Polysaccharide-based Noncovalent Assembly for Targeted Delivery of Taxol

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Material Chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Developing targeted, biocompatible, and biodegradable drug delivery systems with fluorescent tracking and high efficacy remains a challenge.
• Existing cancer therapies often face limitations due to side effects and targeting inefficiencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a novel targeted paclitaxel (Taxol) delivery system using biocompatible and biodegradable materials.
• To evaluate the targeting ability, anticancer activity, and side effects of the developed nanoparticles.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized targeted nanoparticles (HATXP) using permethyl-β-cyclodextrin modified hyaluronic acid (HApCD) and porphyrin modified paclitaxel prodrug (PorTaxol).
• Utilized host-guest and amphiphilic interactions for nanoparticle assembly.
• Investigated nanoparticle characteristics, including biocompatibility, biodegradability, cellular uptake via HA receptor-mediated endocytosis, and cytotoxicity.

Main Results:

• The HATXP nanoparticles demonstrated biocompatibility and enzymatic biodegradability, attributed to their hydrophilic hyaluronic acid shell and hydrophobic Taxol core.
• Specific targeting and internalization into cancer cells were observed through hyaluronic acid receptor-mediated endocytosis.
• HATXP exhibited comparable anticancer efficacy to commercial Taxol but with significantly reduced side effects in cytotoxicity experiments.

Conclusions:

• The developed HATXP nanoparticles represent a viable platform for targeted paclitaxel drug delivery.
• This study provides a generalizable protocol for designing advanced multifunctional nanoscale biomaterials for targeted drug and gene delivery.
• The findings highlight the potential of these nanoparticles for improved cancer therapy with minimized adverse effects.