{
  "abstract": "Background/Aim: The clinical efficacy of sorafenib against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is severely limited by limited efficacy and off-target toxicity. Overexpression of oncogenic miR-21 has been identified as a key driver of these limitations, as it downregulates the tumor suppressors PTEN and PDCD4, thereby aberrantly activating both the PI3K/Akt and STAT3 signaling pathways. To address the limitations of conventional sorafenib therapy, we aimed to construct a smart nanocarrier capable of simultaneously delivering sorafenib (SF) and anti-miR-21 specifically to HCC cells.\n\nMaterials and Methods: We designed a core-shell nanoparticle consisting of a PAMAM dendrimer/anti-miR-21 polyplex core and a hyaluronic acid-sorafenib conjugate shell. This architecture enables CD44-mediated active targeting and pH-responsive drug release in the acidic tumor microenvironment. The antitumor activity of the co-delivery system was evaluated in vitro using HepG2 cells, with assessments of cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and the underlying signaling pathways.\n\nResults: The prepared nanoparticle exhibited potent anti-proliferative, anti-migratory, and pro-apoptotic effects in HepG2 cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that these benefits were associated with the reduced phosphorylation of key proteins in both the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and STAT3 cascades, effectively counteracting the therapy limitations that are normally fueled by miR-21 overexpression.\n\nConclusion: Our findings demonstrate that CD44-guided co-delivery of sorafenib and anti-miR-21 provides a promising nanotherapeutic strategy to counteract therapy limitations through coordinated blockade of two major oncogenic pathways in HCC cells.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Tumor Intervention, the Second People’s Hospital of Wuhu, Wuhu, P.R. China",
    "Department of Medical Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, P.R. China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "LIPENG XU"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "LING QIN"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "WENYING ZHAO"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7ayp8jk7k30fn.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.21873/invivo.14493",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13723970/",
  "id": "7ayp8jk7k30fn",
  "issns": [
    "0258-851X",
    "1791-7549"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.14493",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2502|Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7224596196",
  "pdf_url": "https://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/invivo/40/6/3504.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13723970",
  "pmid": "42957275",
  "published": "2026-10-29",
  "publisher": "International Institute of Anticancer Research",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7ayp8jk7k30fn.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T12:22:30Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13723970",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.14493"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2502|Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Co-delivery of Sorafenib and Anti-miR-21 via a CD44-guided Nanocarrier for Dual-pathway Inhibition in HCC Cells",
  "title_text": "Co-delivery of Sorafenib and Anti-miR-21 via a CD44-guided Nanocarrier for Dual-pathway Inhibition in HCC Cells",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-05T12:20:41Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7ayp8jk7k30fn",
  "venue": "In Vivo",
  "versions": []
}