Study on β-cyclodextrin-complexed nanogels with improved thermal response for anticancer drug delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Thermosensitive nanocarriers are crucial for controllable drug delivery in cancer treatment.
• Improving the thermosensitivity of nanocarriers is key for effective drug delivery applications.
• Current strategies focus on developing advanced nanocarrier systems for oncological therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop complexed nanogels (PNACD) with enhanced thermosensitivity for drug delivery.
• To investigate the effect of beta-cyclodextrin incorporation on nanogel properties.
• To evaluate the drug loading, release, and anticancer efficacy of the developed nanogels.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of complexed nanogels (PNACD) using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), acrylic acid (AA), and beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD).
• In situ polymerization and crosslinking with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA).
• Encapsulation of doxorubicin (DOX) and evaluation of drug release under different pH and temperature conditions.
• Cellular uptake and anticancer bioactivity assessment in KB cells.

Main Results:

• PNACD nanogels exhibited significantly enhanced thermosensitivity near body temperature compared to beta-CD-free nanogels (PNA).
• Enhanced thermosensitivity is attributed to the complexed/decomplexed structure between beta-CD and PNIPAM.
• DOX-loaded PNACD nanogels showed high encapsulation efficiency (54±5%) and pH-/thermo-dual responsive drug release.
• Effective internalization into KB cells and good anticancer bioactivity were observed.

Conclusions:

• The developed complexed nanogels (PNACD) demonstrate superior thermosensitivity for controlled drug delivery.
• The PNACD system offers pH-/thermo-dual responsive drug release, enhancing therapeutic potential.
• This approach provides a promising platform for designing novel nanocarriers for cancer therapy and beyond.