RETRACTED: Targeted delivery of 5-fluorouracil, miR-532-3p, and si-KRAS to the colorectal tumor using layer-by-layer liposomes

Co-delivery of siRNA or miRNA with chemotherapeutic drugs into tumor sites is an attractive synergetic strategy for treating colorectal cancer (CRC) due to their complementary mechanisms. In the current work, a liposome nanoparticle (Huang et al., Cancer Metastasis Rev., 2018, 37, 173–187) coated by cationic chitosan (CS) using a controlled layer-by-layer (LbL) process was designed to deliver simultaneous si-KRAS, miRNA-532-3p, and 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) into CRC cells. The LbL NPs exhibited a spherical structure with an average size of 165.9 nm and effectively protected si-KRAS and miRNA-532-3p against degradation by serum and nucleases. Interestingly, the LbL NPs were successfully entered into cells and efficiently promoted cytotoxicity and suppressed cancer cell migration and invasion. In vivo , the LbL NPs reduced tumor growth in SW480-tumor-bearing mice models. In conclusion, these results suggested that the LbL NPs co-loaded with 5-FU and miR-532-3p/si-KRAS might provide a promising potential strategy for inhibiting the malignant phenotypes of CRC cells.