Monoolein cubic phase containing poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate-co-propyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) and its electric field-driven release property

ThermOxshield ion pair self assembly unleashing suppressed release

Poly (acrylic acid) (PAA), an anionic polymer was used to prepare ion pair self-assembly (IPSAM) with 4-(methylthio)aniline (MTA), a hydrophobic counter ion, which is responsive to temperature and oxidation. The IPSAM was formed when the carboxylic to amino group molar ratio was 7/3-5/5. The structure of the IPSAM nanoparticle was spherical whose diameter was 30-40 nm on the TEM images. The PAA/MTA ion pair showed the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) that hiked with increasing MTA content. When the MTA of the ion pair was oxidized by H2O2, the UCST was also increased. The amphiphilic property of the ion pair was responsible for interface activity which declined upon the oxidation of the MTA. The surface tension was low for the ratio of PAA/MTA (5/5), which made the 5/5 ratio suitable for further studies. The interaction between PAA and MTA, which was ionic, and the oxidation of MTA was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The release of payload (i.e. Nile red) in IPSAM was restrained below the UCST but it was triggered above the phase transition temperature possibly due to the disintegration of the IPSAM whereas on MTA oxidation the release was shielded due to more hydrophobicity. The release was found to be higher in tumor environment temperature which could be controlled with the input concentration of H2O2 giving a stable IPSAM. The cell viability results showed that IPSAM has no significant cytotoxicity and can serve as a drug carrier for stimulus-response.

Lyotropic liquid crystalline 2D and 3D mesophases: Advanced materials for multifunctional anticancer nanosystems

Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality. Despite significant breakthroughs in conventional therapies, treatment is still far from ideal due to high toxicity in normal tissues and therapeutic inefficiency caused by short drug lifetime in the body and resistance mechanisms. Current research moves towards the development of multifunctional nanosystems for delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs, bioactives and/or radionuclides that can be combined with other therapeutic modalities, like gene therapy, or imaging to use in therapeutic screening and diagnosis. The preparation and characterization of Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline (LLC) mesophases self-assembled as 2D and 3D structures are addressed, with an emphasis on the unique properties of these nanoassemblies. A comprehensive review of LLC nanoassemblies is also presented, highlighting the most recent advances and their outstanding advantages as drug delivery systems, including tailoring strategies that can be used to overcome cancer challenges. Therapeutic agents loaded in LLC nanoassemblies offer qualitative and quantitative enhancements that are superior to conventional chemotherapy, particularly in terms of preferential accumulation at tumor sites and promoting enhanced cancer cell uptake, lowering tumor volume and weight, improving survival rates, and increasing the cytotoxicity of their loaded therapeutic agents. In terms of quantitative anticancer efficacy, loaded LLC nanoassemblies reduced the IC50 values from 1.4-fold against lung cancer cells to 125-fold against ovarian cancer cells.

Gelatin-loaded cubosomes stabilized with hydrophobically modified quaternized cellulose nanofiber and their pH-dependent release property

Monoolein cubic phase immobilizing hydrophobically modified gelatin (HmGel) in its water channel was prepared by a melt-hydration method. The cubic phase was micronized into cubosomes by using hydrophobically modified quaternized cellulose nanofiber (HmQCNF) as a stabilizer. The phase transition temperature of the cubic phase was about 68-70 °C. Small angle X-ray diffraction revealed that HmGel-loaded cubosome stabilized with HmCNF was a diamond type of cubic phase. HmGel-loaded cubosomes stailized with HmQCNF were dependent on the pH value in terms of the release of their payload (i.e, methylene blue) much more strongly than HmGel-loaded cubosomes stabilized with Pluronic F127.

Oxidation- and Temperature-Responsive Poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate-co-phenyl vinyl sulfide) Micelle as a Potential Anticancer Drug Carrier

Poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate-co-phenyl vinyl sulfide) (P(HEA-co-PVS)), as an oxidizable amphiphilic polymer, was prepared for the fabrication of an oxidation- and temperature-responsive micelle for the delivery of doxorubicin (DOX). The interfacial activity of H2O2-treated P(HEA-co-PVS) was significantly lower than that of the untreated variety, possibly because of the oxidization of PVS. P(HEA-co-PVS) exhibited a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior and the LCST increased upon H2O2 treatment. The copolymer micelles, prepared by the dialysis method, were found to be round particles (less than 100 nm) on TEM micrograph. The release degree of Nile red loaded in the micelles was higher when the H2O2 concentration was higher, possibly because the micelles could be solubilized more readily at a higher H2O2 concentration. The release degree was more strongly dependent on the oxidizing agent concentration when the temperature was higher. DOX loaded in the micelles suppressed the in vitro growth of KB cells (a human cancer cell type originating from the cervix) much more effectively than DOX loaded in an unoxidizable control micelle and free DOX, possibly because the copolymer would undergo an increase in its LCST, lose its amphiphilic property, and the micelles would be disassembled. The DOX-loaded micelles were readily internalized into KB cells, as evidenced by flow cytometry (FACS) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM).