Ultrasonic activation of polymer–drug conjugates for targeted and combinational pancreatic cancer therapy

Abstract

In this work, we present a series of polymer–drug conjugates (PDCs) incorporating gemcitabine (GEM) and camptothecin (CPT), linked to polymethacrylate backbones via ester and disulfide linkers. Using monomeric prodrug precursors, we employed reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization to synthesize colloidally stable PDCs. Upon ultrasound irradiation, these PDCs exhibited accelerated drug release, which was further enhanced by the presence of a sonosensitizer due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Systematic in vitro testing across different treatment modalities revealed formulations capable of outperforming the IC50 values of the parent drugs by up to five orders of magnitude. Our findings highlight how the interplay between the PDC structure (e.g., drug combinations and linkers) and ultrasound-triggered activation in the presence of a sonosensitizer significantly enhances the therapeutic potency of these nanomedicines.

Graphical abstract: Ultrasonic activation of polymer–drug conjugates for targeted and combinational pancreatic cancer therapy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 May 2025
Accepted
12 Jun 2025
First published
13 Jun 2025
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2025, Advance Article

Ultrasonic activation of polymer–drug conjugates for targeted and combinational pancreatic cancer therapy

D. Toumpa, A. Angelopoulou, K. Avgoustakis and G. Pasparakis, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5TB01250C

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements