Dihydroartemisinin and doxorubicin co-loaded Soluplus®-TPGS mixed micelles: formulation characterization,cellular uptake,and pharmacodynamic studies

Clinically, co-delivery of chemotherapeutics has been limited by poor water-solubility and severe systemic toxicity. This study was aimed at integrating the merits of combination chemotherapy and mixed micellar technology and demonstrating the anticancer potential of doxorubicin (DOX) and dihydroartemisinin (DHA) co-loaded Soluplus^®-TPGS mixed micellar system. In this study, physiochemically stable multidrug loaded mixed micelles were successfully prepared, encapsulation efficiencies of DOX and DHA were as high as 90%, and the average diameter of the micelles was 64.27?nm. The cellular uptake of DOX from the mixed micelles increased by 1.3 and 1.2 times for MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR cell lines, respectively. The micelles were more cytotoxic than free DHA–DOX. Surprisingly, the co-loaded mixed micelles exhibited higher antitumor activity, while the systemic toxicity was reduced during the treatment. Therefore, the DOX and DHA mixed micelle might be a potential, effective, and less toxic drug-delivery system for cancer therapy.     

介孔硅纳米微粒共转运阿霉素和shRNA对耐药口腔鳞癌细胞株的作用

目的:考察介孔二氧化硅纳米微粒(mesoporous silica nanoparticle,MSNP)共转运体系逆转肿瘤多药耐药、杀伤肿瘤细胞的效果,证实阿霉素(doxorubicin,DOX)与MDR1sh RNA共同应用具有协同抗肿瘤作用。方法:首先采用溶胶-凝胶法制备MSNP,通过表面修饰阳离子聚合物聚乙烯亚胺(polyethylenimine,PEI)使其带有正电荷,能够与带负电的MDR1sh RNA相结合,同时将抗肿瘤药物DOX吸附于介孔内部,形成载药、载基因的共转运体系。体外采用紫外可见光分光光度法测定载药量;通过MTT法测定DOX对口腔鳞癌细胞株KB及耐药株KBV的半抑制浓度IC50;使用荧光显微镜、流式细胞仪测定转染效率;应用Real-Time PCR技术检测MDR1基因的表达水平;Annexin V-FITC/7-AAD双染法经流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡情况。结果 :纳米粒度仪、透射电镜测得所合成的MSNP尺寸为100~200 nm,表面介孔直径约3~5 nm,分散性较好,尺寸较均一;紫外分光光度计法测得IC50(KB-DOX)=182.9 ng/m L、IC50(KBV-DOX)=9 233.5 ng/m L,计算耐药株KBV的耐药倍数为50.483 871倍;荧光显微镜、流式细胞仪测得转染效率为6.73%;Real-Time PCR结果显示:与单纯载药、载基因组相比,双载组MDR1基因的表达水平显著下调;Annexin V-FITC/7-AAD双染法经流式细胞仪测得单纯载药、单纯载基因组细胞凋亡率分别为12.74%、10.08%,而双载组细胞凋亡率增加到25.68%。结论:介孔二氧化硅纳米微粒共转运体系能够有效逆转肿瘤多药耐药,与单纯载药、载基因组相比,同时应用DOX与MDR1sh RNA具有协同抗肿瘤作用。     

Co-delivery of docetaxel and bortezomib based on a targeting nanoplatform for enhancing cancer chemotherapy effects

Using facile polydopamine (PDA)-based surface modification and a pH-sensitive catechol-boronate binding mechanism, a novel drug delivery system was designed for the treatment of breast cancer. The system was able to achieve the following goals: active targeting, pH responsiveness, in vivo blood circulation for a prolonged period of time, and dual drug loading. After coating with PDA, the docetaxel (DTX)-loaded star-shaped copolymer cholic acid-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (CA-PLGA@PDA/NPs) were functionalized with amino-poly(ethylene glycol)-folic acid (NH₂-PEG-FA) and bortezomib (BTZ) to form the targeting composition, DTX-loaded CA-PLGA@PDA-PEG-FA?+?BTZ/NPs. The novel NPs exhibited similar drug release characteristics compared to unfunctionalized CA-PLGA/NPs. Meanwhile, the incorporated NH₂-PEG-FA contributed to active targeting which was illustrated by cellular uptake experiments and biodistribution studies. Moreover, the pH responsive binding between BTZ and PDA was demonstrated to be effective to release BTZ at the tumor acidic environment for synergistic action with DTX. Both in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor studies demonstrated that the novel nanoplatform exhibited the most suitable therapeutic effects. Taken together, the versatile PDA modified DTX-loaded CA-PLGA@PDA-PEG-FA?+?BTZ/NPs offered a promising chemotherapeutic strategy for enhancing breast cancer treatment.     

Cisplatin and paclitaxel co-delivered by folate-decorated lipid carriers for the treatment of head and neck cancer

Context: For head and neck cancer therapy, co-delivery of two drugs, cisplatin (DDP) plus paclitaxel (PTX), are more effective than single drug therapy. Lipid carriers are promising drug carriers for anti-cancer delivery.

Objective: The aim of this study is to construct a folate (FA) decorated nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as nanocarriers for DDP and PTX delivery.

Materials and methods: In this study, DDP and PTX were incorporated into NLCs. Folate-PEG-DSPE (FA-PEG-DSPE) was synthesized and decorated the drugs-loaded NLCs (FA-DDP/PTX NLCs). Their average size, zeta potential, drug encapsulation efficiency, drug loading capacity, and in vitro drug release were evaluated. Head and neck cancer cells (FaDu cells) were used for the testing of in vitro cytotoxicity, and in vivo transfection efficiency of NLC was evaluated on mice bearing FaDu cells model.

Results: The size of FA-DDP/PTX NLCs was around 127?nm, with a positive zeta potential of 26.7?mV. FA-DDP/PTX NLCs showed the highest cytotoxicity and synergistic effect of two drugs in head and neck cancer cells (FaDu cells) in vitro. The in vivo study revealed the greatest anti-tumor activity than all the other formulations in murine-bearing head and neck cancer model.

Discussion and conclusion: FA-DDP/PTX NLCs effectively improves anticancer efficiency for head and neck cancer in vitro and in vivo. The constructed NLCs could be used as a novel carrier to co-delivery DDP and PTX for head and neck cancer therapy.     

Comparison of hyaluronic acid-based micelles and polyethylene glycol-based micelles on reversal of multidrug resistance and enhanced anticancer efficacy in vitro and in vivo

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based block copolymer micelles and hyaluronic acid (HA)-based grafted copolymer micelles have been widely investigated in chemotherapy. In this study, to evaluate the differences among HA-based grafted polymer micelles, PEG-based block polymer micelles and the mixed of these two micelles in enhancing antitumor effects and overcoming MDR, two amphiphilic vitamin E succinate (VES) derivatives, HA VES (HA-g-VES) and PEG 2000 VES (TPGS2k), were applied as nanocarriers to prepare HA-VES micelles (HA-PMs), TPGS2k micelles (TPGS2k-PMs) and the mixed micelles (HA/TPGS2k-PMs) for the co-delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and curcumin (Cur). With the addition of TPGS2k, the particle size of HA/TPGS2k-PMs (153.37?±?1.00?nm) was smaller than that of HA-PMs (223.83?±?1.84) but significantly larger than that of TPGS2k-PMs (about 20?nm). The loading efficiency of HA/TPGS2k-PMs was 7.10%, which was lower than HA-PMs (8.31?±?0.15%) but higher than TPGS2k-PMs (4.38?±?0.24%). In vitro, HA/TPGS2k-PMs and TPGS2k-PMs exhibited higher cytotoxicity and reversal MDR effects than HA-PMs in MCF-7/Adr cells. However, HA/TPGS2k-PMs, HA-PMs and TPGS2k-PMs all significantly improved the tumor biodistribution, the antitumor effects and reduced the side effects of DOX in 4T1-tumor-bearing mice, but these three micelles displayed no differences in vivo. Therefore, EPR passive targeting effects caused by PEGylated micelles and CD44 active targeting effects caused by HA-based micelles have no significant variance in the delivery of antitumor drugs by i.v.     

还原性多肽共载基因和化学治疗药载体的构建与体外评价

目的 制备一种应用于共载基因和化疗药的硫辛酸（LA）修饰的非内吞机制进入细胞的固有无序正常蛋白-细胞质定位的内化肽6（CL）的纳米复合物(LA-CL),并考察其对HEK293细胞的转染效率、胞摄取情况,以及体外释放规律。方法 以不同比例（2.5%、5%、10%、20%）半胱氨酸作为交联剂,合成四种不同交联度的LA-CLss (LA-CLss1, LA-CLss2,LA-CLss3, LA-CLss4),利用1H-NMR和凝胶色谱鉴定合成的LA-CLss。取增强绿色荧光蛋白质粒(plasmid Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein, pEGFP) 和LA-CLss以不同氮磷比（N/P）（2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80）自组装形成纳米复合物,粒度测定仪测定复合物的粒径和zeta电位,琼脂糖凝胶电泳测定载体LA-CLss对pEGFP的包裹能力以及保护作用。用超声乳化法制备载多西他赛的载药胶束,并用芘荧光探针法测定其临界胶束浓度。用LA-CLss/ pEGFP纳米复合物与人胚肾HEK293细胞共同培养,考察不同交联度复合物的细胞转染情况。结果 通过核磁结果确定LA-CLss合成成功;在N/P=40时,HEK293细胞对LA-CLss3/ pEGFP的转染效率高于其他四种 复合物(LA-CLss, LA-CLss1,LA-CLss2, LA-CLss4)。超声乳化法制备的载药胶束包封率为85.25 ± 0.04%,载药量为8.81 ± 0.02%。细胞摄取结果表明该载体可以有效地将基因递送进细胞内。体外释放实验结果表明该多肽胶束具有还原性条件敏感释药行为。结论 制备的LA-CLss纳米复合物有望成为一种高效的共载基因和化疗药的载体。     

Co-delivery of sorafenib and crizotinib encapsulated with polymeric nanoparticles for the treatment of in vivo lung cancer animal model

To treat various cancers, including lung cancer, chemotherapy requires the systematic administering of chemotherapy. The chemotherapeutic effectiveness of anticancer drugs has been enhanced by polymer nanoparticles (NPs), according to new findings. As an outcome, we have developed biodegradable triblock poly(ethylene glycol)–poly(ε-caprolactone)–poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG–PCL–PEG, PECE) polymeric NPs for the co-delivery of sorafenib (SORA) and crizotinib (CRIZ) and investigated their effect on lung cancer by in vitro and in vivo. There is little polydispersity in the SORA–CRIZ@NPs, an average size of 30.45 ± 2.89 nm range. A steady release of SORA and CRIZ was observed, with no burst impact. The apoptosis rate of SORA–CRIZ@NPs was greater than that of free drugs in 4T1 and A549 cells. Further, in vitro cytotoxicity of the polymeric NPs loaded with potential anticancer drugs was more quickly absorbed by cancer cells. On the other hand, compared to free drugs (SORA + CRIZ), SORA + CRIZ@NPs showed a substantial reduction of tumor development, longer survival rate, and a lowered side effect when delivered intravenously to nude mice xenograft model with 4T1 cancer cells. TUNEL positivity was also increased in tumor cells treated with SORA–CRIZ@NPs, demonstrating the therapeutic effectiveness. SORA–CRIZ@NPs might be used to treat lung cancer soon, based on the results from our new findings.     

Co-delivery of etoposide and curcumin by lipid nanoparticulate drug delivery system for the treatment of gastric tumors

Context: Gastric carcinoma (GC) is one of the most common cancers and the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths. Chemotherapy is an important therapeutic modality for GC. However, chemoresistance limited its success rate. Combination chemotherapy is often applied to prevent drug-induced resistance in cancers.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the co-delivery of etoposide (ETP) and curcumin (CUR) with one nanoparticle can result in synergistic effects of both drugs.

Methods: ETP- and CUR-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (ETP-CUR-NLC) were prepared by the solvent injection technique. Their average size, zeta potential and drug loading were evaluated. Human gastric cancer cell lines (SGC7901 cells) were used for the testing of in vitro cytotoxicity studies, and in vivo anti-tumor efficacies of the carriers were evaluated on mice bearing SGC7901 cells xenografts.

Results: ETP-CUR-NLC has a particle size of 114?nm, EPT-loading quantity of 83% and CUR-loading quantity of 82%. ETP-CUR-NLC displayed high cytotoxicity and enhanced antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, ETP-CUR-NLC displayed low cytotoxicity in normal tissues in vivo.

Discussion and conclusion: The results demonstrate that ETP-CUR-NLC can achieve impressive anti-tumor activity. By combining CUR, an effective NF-κB inhibitor, with ETP, a powerful anticancer drug, in NLC, we could improve the therapeutic efficacy in cancer treatments. Our results showed that such co-loaded delivery systems could serve as a promising therapeutic approach to improve clinical outcomes against various malignancies.     

Co-delivery nanoparticles of anti-cancer drugs for improving chemotherapy efficacy

To achieve superior therapeutic efficacy, the combination chemotherapy using two or more anticancer drugs in clinical practice has been generally accepted as a feasible strategy. On account of the concept of combination chemotherapy, co-delivery of anticancer drugs with nanotechnology gradually becomes a desired strategy and one of the research frontiers on modern drug delivery. In recent years, nano drug co-delivery system (NDCDS), which loads at least two anticancer drugs with different physicochemical and pharmacological properties into a combination delivery system, has achieved rapid development. NDCDS synergistically inhibited the growth of the tumor compared with the free drugs. In this review, we highlighted the current state of co-delivery nanoparticles and the most commonly used nanomaterial, discussed challenges and strategies, and prospect future development.