Co-Delivery of paclitaxel and doxorubicin in folate-Targeted pluronic/ploy (D,L-lactide-b-glycolide) polymersomes

Drugs with different solubility can be selectively embedded into polymersomes with the hydrophilic core and hydrophobic bilayer. Novel folate-targeted Pluronic/poly (D,L-lactide-b-glycolide) polymersomes were constructed and used for the co-delivery of paclitaxel (PTX) and doxorubicin (DOX) to improve their inhibitory effect over cancer cells. The particle size of blank polymersomes was mainly distributed below 125 nm. The release of PTX and DOX from polymersomes showed an initial burst release followed by a sustained and slow release. The in vitro cytotoxicity data showed that the targeted co-loaded polymersomes (PTX&DOX FA-Ps) exhibited better inhibitory effect than single-loaded polymersomes and free drugs did. Furthermore, PTX&DOX FA-Ps showed the synergistic therapeutic effect over OVCAR-3 cancer cells. The cellular uptake results also showed that folate modified polymersomes had excellent targeting performance. Therefore, the folate-targeted Pluronic/poly (D,L-lactide-b-glycolide) polymersomes have potential application value as novel drug carriers to co-deliver PTX and DOX.

Advances in the therapeutic delivery and applications of functionalized Pluronics: A critical review

Pluronic (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymers can form nano-sized micelles with a structure composed of a hydrophobic PPO core and hydrophilic PEO shell layer. Pluronics are U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved polymers, which are widely used for solubilization of drugs and their delivery, gene/therapeutic delivery, diagnostics, and tissue engineering applications due to their non-ionic properties, non-toxicity, micelle forming ability, excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. Although Pluronics have been employed as drug carrier systems for several decades, numerous issues such as rapid dissolution, shorter residence time in biological media, fast clearance and weak mechanical strength have hindered their efficacy. Pluronics have been functionalized with pH-sensitive, biological-responsive moieties, antibodies, aptamers, folic acid, drugs, different nanoparticles, and photo/thermo-responsive hydrogels. These functionalization strategies enable Pluronics to act as stimuli responsive and targeted drug delivery vehicles. Moreover, Pluronics have emerged in nano-emulsion formulations and have been utilized to improve the properties of cubosomes, dendrimers and nano-sheets, including their biocompatibility and aqueous solubility. Functionalization of Pluronics results in the significant improvement of target specificity, loading capacity, biocompatibility of nanoparticles and stimuli responsive hydrogels for the promising delivery of a range of drugs. Therefore, this review presents an overview of all advancements (from the last 15 years) in functionalized Pluronics, providing a valuable tool for industry and academia in order to optimize their use in drug or therapeutic delivery, in addition to several other biomedical applications.

Evaluation of the Biological Activity of Folic Acid-Modified Paclitaxel-Loaded Gold Nanoparticles

Purpose

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with good physical and biological properties are often used in medicine, diagnostics, food, and similar industries. This paper explored an AuNPs drug delivery system that had good target selectivity for folate-receptor overexpressing cells to induce apoptosis.

Methods

A novel drug delivery system, Au@MPA-PEG-FA-PTX, was developed carrying paclitaxel (PTX) on folic acid (FA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified AuNPs. The nanomaterial was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Also, the biological activity of the AuNPs drug delivery system was examined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in HL-7702, Hela, SMMC-7721, and HCT-116 cells. Furthermore, apoptotic activity using annexin V-FITC, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels was estimated by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy.

Results

Au@MPA-PEG-FA-PTX exhibited a distinct core-shell structure with a controllable size of 28±1 nm. Also, the AuNPs maintained good dispersion and spherical shape uniformity before and after modification. The MTT assay revealed good antitumor activity of the Au@MPA-PEG-FA-PTX against the Hela, SMMC-7721, and HCT-116 cells, while Au@MPA-PEG-FA-PTX produced better pharmacological effects than PTX in isolation. Further mechanistic investigation revealed that effective internalization of AuNPs by folate-receptor overexpressing cancer cells induced cell apoptosis through excessive production of intracellular ROS.

Conclusion

The AuNPs drug delivery system showed good target selectivity for folate-receptor overexpressing cancer cells to induce target cell-specific apoptosis. These AuNPs may have great potential as theranostic agents such as in cancer.

Novel folated pluronic F127 modified liposomes for delivery of curcumin: preparation, release, and cytotoxicity

Aim: A novel folated pluronic F127 (FA-F127) was synthesised, so as to modify liposomes with FA group on the surface, and evaluate the effects of FA-F127 modification on the properties of the modified liposomes.Methods: FA was linked to one end of pluronic F127, via the terminal OH group, to obtain FA-F127 and the structure was characterised. FA-F127 modified curcumin liposomes (cur-FA-F127-Lps) were prepared. The physicochemical characteristics of cur-FA-F127-Lps, including morphology and particle size, were studied. The in vitro cytotoxicity of cur-FA-F127-Lps against KB cancer cells was determined by MTT tests.Results: The effects of FA-F127 modification on the average particle size, PDI, curcumin encapsulation efficiency and microstructure were not significant. Compared with nonfolated F127 liposomes (cur-F127-Lps), cur-FA-F127-Lps exhibited significantly higher cytotoxicity towards KB cells.Conclusions: Folic acid modified liposomes provide a novel strategy to improve the chemotherapeutic efficacy of hydrophobic bioactive compounds.

A Perspective on Polylactic Acid-Based Polymers Use for Nanoparticles Synthesis and Applications

Polylactic acid (PLA)-based polymers are ubiquitous in the biomedical field thanks to their combination of attractive peculiarities: biocompatibility (degradation products do not elicit critical responses and are easily metabolized by the body), hydrolytic degradation in situ, tailorable properties, and well-established processing technologies. This led to the development of several applications, such as bone fixation screws, bioresorbable suture threads, and stent coating, just to name a few. Nanomedicine could not be unconcerned by PLA-based materials as well, where their use for the synthesis of nanocarriers for the targeted delivery of hydrophobic drugs emerged as a new promising application. The purpose of the here presented review is two-fold: on one side, it aims at providing a broad overview of PLA-based materials and their properties, which allow them gaining a leading role in the biomedical field; on the other side, it offers a specific focus on their recent use in nanomedicine, highlighting opportunities and perspectives.

Effect of the Folate Ligand Density on the Targeting Property of Folated-Conjugated Polymeric Nanoparticles

Targeted drug delivery systems have attracted increasing attention due to their ability for delivering anticancer drugs selectively to tumor cells. Folic acid (FA)-conjugated targeted block copolymers, FA-Pluronic-polycaprolactone (FA-Pluronic-PCL) are synthesized in this study. The anticancer drug paclitaxel (PTX) is loaded in FA-Pluronic-PCL nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation method. The in vitro release of PTX from FA-Pluronic-PCL nanoparticles shows slow and sustained release behaviors. The effect of FA ligand density of FA-Pluronic-PCL nanoparticles on their targeting properties is examined by both cytotoxicity and fluorescence methods. It is shown that FA-Pluronic-PCL nanoparticles indicated better targeting ability than non-targeted PCL-Pluronic-PCL nanoparticles. Furthermore, FA-F127-PCL nanoparticle with 10% FA molar content has more effective antitumor activity and higher cellular uptake than those with 50% and 91% FA molar content. These results prove that FA-F127-PCL nanoparticle with 10% FA molar content can be a better candidate as the drug carrier in targeted drug delivery systems.

MDR in cancer: Addressing the underlying cellular alterations with the use of nanocarriers

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is associated with a wide range of pathological changes at different cellular and intracellular levels. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been extensively exploited as the carriers of MDR reversing payloads to resistant tumor cells. However, when properly formulated in terms of chemical composition and physicochemical properties, NPs can serve as beyond delivery systems and help overcome MDR even without carrying a load of chemosensitizers or MDR reversing molecular cargos. Whether serving as drug carriers or beyond, a wise design of the nanoparticulate systems to overcome the cellular and intracellular alterations underlying the resistance is imperative. Within the current review, we will initially discuss the cellular changes occurring in resistant cells and how such changes lead to chemotherapy failure and cancer cell survival. We will then focus on different mechanisms through which nanosystems with appropriate chemical composition and physicochemical properties can serve as MDR reversing units at different cellular and intracellular levels according to the changes that underlie the resistance. Finally, we will conclude by discussing logical grounds for a wise and rational design of MDR reversing nanoparticulate systems to improve the cancer therapeutic approaches.

Enhanced effect of folated pluronic F87-PLA/TPGS mixed micelles on targeted delivery of paclitaxel

Targeted drug delivery systems have great potential to overcome the side effect and improve the bioavailability of conventional anticancer drugs. In order to further improve the antitumor efficacy of paclitaxel (PTX) loaded in folated Pluronic F87/poly(lactic acid) (FA-F87-PLA) micelles, D-α-tocopheryl poly(ethylene glycol) 1000 succinate (TPGS or Vitamin E TPGS) were added into FA-F87-PLA to form FA-F87-PLA/TPGS mixed micelles. The LE of PTX-loaded mixed micelles (13.5%) was highest in the mass ratio 5 to 3 of FA-F87-PLA to TPGS. The in vitro cytotoxicity assays indicated that the IC50 values for free PTX injections, PTX-loaded FA-F87-PLA micelles and PTX-loaded FA-F87-PLA/TPGS mixed micelles after 72h of incubation were 1.52, 0.42 and 0.037mg/L, respectively. The quantitative cellular uptake of coumarin 6-loaded FA-F87-PLA/TPGS and FA-F87-PLA micelles showed that the cellular uptake efficiency of mixed micelles was higher for 2 and 4h incubation, respectively. In vivo pharmacokinetic studies found that the AUC of PTX-loaded FA-F87-PLA/TPGS mixed micelles is almost 1.4 times of that of PTX-loaded FA-F87-PLA micelles. The decreased particle size and inhibition of P-glycoprotein effect induced by the addition of TPGS could result in enhancing the cellular uptake and improving the antitumor efficiency of PTX-loaded FA-F87-PLA/TPGS mixed micelles.

Synthesis of amphiphilic semigrafted pseudo-Pluronics for self-assemblies carrying indomethacin

Influence of PEG length and OPG grafting density on self-assembly, particle size, drug loading content and release rate has been verified.

Transferrin-conjugated paclitaxel prodrugs for targeted cancer therapy

Paclitaxel (PTX) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic drugs ever developed and is effective against a wide spectrum of tumors.