Carboplatin, an advanced anticancer drug with excellent efficacy against ovarian cancer,
was developed to alleviate the side effects that often occur with cisplatin and other
platinum-based compounds. Our study reports the in vitro characteristics, viability,
and activity of cells expressing the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene after
carboplatin was conjugated with polysuccinimide (PSI) and administered in combination
with other widely used anticancer drugs. PSI, which has promising properties as a
drug delivery material, could provide a platform for prolonging carboplatin release,
regulating its dosage, and improving its side effects. The iNOS gene has been shown
to play an important role in both cancer cell survival and inhibition. Herein, we
synthesized a PSI-carboplatin conjugate to create a modified anticancer agent and
confirmed its successful conjugation. To ensure its solubility in water, we further
modified the structure of the PSI-carboplatin conjugate with 2-aminoethanol groups.
To validate its biological characteristics, the ovarian cancer cell line SKOV-3 and
normal ovarian Chinese hamster ovary cells were treated with the PSI-carboplatin conjugate
alone and in combination with paclitaxel and topotecan, both of which are used in
conventional chemotherapy. Notably, PSI-carboplatin conjugation can be used to predict
changes in the genes involved in cancer growth and inhibition. In conclusion, combination
treatment with the newly synthesized polymer-carboplatin conjugate and paclitaxel
displayed anticancer activity against ovarian cancer cells but was not toxic to normal
ovarian cancer cells, resulting in the development of an effective candidate anticancer
drug without severe side effects.
