Synthesis, cellular uptake, and biodistribution of whey-rich nanoparticles

Whey-poly(acrylic acid) (whey-PAA) nanoparticles are prepared by polymerizing acrylic acid (AA) monomer in the presence of whey protein in a complete aqueous medium. The properties, drug loading, and release as well as in vitro cytotoxicity of whey-PAA nanoparticles are examined. The cellular uptakes and penetration of nanoparticle in the SH-SY5Y monolayer cells and multicellular tumor spheroids are observed. The in vivo distribution of the nanoparticles in tumor-bearing mice is evaluated. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and co-localization images show that the nanoparticles are well internalized by the cells through the endocytosis mechanism. Drug-loaded whey-PAA nanoparticles can penetrate multicellular tumor spheroids more deeply. In vivo near-infrared fluorescence imaging examination and in vivo DOX distribution show that the drug-loaded whey-PAA nanoparticles can well accumulated in the tumor site. Thus, these whey-rich nanoparticles seem to be very promising drug carriers for drug delivery.