Co-delivery of paclitaxel and doxorubicin using mixed micelles based on the redox sensitive prodrugs

Active herbal ingredients and drug delivery design for tumor therapy: a review

Active herbal ingredients are gaining recognition for their potent anti-tumor efficacy, attributable to various mechanisms including tumor cell inhibition, immune system activation, and tumor angiogenesis inhibition. Recent studies have revealed that numerous anti-tumor herbal ingredients, such as ginsenosides, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and Angelica sinensis polysaccharides, can be utilized to develop smart drug carriers like liposomes, micelles, and nanoparticles. These carriers can deliver active herbal ingredients and co-deliver anti-tumor drugs to enhance drug accumulation at tumor sites, thereby improving anti-tumor efficacy. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms by which these active herbal ingredients-derived carriers enhance therapeutic outcomes. Additionally, it highlights the structural properties of these active herbal ingredients, demonstrating how their unique features can be strategically employed to design smart drug carriers with improved anti-tumor efficacy. The insights presented aim to serve as a reference and guide future innovations in the design and application of smart drug carriers for cancer therapy that leverage active herbal ingredients.

Research Progress of Disulfide Bond Based Tumor Microenvironment Targeted Drug Delivery System

Cancer poses a significant threat to human life and health. Chemotherapy is currently one of the effective cancer treatments, but many chemotherapy drugs have cell toxicity, low solubility, poor stability, a narrow therapeutic window, and unfavorable pharmacokinetic properties. To solve the above problems, target drug delivery to tumor cells, and reduce the side effects of drugs, an anti-tumor drug delivery system based on tumor microenvironment has become a focus of research in recent years. The construction of a reduction-sensitive nanomedicine delivery system based on disulfide bonds has attracted much attention. Disulfide bonds have good reductive responsiveness and can effectively target the high glutathione (GSH) levels in the tumor environment, enabling precise drug delivery. To further enhance targeting and accelerate drug release, disulfide bonds are often combined with pH-responsive nanocarriers and highly expressed ligands in tumor cells to construct drug delivery systems. Disulfide bonds can connect drug molecules and polymer molecules in the drug delivery system, as well as between different drug molecules and carrier molecules. This article summarized the drug delivery systems (DDS) that researchers have constructed in recent years based on disulfide bond drug delivery systems targeting the tumor microenvironment, disulfide bond cleavage-triggering conditions, various drug loading strategies, and carrier design. In this review, we also discuss the controlled release mechanisms and effects of these DDS and further discuss the clinical applicability of delivery systems based on disulfide bonds and the challenges faced in clinical translation.

Light emitting diode (LED) irradiation of liposomes enhances drug encapsulation and delivery for improved cancer eradication

Liposomes are widely used as drug delivery nanoplatforms because of their versatility and biocompatibility; however, their ability to load certain drugs may be suboptimal. In this study, we generated liposomes using a combination of DSPE and DSPE-PEG-2 k lipids and loaded them with doxorubicin (DOX) and paclitaxel (PTX), to investigate the effects of light emitting diode (LED) irradiation on liposome structure and drug loading efficiency. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the surface of liposomes irradiated with blue or near-infrared LEDs (LsLipo) was rougher and more irregular than that of non-LED-irradiated liposomes (NsLipo). Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed that the hydrogen peak originating from the lipid head groups was lower in LsLipo than in NsLipo preparations, indicating that LED irradiation changed the chemical and physical properties of the liposome. Structural changes, such as reduced rigidity, induced by LED irradiation, increased the loading efficiency of DOX and PTX. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that LsLipo were more effective at inhibiting the growth of cancer cells than NsLipo. Our findings suggest that LED irradiation enhances the drug delivery efficacy of liposomes and offer new possibilities for improving drug delivery systems.

Design, synthesis and bioactivity investigation of peptide-camptothecin conjugates as anticancer agents with a potential to overcome drug resistance

Camptothecin (CPT) is a natural plant alkaloid from Camptotheca that exhibits a potent anticancer activity. However, its continued utilization is hindered by drawbacks such as low water solubility and restricted tumor selectivity. Cationic anticancer peptides (CAPs) are generally soluble in water, and exhibit favorable selectivity against malignant cells. In previous study, we have reported a CAP termed KM8-Aib present conspicuous selective anticancer effect. Thus, it is postulated conjugating KM8-Aib with CPT might be a plausible approach to improve the defects of CPT. A series of peptide-CPT conjugates were synthesized and subjected to biological evaluation. Among these compounds, Kb-CC07 displayed the highest selective activity against a set of cancer cell lines including drug-resistant cells, showing the IC50 values in the 0.11-1.01 μM range which is 1.9-22.6 times better than that of CPT, and a wide therapeutic index of 124.5 (vs 5.3 for CPT). The water solubility of Kb-CC07 was also improved by ∼ 100 fold compared with CPT. Further investigation unraveled that Kb-CC07 could effectively penetrate across plasma membranes and delivered more CPT molecules into cancer cells, overcoming the drug-resistance result from efflux drug transporters on tumor surface. In vivo experiments supported that Kb-CC07 has excellent in vivo antiproliferative activity against drug-resistant tumors over CPT (tumor growth inhibition of 98.2% and 37.5% for Kb-CC07 and CPT, respectively, at 5 μmol·kg-1), and prompts CPT accumulation in tumor tissue rather than normal organs, thus producing limited toxicities. To sum up, coupling therapeutic agents to CAPs would be a potential strategy to conquer the shortcomings of anticancer drugs. Additionally, Kb-CC07 is suggested to be a promising anticancer candidate deserving further investigation.

Doxorubicin-loaded micelles in tumor cell-specific chemotherapy

Nanomedicine is a field that combines biology and engineering to improve disease treatment, particularly in cancer therapy. One of the promising techniques utilized in this area is the use of micelles, which are nanoscale delivery systems that are known for their simple preparation, high biocompatibility, small particle size, and the ability to be functionalized. A commonly employed chemotherapy drug, Doxorubicin (DOX), is an effective inhibitor of topoisomerase II that prevents DNA replication in cancer cells. However, its efficacy is frequently limited by resistance resulting from various factors, including increased activity of drug efflux transporters, heightened oncogenic factors, and lack of targeted delivery. This review aims to highlight the potential of micelles as new nanocarriers for delivering DOX and to examine the challenges involved with employing chemotherapy to treat cancer. Micelles that respond to changes in pH, redox, and light are known as stimuli-responsive micelles, which can improve the targeted delivery of DOX and its cytotoxicity by facilitating its uptake in tumor cells. Additionally, micelles can be utilized to administer a combination of DOX and other drugs and genes to overcome drug resistance mechanisms and improve tumor suppression. Furthermore, micelles can be used in phototherapy, both photodynamic and photothermal, to promote cell death and increase DOX sensitivity in human cancers. Finally, the alteration of micelle surfaces with ligands can further enhance their targeted delivery for cancer suppression.

Lipid-functionalized gold nanorods with plug-to-direct mitochondria targeting ligand for synergetic photothermal-chemotherapy of tumor therapy

Mitochondria targeting therapeutic strategies are promising for more effective and precise cancer therapy. Photothermal therapy are extensively studied as noninvasive cancer treatment. With regards to all-in-one nanocarrier-mediated drug delivery platform, it is still a challenge to enhance one of the features but not compromise other merits. Herein, we present a mitochondrial targeting photothermal-chemotherapy all-in-one nanoplatform involving lipid-functionalized gold nanorods (AuNR) with plug-to-direct mitochondria targeting ligand for synergetic enhanced tumor therapy. Firstly, AuNR were modified by DSPE-PEG-SH owing to the special affinity of sulfhydryl group and gold. And then, DSPE-PEG-DOX with mitochondrial targeting character was directly inserted into DSPE-PEG-SH layer. Meanwhile, paclitaxel (PTX) was loaded in hydrophobic region of the lipid layer. Quite different from introducing additional mitochondrial targeting molecules, we incorporated amphiphilic DSPE-PEG-DOX into a DSPE-PEG-SH layer modified around AuNR to achieve both mitochondrial targeting, photothermal and dual drug loading in a simple AuNR-lipid-DOX/PTX platform, in the case that efficiently enhanced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria and excellent anti-tumor efficacy were achieved. With good biocompatibility, the constructed nanoplatform based on lipid-functionalized AuNR synergistically combined mitochondrial targeted DSPE-PEG-DOX with mitochondrial-acted PTX and photothermal therapy (PTT), which provided a feasible strategy for organelle-targeted combination PTT-chemotherapy to improve therapeutic effects.

Taxanes prodrug-based nanomedicines for cancer therapy

Malignant tumor remains a huge threat to human health and chemotherapy still occupies an important place in clinical tumor treatment. As a kind of potent antimitotic agent, taxanes act as the first-line broad-spectrum cancer drug in clinical use. However, disadvantages such as prominent hydrophobicity, severe off-target toxicity or multidrug resistance lead to unsatisfactory therapeutic effects, which restricts its wider usage. The efficient delivery of taxanes is still quite a challenge despite the rapid developments in biomaterials and nanotechnology. Great progress has been made in prodrug-based nanomedicines (PNS) for cancer therapy due to their outstanding advantages such as high drug loading efficiency, low carrier induced immunogenicity, tumor stimuli-responsive drug release, combinational therapy and so on. Based on the numerous developments in this filed, this review summarized latest updates of taxanes prodrugs-based nanomedicines (TPNS), focusing on polymer-drug conjugate-based nanoformulations, small molecular prodrug-based self-assembled nanoparticles and prodrug-encapsulated nanosystems. In addition, the new trends of tumor stimuli-responsive TPNS were also discussed. Moreover, the future challenges of TPNS for clinical translation were highlighted. We here expect this review will inspire researchers to explore more practical taxanes prodrug-based nano-delivery systems for clinical use.

Construction of reduction-sensitive heterodimer prodrugs of doxorubicin and dihydroartemisinin self-assembled nanoparticles with antitumor activity

Doxorubicin (DOX) is used as a first-line chemotherapeutic drug, whereas dihydroartemisinin (DHA) also shows a certain degree of antitumor activity. Disulfide bonds (-SS-) in prodrug molecules can be degraded in highly reducing environments. Thus, heterodimer prodrugs of DOX and DHA linked by a disulfide bond was designed and subsequently prepared as reduction-responsive self-assembled nanoparticles (DOX-SS-DHA NPs). In an in vitro release study, DOX-SS-DHA NPs exhibited reduction-responsive activity. Upon cellular evaluation, DOX-SS-DHA NPs were found to have better selectivity toward tumor cells and less cytotoxicity to normal cells. Compared to free DiR, DOX-SS-DHA NPs showed improved accumulation at the tumor site and even had a longer clearance half-life. More importantly, DOX-SS-DHA NPs possessed a much higher tumor inhibition efficacy than DOX-sol and MIX-sol in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice. Our results suggested the superior antitumor efficacy of DOX-SS-DHA NPs with less cytotoxicity.

A novel multifunctional nanoparticles formed by molecular recognition between AS1411 aptamer and redox-responsive paclitaxel-nucleoside analogue prodrug for combination treatment of β-lapachone and paclitaxel

Despite its high antitumor activity, the clinical application of chemotherapy is greatly impeded by lacking of specific accumulation and poor solubility. To address the above challenges, we designed a AS1411 aptamer modified nanoparticles based on molecular recognition of nucleobases. Firstly, a redox sensitive Paclitaxel-SS-Zidovudine (PZ) prodrug was synthesized. Then PZ/β-lapachone/AS1411/DSPE-PEG nanoparticles were prepared and AS1411 aptamer was connected through molecular recognition between the nucleoside analogue Zidovudine (ZDV) and the thymine on aptamer. DSPE-PEG (DP) was incorporated into nanoparticles to prolong the residence time of nanoparticles in the blood circulation. Furthermore, to realize the combination treatment, β-lapachone (LAP) has been incorporated into nanoparticles with high drug loading efficiency through the interaction of π-π stacking force and H-bonding between LAP and Paclitaxel (PTX). LAP can generate abundant exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the bioactivation of NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO1). Moreover, the connection of Zidovudine (ZDV) and AS1411 through molecular recognition of nucleobases further optimized the nanoparticles with high affinity to nucleolin which overexpressed on tumor cell membrane, thereby inducing the specific accumulation of nanoparticles in tumor sites. In vivo and in vitro studies showed that the obtained nanoparticles of PZ/LAP/AS1411/DP exhibited better tumor growth inhibition and lower systemic side effects. Herein, we have rationally conducted a novel self-codelivery system for effectively synergistic antitumor treatment.

Co-delivery of doxorubicin and paclitaxel by reduction/pH dual responsive nanocarriers for osteosarcoma therapy

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery system offers a promising platform for combination cancer therapy. However, the inefficient drug release in cells reduces the therapeutic efficacy of cancer nanomedicines. Herein, a PEGylated poly(α-lipoic acid) copolymer (mPEG-PαLA) was prepared and used as a reduction/pH dual responsive nanocarrier to simultaneously deliver paclitaxel (PTX) and doxorubicin (DOX) for osteosarcoma therapy. The amphiphilic mPEG-PαLA could efficiently encapsulate both PTX and DOX during its self-assembly into micelles in aqueous solution to generate PTX and DOX co-loaded nanoparticles (NP-PTX-DOX). The as-prepared NP-PTX-DOX showed enhanced PTX and DOX release in response to reductive and acidic stimuli. Moreover, the dual-drug loaded nanoparticles were efficiently internalized by K7 osteosarcoma cells and released drugs intracellularly, as confirmed by flow cytometry analysis and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Consequently, NP-PTX-DOX exhibited synergistic therapeutic effects and induced enhanced cell apoptosis in K7 cells. Furthermore, NP-PTX-DOX presented improved biodistribution and higher tumor growth inhibition efficacy compared to the control groups in a murine osteosarcoma model. Altogether, the results of this work indicate that the proposed strategy is promising for osteosarcoma therapy using mPEG-PαLA copolymer as a dual-responsive nanocarrier to co-deliver anticancer drugs.

Preparation and in vitro/vivo evaluation of folate-conjugated pluronic F87-PLGA/TPGS mixed nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery

AIM

Folate-conjugated Pluronic F87-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) block copolymer (FA-F87-PLGA) was synthesized to encapsulate anticancer drug Paclitaxel (PTX) for targeted drug delivery. To further improve the curative effect, D-α-tocopheryl poly(ethylene glycol) 1000 succinate (TPGS or Vitamin E TPGS) was added to form FA-F87-PLGA/TPGS mixed NPs.

METHODS

FA-F87-PLGA was synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization and the structure was characterized. PTX-loaded nanoparticles were prepared with the nanoprecipitation method. The physicochemical characteristics were studied to determine the appropriate dose ratio of the FA-F87-PLGA to TPGS. The cytotoxicity against Ovarian Cancer Cells (OVCAR-3) was determined by MTT assay. The Area-Under-the Curve (AUC) and half-life were measured in the vivo pharmacokinetic studies.

RESULTS

Based on the optimization of particle size and embedding rate of PTX-loaded mixed NPs, the appropriate dosage ratio of FA-F87-PLGA to TPGS was finally determined to be 5:3. According to in vitro release studies, the cumulative release rate of PTX-loaded FA-F87-PLGA/TPGS mixed NPs was 92.04%, which was higher than that of nanoparticles without TPGS. The cytotoxicity studies showed that the IC50 value of PTX-loaded FA-F87-PLGA/TPGS decreased by 75.4 times and 19.7 times after 72 h treatment compared with free PTX injections and PTX-loaded FA-F87-PLGA NPs, respectively. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies indicated that FA-F87-PLGA/TPGS mixed NPs had a longer drug metabolism time and a larger Area-Under-the-Curve (AUC) compared with free PTX injections.

CONCLUSION

FA-F87-PLGA/TPGS mixed NPs are potential candidates for targeted drug delivery systems.

Engineering silk sericin decorated zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 nanoplatform to enhance chemotherapy

The low therapeutic effect and strong side-effect are the major barriers for clinical chemotherapy. Herein, a pH-responsive nanoplatform based-silk sericin-zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 was designed for the delivery of chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (denoted as ZIF-8@DOX@SS, ZDS), which can overcome the limitation of poor circulation stability and unexpected drug leakage in blood circulation, producing a satisfactory chemotherapy. Concretely, ZIF-8 structure shows better stability and biocompatibility owing to the protection of a nature and non-toxic sericin protein. When it comes to low pH environment (e.g. in tumor cell microenvironment), the coordination effect in ZIF-8 will be broken and release DOX drugs. The nano-sized morphology endow ZDS an efficient drug uptake and significant tumor permeability efficiency. Furthermore, the tumor-specific biodegradability makes ZDS possible to realize targeted and enhanced chemotherapy. Considering all the advantages in the study, this silk sericin-based nanosystem represent a promising strategy for the design of stimuli-responsive by using natural polymer to improve the treatment effect of chemotherapy.

Adjudin-loaded redox-sensitive paclitaxel-prodrug micelles for overcoming multidrug resistance with efficient targeted Colon cancer therapy

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the primary cause for the failure of chemotherapy in the treatment of colon cancer. Recent research has indicated that the combination of a chemotherapeutic agent and a mitochondrial inhibitor might represent a promising strategy to help overcome MDR. However, for this approach to be clinically effective, it is important that the two drugs can be actively and simultaneously delivered into tumor cells at an optimal ratio and completely released drug within cells. To address these challenges, we designed and prepared a folate receptor-targeted and redox-responsive drug delivery system (FA- ss -P/A) that was able to co-deliver paclitaxel (PTX) and adjudin (ADD) to reverse colon cancer MDR. The PTX prodrug was obtained by conjugating PTX to dextrin via a disulfide-linkage. Then, folic acid (FA) was modified on the PTX prodrug. Finally, ADD, a mitochondrial inhibitor, was encapsulated in the PTX prodrug-formed micelles. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments subsequently demonstrated that FA- ss -P/A can effectively reverse MDR by increasing cell uptake, inhibiting PTX efflux, and improving drug release.

Three-Step Synthesis of a Redox-Responsive Blend of PEG-block-PLA and PLA and Application to the Nanoencapsulation of Retinol

Smart polymeric nanocarriers have been developed to deliver therapeutic agents directly to the intended site of action, with superior efficacy. Herein, a mixture of poly(lactide) (PLA) and redox-responsive poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactide) (PEG-block-PLA) containing a disulfide bond was synthesized in three steps. The nanoprecipitation method was used to prepare an aqueous suspension of polymeric nanocarriers with a hydrodynamic diameter close to 100 nm. Retinol, an anti-aging agent very common in cosmetics, was loaded into these smart nanocarriers as a model to measure their capacity to encapsulate and to protect a lipophilic active molecule. Retinol was encapsulated with a high efficiency with final loading close to 10% w/w. The stimuli-responsive behavior of these nanocarriers was demonstrated in vitro, in the presence of l-Glutathione, susceptible to break of disulfide bond. The toxicity was low on human keratinocytes in vitro and was mainly related to the active molecule. Those results show that it is not necessary to use 100% of smart copolymer in a nanosystem to obtain a triggered release of their content.

Hyaluronic acid targeted and pH-responsive nanocarriers based on hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles for chemo-photodynamic combination therapy

In this work, a pH-responsive and tumor targeted multifunctional drug delivery system (RB-DOX@HMSNs-N = C-HA) was designed to realize chemo-photodynamic combination therapy. Hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) was served as the host material to encapsulate doxorubicin (DOX) and photosensitizer rose bengal (RB). Hyaluronic acid (HA) was modified on the surface of HMSNs via pH-sensitive Schiff base bonds as gatekeeper as well as targeted agent. Characterization results indicated the successful preparation of HMSNs-N = C-HA with appropriate diameter of 170 nm around and the nanocarriers displayed superior drug loading capacity (15.30 % for DOX and 12.78 % for RB). Notably, the results of in vitro drug release experiments confirmed that the system possessed good pH-sensitivity, which made it possible to release cargoes in slight acid tumor micro-environments. Significantly, the in vitro cell uptake and cytotoxicity assay results fully proved that RB-DOX@HMSNs-N = C-HA could precisely target murine mammary carcinoma (4T1) cells and effectively inhibit tumor cells viability with chemo-photodynamic synergistic therapy. Overall, our work (RB-DOX@HMSNs-N = C-HA) provides an efficient approach for the development of chemo-photodynamic combination therapy.

Combination Therapy of Doxorubicin and Quercetin on Multidrug-Resistant Breast Cancer and Their Sequential Delivery by Reduction-Sensitive Hyaluronic Acid-Based Conjugate/d-α-Tocopheryl Poly(ethylene glycol) 1000 Succinate Mixed Micelles

The therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy in many types of hematological malignancies and solid tumors is dramatically hindered by multidrug resistance (MDR). This work presents a combination strategy of pretreatment of MDA-MB-231/MDR1 cells with quercetin (QU) followed by doxorubicin (DOX) to overcome MDR, which can be delivered by mixed micelles composed of the reduction-sensitive hyaluronic acid-based conjugate and d-α-tocopheryl poly(ethylene glycol) 1000 succinate. The combination strategy can enhance the cytotoxicity of DOX on MDA-MB-231/MDR1 cells by increasing intracellular DOX accumulation and facilitating DOX-induced apoptosis. The probable MDR reversal mechanisms are that the pretreatment cells with QU-loaded mixed micelles downregulate P-glycoprotein expression to decrease DOX efflux as well as initiate mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways to accelerate DOX-induced apoptosis. In addition, this combination strategy can not only potentiate in vivo tumor-targeting efficiency but also enhance the antitumor effect in MDA-MB-231/MDR1-bearing nude mice without toxicity or side effects. This research suggests that the co-administration of natural compounds and chemotherapeutic drugs could be an effective strategy to overcome tumor MDR, which deserves further exploration.

Development of Long-Circulating and Fusogenic Liposomes Co-encapsulating Paclitaxel and Doxorubicin in Synergistic Ratio for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Background:

The co-encapsulation of paclitaxel (PTX) and doxorubicin (DXR) in liposomes has the potential to offer pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic advantages, providing delivery of both drugs to the tumor at the ratio required for synergism.

Objective:

To prepare and characterize long-circulating and fusogenic liposomes co-encapsulating PTX and DXR in the 1:10 molar ratio (LCFL-PTX/DXR).

Methods:

LCFL-PTX/DXR was prepared by the lipid film formation method. The release of PTX and DXR from liposomes was performed using a dialysis method. Studies of cytotoxicity, synergism, and cellular uptake were also carried out.

Results:

The encapsulation percentage of PTX and DXR was 74.1 ± 1.8 % and 89.6 ± 12.3%, respectively, and the mean diameter of the liposomes was 244.4 ± 28.1 nm. The vesicles remained stable for 30 days after their preparation. The drugs were simultaneously released from vesicles during 36 hours, maintaining the drugs combination in the previously established ratio. Cytotoxicity studies using 4T1 breast cancer cells showed lower inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) value for LCFL-PTX/DXR treatment (0.27 ± 0.11 µm) compared to the values of free drugs treatment. In addition, the combination index (CI) assessed for treatment with LCFL-PTX/DXR was equal to 0.11 ± 0.04, showing strong synergism between the drugs. Cell uptake studies have confirmed that the molar ratio between PTX and DXR is maintained when the drugs are administered in liposomes.

Conclusion:

It was possible to obtain LCFL-PTX/DXR suitable for intravenous administration, capable of releasing the drugs in a fixed synergistic molar ratio in the tumor region.

Utilization of green formulation technique and efficacy estimation on cell line studies for dual anticancer drug therapy with niosomes

The aim of the present study was to prepare niosome formulations for the simultaneous encapsulation, dual drug therapy, of two anticancer drugs by the ecological probe sonication method. Poloxamer and sorbitan monostearate were used as surface active agents in niosomes, and the water soluble doxorubicin and poorly-water soluble paclitaxel were used as anticancer drugs. Thorough physicochemical analysis were performed for the niosomes, and their cytotoxicity and activity were evaluated on MCF-7 and PC3-MM2 cancer cell lines. Prepared niosomes were small in size with sizes ranging from 137 nm to 893 nm, and entrapment efficiencies were high, ranging from 91.24% to 99.99%. During the four weeks stability testing, the particle size remained stable. The niosomal formulations showed in vitro sustained drug release profiles for doxorubicin and clearly increased the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble paclitaxel. The incorporation of both the drugs into niosomes improved cell penetration and antiproliferative activity of the drugs PC3-MM2 cell lines. As a conclusion, doxorubicin and paclitaxel loaded niosome formulations resulted in relatively stable, small sized niosomes with improved drug release profiles, low toxicity, better cell penetration and antiproliferative activity. The niosomes showed synergistic effect due to the presence of both drugs, which can overcome multidrug resistance.

Preparation and Evaluation of mPEG-PLGA Block Copolymer Micelles Loaded with a Sarsasapogenin Derivative

Sarsasapogenin derivative 5n (SGD 5n) is a new compound with potent antitumor efficacy, but the low solubility severely affects its absorption and bioavailability. Therefore, the SGD 5n-loaded mPEG-PLGA block copolymer micelles were developed to improve the value of SGD 5n in clinical application. The polymeric micelles were prepared by an organic solvent evaporation method, and the encapsulation efficiency (EE), drug loading (DL), critical micelle concentrations (CMC), morphology, particle size, and zeta potential were determined. The cytotoxicity was examined by the MTT assay, and the cellular uptake study was performed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. A model of tumor-bearing mouse was established to study the antitumor activity in vivo. The results demonstrated that the particle size of the prepared micelle was 124.6 ± 9.6 nm, the encapsulation efficiency was 82.0 ± 2.9%, and the drug loading was 8.3 ± 0.4%. The results of cytotoxicity and cellular uptake demonstrated that the SGD 5n-loaded micelles could efficiently enter tumor cells, and the cellular uptake of SGD 5n presented concentration and time dependence. This study demonstrated that the prepared SGD 5n-loaded polymeric micelles had significant antitumor activity and provided a basis for clinical development of new compound SGD 5n.

The Preparation, Determination of a Flexible Complex Liposome Co-Loaded with Cabazitaxel and β-Elemene, and Animal Pharmacodynamics on Paclitaxel-Resistant Lung Adenocarcinoma

Paclitaxel is highly effective at killing many malignant tumors; however, the development of drug resistance is common in clinical applications. The issue of overcoming paclitaxel resistance is a difficult challenge at present. In this study, we developed nano drugs to treat paclitaxel-resistant lung adenocarcinoma. We selected cabazitaxel and β-elemene, which have fewer issues with drug resistance, and successfully prepared cabazitaxel liposome, β-elemene liposome and cabazitaxel-β-elemene complex liposome with good flexibility. The encapsulation efficiencies of cabazitaxel and β-elemene in these liposomes were detected by precipitation microfiltration and microfiltration centrifugation methods, respectively. Their encapsulation efficiencies were all above 95%. The release rates were detected by a dialysis method. The release profiles of cabazitaxel and β-elemene in these liposomes conformed to the Weibull equation. The release of cabazitaxel and β-elemene in the complex liposome were almost synchronous. The pharmacodynamics study showed that cabazitaxel flexible liposome and β-elemene flexible liposome were relatively good at overcoming paclitaxel resistance on paclitaxel-resistant lung adenocarcinoma. As the flexible complex liposome, the dosage of cabazitaxel could be reduced to 25% that of the cabazitaxel injection while retaining a similar therapeutic effect. It showed that β-elemene can replace some of the cabazitaxel, allowing the dosage of cabazitaxel to be reduced, thereby reducing the drug toxicity.

Co-Delivery Nanosystems for Cancer Treatment: A Review

Massive data available on cancer therapy more than ever lead our mind to the general concept that there is no perfect treatment for cancer. Indeed, the biological complexity of this disease is too excessive to be treated by a single therapeutic approach. Current delivery systems containing a specific drug or gene have their particular opportunities and restrictions. It is worth noting that a considerable number of studies suggest that single- drug delivery systems result in insufficient suppression of cancer growth. Therefore, one of the main ideas of co-delivery system designing is to enhance the intended response or to achieve the synergistic/combined effect compared to the single drug strategy. This review focuses on various strategies for co-delivery of therapeutic agents in the treatment of cancer. The primary approaches within the script are categorized into co-delivery of conventional chemotherapeutics, gene-based molecules, and plant-derived materials. Each one is explained in examples with the recent researches. In the end, a brief summary is provided to conclude the gist of the review.