Encapsulation of daunorubicin into Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derived lysosome as drug delivery vehicles for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment

Lysosome, an intracellular organelle with an acid interior, contains acidic hydrolases and specific membrane proteins. Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains vacuoles (corresponding to lysosomes) that have similar lipid composition membrane to mammalian cell membrane. However, yeast vacuoles do not cause significant immune stimulation in vivo. Taking advantage of these structural similarities and bio-derived strengths, the present study describes encapsulation of daunorubicin into lysosome derived from S. cerevisiae as drug delivery vehicles for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment. Daunorubicin is a chemotherapy medication used to treat cancer, specifically for AML. In this study, recombinant S. cerevisiae that could keep the small size of lysosomal vacuoles was constructed. Appropriate time and concentration to encapsulate the drug were then identified. In addition, release profile and anticancer effect of the drug in lysosome carriers were confirmed. According to this study, a more accurate encapsulation condition into lysosome can be optimized and potential application of S. cerevisiae derived lysosomes as drug carriers is confirmed.