Aptamers as Theragnostic Tools in Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Despite of the capacity that several drugs have for specific inhibition of the androgen receptor (AR), in most cases, PCa progresses to an androgen-independent stage. In this context, the development of new targeted therapies for prostate cancer (PCa) has remained as a challenge. To overcome this issue, new tools, based on nucleic acids technology, have been developed. Aptamers are small oligonucleotides with a three-dimensional structure capable of interacting with practically any desired target, even large targets such as mammalian cells or viruses. Recently, aptamers have been studied for treatment and detection of many diseases including cancer. In PCa, numerous works have reported their use in the development of new approaches in diagnostics and treatment strategies. Aptamers have been joined with drugs or other specific molecules such as silencing RNAs (aptamer–siRNA chimeras) to specifically reduce the expression of oncogenes in PCa cells. Even though these studies have shown good results in the early stages, more research is still needed to demonstrate the clinical value of aptamers in PCa. The aim of this review was to compile the existing scientific literature regarding the use of aptamers in PCa in both diagnosis and treatment studies. Since Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) aptamers are the most studied type of aptamers in this field, special emphasis was given to these aptamers.

DNA-Based Nanomaterials as Drug Delivery Platforms for Increasing the Effect of Drugs in Tumors

“…The FDA recently approved Lutetium-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer [ 83 ].…”

Exploring the Potential of Aptamers in Targeting Neuroinflammation and Neurodegenerative Disorders: Opportunities and Challenges

“…Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acid DNA or RNA, ranging in length from 20 to 100 nucleotides (nt) and function like monoclonal antibodies [102,103]. The term "aptamer" is derived from the Latin word "aptus" (fitting) and the Greek word "meros" (region).…”

Advances in Aptamers-Based Applications in Breast Cancer: Drug Delivery, Therapeutics, and Diagnostics

“…The AS1411 aptamer was applied on alarm cantilevers in the microcantilever array. AS1411 interactions with nucleolin in clinical samples stimulated surface stress alterations, causing various flaws between the reference and sensor cantilevers [138,139]. The complex showed increased sensitivity with a LOD of 1.0 nM.…”

“…Aptamers with small molecular weights of ~20,000 Da are easy to penetrate tumors tissues so they have been considered as drugs [159,160]. Currently, there are a number of aptamers that have been examined for the treatment of clinical diseases, while some of them have already received FDA approval for the therapeutic utilization, such as Macugen (Pegaptanib Sodium Injection) for treatment of macular degeneration [139,161,162]. AGRO100 is an aptamer that binds to nucleolin, a protein found intranuclear in all cells, but is uniquely expressed on the surface of tumor cells.…”