Eradication of Cancer Cells Using Doxifluridine and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Thymidine Phosphorylase

Gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) has been developed over several decades as a targeted cancer treatment aimed at minimizing toxicity to healthy cells. This approach involves three key components: a non-toxic prodrug, a gene encoding an enzyme that converts the prodrug into an active chem...

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Main Authors: Xutu Wang, Ian Peng, Ching-An Peng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Bioengineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/11/12/1194
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author Xutu Wang
Ian Peng
Ching-An Peng
author_facet Xutu Wang
Ian Peng
Ching-An Peng
author_sort Xutu Wang
collection DOAJ
description Gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) has been developed over several decades as a targeted cancer treatment aimed at minimizing toxicity to healthy cells. This approach involves three key components: a non-toxic prodrug, a gene encoding an enzyme that converts the prodrug into an active chemotherapy drug, and a gene carrier to target cancer cells. In this study, the prodrug doxifluridine was enzymatically converted into the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil via thymidine phosphorylase, using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as delivery vehicles. The hMSCs were first transduced with thymidine phosphorylase-encoded lentiviral vectors produced by HEK293T cells, then co-cultured with A549 adenocarcinoma cells in the presence of doxifluridine. The results showed that after 3 days of prodrug treatment, cell viability in both A549 cancer cells and hMSCs dropped by about 50%, and by day 5, viability had decreased to 10%. In summary, exogenous thymidine phosphorylase expressed in hMSCs successfully converted the non-toxic prodrug doxifluridine into the chemotherapy agent 5-fluorouracil, effectively eliminating both cancer cells and hMSCs within a short period.
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spelling doaj-art-bcd56a591b974e2d9c7e6df78da5f8b22025-08-20T02:00:51ZengMDPI AGBioengineering2306-53542024-11-011112119410.3390/bioengineering11121194Eradication of Cancer Cells Using Doxifluridine and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Thymidine PhosphorylaseXutu Wang0Ian Peng1Ching-An Peng2Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USADepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USADepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USAGene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) has been developed over several decades as a targeted cancer treatment aimed at minimizing toxicity to healthy cells. This approach involves three key components: a non-toxic prodrug, a gene encoding an enzyme that converts the prodrug into an active chemotherapy drug, and a gene carrier to target cancer cells. In this study, the prodrug doxifluridine was enzymatically converted into the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil via thymidine phosphorylase, using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as delivery vehicles. The hMSCs were first transduced with thymidine phosphorylase-encoded lentiviral vectors produced by HEK293T cells, then co-cultured with A549 adenocarcinoma cells in the presence of doxifluridine. The results showed that after 3 days of prodrug treatment, cell viability in both A549 cancer cells and hMSCs dropped by about 50%, and by day 5, viability had decreased to 10%. In summary, exogenous thymidine phosphorylase expressed in hMSCs successfully converted the non-toxic prodrug doxifluridine into the chemotherapy agent 5-fluorouracil, effectively eliminating both cancer cells and hMSCs within a short period.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/11/12/1194gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapymesenchymal stem celllentiviral vectorthymidine phosphorylasedoxifluridine5-fluorouracil
spellingShingle Xutu Wang
Ian Peng
Ching-An Peng
Eradication of Cancer Cells Using Doxifluridine and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Thymidine Phosphorylase
Bioengineering
gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy
mesenchymal stem cell
lentiviral vector
thymidine phosphorylase
doxifluridine
5-fluorouracil
title Eradication of Cancer Cells Using Doxifluridine and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Thymidine Phosphorylase
title_full Eradication of Cancer Cells Using Doxifluridine and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Thymidine Phosphorylase
title_fullStr Eradication of Cancer Cells Using Doxifluridine and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Thymidine Phosphorylase
title_full_unstemmed Eradication of Cancer Cells Using Doxifluridine and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Thymidine Phosphorylase
title_short Eradication of Cancer Cells Using Doxifluridine and Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Thymidine Phosphorylase
title_sort eradication of cancer cells using doxifluridine and mesenchymal stem cells expressing thymidine phosphorylase
topic gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy
mesenchymal stem cell
lentiviral vector
thymidine phosphorylase
doxifluridine
5-fluorouracil
url https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/11/12/1194
work_keys_str_mv AT xutuwang eradicationofcancercellsusingdoxifluridineandmesenchymalstemcellsexpressingthymidinephosphorylase
AT ianpeng eradicationofcancercellsusingdoxifluridineandmesenchymalstemcellsexpressingthymidinephosphorylase
AT chinganpeng eradicationofcancercellsusingdoxifluridineandmesenchymalstemcellsexpressingthymidinephosphorylase