Co-delivery of protein and small molecule therapeutics using nanoparticle-stabilized nanocapsules

Combination therapy employing proteins and small molecules provides access to synergistic treatment strategies. Co-delivery of these two payloads is challenging due to the divergent physicochemical properties of small molecule and protein cargos. Nanoparticle-stabilized nanocapsules (NPSCs) are promising for combination treatment strategies since they have the potential to deliver small molecule drugs and proteins simultaneously into the cytosol. In this study, we loaded paclitaxel into the hydrophobic core of the NPSC and self-assembled caspase-3 and nanoparticles on the capsule surface. The resulting combination NPSCs showed higher cytotoxicity than either of the single agent NPSCs, with synergistic action established using combination index values.