Electrosprayed Janus Particles for Combined Photo-Chemotherapy.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Therapy

Background:

• Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemotherapy are established cancer treatments.
• Combining therapies can enhance efficacy and reduce resistance.
• Janus particles offer a platform for co-delivering multiple therapeutic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish the potential of electrosprayed Janus particles for combined photodynamic therapy-chemotherapy.
• To prepare and characterize Janus particles containing an anti-cancer drug (carmofur) and a photosensitizer (rose bengal; RB).
• To evaluate the in vitro release kinetics and cytotoxicity of these Janus particles.

Main Methods:

• Electrospray technique used to prepare sub-micron-sized polyvinylpyrrolidone particles.
• Particles loaded with either carmofur or rose bengal (RB), or both as Janus particles.
• In vitro drug release studies and cytotoxicity assays on human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) and lung cancer (A549) cells.
• Assessment of light's influence on cell death.

Main Results:

• Carmofur and RB were released at similar rates, with complete dissolution around 250 minutes.
• Carmofur formulations were toxic to both cell lines, with or without light.
• RB formulations were non-toxic to HDF without light but induced cell death with light.
• Janus particles were non-toxic to HDF without light and only slightly toxic with light, but highly toxic to A549 cells with light.

Conclusions:

• Electrosprayed Janus particles demonstrate high selectivity for cancer cells.
• Janus particles co-delivering a chemotherapeutic agent and a photosensitizer show significant potential for combined chemotherapy/photodynamic therapy.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for targeted and enhanced cancer treatment.