatform based on gelatin with a typical core-shell structure was developed for cancer chemotherapy. Doxorubicin (DOX) loaded gelatin nanogel (NG@DOX) acted as the inner core, and 4T1 (mouse breast carcinoma cell) membrane was set as the outer shell (M-NG@DOX). The M-NG platform enhanced the ability of homologous targeting due to the surface protein of cell membrane being completely retained, which could promote the cell uptake of homotypic cells, avoid phagocytosis by RAW264.7 macrophages, and therefore increase accumulation in tumor tissue. Meanwhile, due to the better controlled drug release capability of M-NG@DOX, premature release of DOX in circulation could be reduced, minimizing side effects in common chemotherapy. As a result, the biomimetic nanoplatform in this study, obtained by a cancer cell membrane camouflaged drug delivery system, efficiently reached desirable tumor elimination, providing a significant strategy for effective targeted therapy and specific carcinoma therapy.