Paclitaxel controlled delivery using a pH-responsive functional-AuNP/block-copolymer vesicular nanocarrier composite system

European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences : Official Journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences
Athina LiaskoniKonstantinos Avgoustakis

Abstract

Paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded gold nanoparticles functionalized with mercaptooctanoic acid (MOA) and folic acid (FA) (AuMOA-FA) were encapsulated within pH-sensitive poly(2-vinylpyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (P2VP-PEO) vesicles with the aim to develop a more selective injectable nano-formulation for PTX, lacking the side effects of the conventional PTX delivery system. The size of the resulting composite vesicles was lower than 200 nm, i.e. it is suitable for tumor targeting applications taking advantage of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. The vesicles did not aggregate in the presence of high electrolyte concentrations, indicating the colloidal stability of the vesicles. The vesicles did not leak their AuMOA-FA or PTX content at physiological pH of 7.4. However, AuMOA-FA and PTX release were significantly accelerated at acidic pHs resembling tumor environment and acidic intracellular compartments. PTX release from the vesicles at acidic pH apparently follows AuMOA-FA release from the vesicles. Flow cytometry measurements and confocal laser scanning microscopy images showed that the vesicles could enter A549 cancer cells in culture and that cellular uptake increased with time. Blank vesicles did not exhibit cy...Continue Reading

Citations

Dec 19, 2019·Journal of Clinical Medicine·Zahraa YoussefCéline Frochot
Apr 16, 2021·Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology·Yuan MaGe Zhang

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a specific process that leads to programmed cell death through the activation of an evolutionary conserved intracellular pathway leading to pathognomic cellular changes distinct from cellular necrosis

Apoptosis in Cancer

Apoptosis is an important mechanism in cancer. By evading apoptosis, tumors can continue to grow without regulation and metastasize systemically. Many therapies are evaluating the use of pro-apoptotic activation to eliminate cancer growth. Here is the latest research on apoptosis in cancer.