pH-responsive nano carriers for doxorubicin delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

• Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers offer targeted drug delivery for enhanced anti-cancer efficacy.
• Polymeric nanocapsules provide a versatile platform for encapsulating chemotherapeutic agents.
• pH-sensitive polymers can facilitate drug release in the acidic tumor microenvironment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and characterize pH-sensitive nanocarriers for improved anti-cancer drug delivery.
• To encapsulate doxorubicin (DOX) within polysebacic anhydride (PSA) nanocapsules coated with poly (L-histidine) (PLH).
• To evaluate the drug release profile and in vitro performance of the developed nanocarriers.

Main Methods:

• Doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into polysebacic anhydride (PSA) nanocapsules.
• Nanocapsules were coated with pH-sensitive poly (L-histidine) (PLH) and polyethylene glycol (PEG).
• Characterization included FTIR, DLS, UV-VIS, and SEM; in vitro studies used MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Main Results:

• Spherical nanocapsules with an average size of 230 nm were successfully synthesized.
• pH-sensitive nanocapsules demonstrated pH-dependent drug release and effective intracellular drug delivery.
• PEGylation significantly reduced macrophage uptake compared to non-PEGylated nanocapsules.

Conclusions:

• The developed PLH-coated, PEGylated nanocapsules are effective stimuli-responsive carriers for doxorubicin.
• These nanocarriers exhibit controlled drug release and reduced immune cell interaction, promising for cancer therapy.
• Further investigation into in vivo efficacy is warranted for clinical translation.