EpCAM antibody-conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticles to enhance the anticancer efficacy of carboplatin in retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare type of tumor which occurs in the intraocular spaces of eye. Carboplatin (CRB) has been used for the treatment of RB along with focal therapy. In this study, we have demonstrated the preparation of EpCAM-conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the successful delivery of carboplatin (CRB) to the retinoblastoma cells. The particles size and morphology was nanosized and spherical and exhibited a controlled release kinetics. Cellular uptake studies reveal that enhanced internalization was observed for EpCMSN compared to that of CMSN. The remarkable difference in cellular uptake might be attributed to the specific receptor mediated cellular internalization for EpCMSN compared to that of CMSN which might entered the cells by passive diffusion. Consistently, EpCMSN exhibited a superior anticancer effect in retinoblastoma cells. The IC50 value of EpCMSN was 1.38 μg/ml which is significantly lesser compared to that of free CRB (3.26 μg/ml). EpCMSN resulted in 2-fold increase in caspase-3 level compared to that of free CRB. The higher targeting effect of EpCAM receptor resulted in enhanced apoptosis of cancer cells after treatment with EpCMSN in retinoblastoma cells. Taken together, EpCAM conjugated MSN might be advantageous for the targeted treatment of receptor-overexpressed ocular malignancies like retinoblastoma.