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Updated: May 28, 2026

Formulation of Diblock Polymeric Nanoparticles through Nanoprecipitation Technique
Published on: September 20, 2011
Reversion of pH-induced physiological drug resistance: a novel function of copolymeric nanoparticles
Rutian Li1, Li Xie, Zhenshu Zhu
1The Comprehensive Cancer Center of Drum-Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University and Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Aims:
The extracellular pH of cancer cells is lower than the intracellular pH. Weakly basic anticancer drugs will be protonated extracellularly and display a decreased intracellular concentration. In this study, we show that copolymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are able to overcome this "pH-induced physiological drug resistance" (PIPDR) by delivering drugs to the cancer cells via endocytosis rather than passive diffussion.
Materials And Methods:
As a model nanoparticle, Tetradrine (Tet, Pka 7.80) was incorporated into mPEG-PCL. The effectiveness of free Tet and Tet-NPs were compared at different extracellular pHs (pH values 6.8 and 7.4, respectively) by MTT assay, morphological observation and apoptotic analysis in vitro and on a murine model by tumor volume measurement, PET-CT scanning and side effect evaluation in vivo.
Results:
The cytotoxicity of free Tet decreased prominently (P<0.05) when the extracellular pH decreased from 7.4 to 6.8. Meanwhile, the cytotoxicity of Tet-NPs was not significantly influenced by reduced pH. In vivo experiment also revealed that Tet-NPs reversed PIPDR more effectively than other existing methods and with much less side effects.
Conclusion:
The reversion of PIPDR is a new discovered mechanism of copolymeric NPs. This study emphasized the importance of cancer microenvironmental factors in anticancer drug resistance and revealed the superiority of nanoscale drug carrier from a different aspect.
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