Nano-chemotherapy using cationic liposome that strategically targets the cell membrane potential of pancreatic cancer cells with negative charge

Cationic liposome inhibited tumor enlargement of xenograft mouse models of pancreatic cancer by inducing apoptosis. [Display omitted] Negatively charged phosphatidylserine (PS) and sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids (GM1) were observed to be over represented on the cell membranes of pancreatic cancer cells (BxPC-3) as opposed to normal pancreatic cells. Cationic liposomes (CL) were also found to selectively accumulate into the negatively charged cell membranes of BxPC-3 cells and inhibited their growth but have no effect on the viability of normal pancreatic cells. CL induced apoptosis in BxPC-3 cells via activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9 and mitochondrial events and inhibited tumor enlargement in xenograft mouse models of pancreatic cancer.