Targeted nanoliposomes for the delivery of boronophenylalanine into HER2-positive cells

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a rapidly developing field of radiation therapy for cancer that is based on the accumulation of the radiosensitive 10B isotope in cancer cells, followed by tumor irradiation with thermal neutrons. Widespread use of BNCT in clinical practice remains limited because of the poor accumulation of boron-containing (10B) drugs in the tumor or their high toxicity to the body. This study focuses on the engineering of tumor-specific liposomes loaded with 4-L-boronophenylalanine (4-L-10BPA) for application in boron neutron capture therapy. According to the spectrophotometry and ICP-mass spectroscopy data, the 4-L-10BPA-to-liposome molar ratio is ~ 120,000. Liposomal targeting of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) was determined by HER2-specific designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin)_9-29 on the outer surface of liposomes. DARPin-modified liposomes were found to bind to HER2-overexpressing cells and be effectively internalized into the cytoplasm. The ability of DARPin-functionalized liposomes to precision-deliver large quantities of 4-L-10BPA into cancer cells may open up new prospects for BNCT.