Zinc Modified Nanotransporter of Anticancer Drugs for Targeted Therapy: Biophysical Analysis

Modern anticancer therapy aims to increase the effectiveness of tumor treatment. The aim of this work was to propose a new nanotransporter for targeted delivery of anthracycline antibiotics, which is characterized by its bioavailability, increased uptake of the drug from the bloodstream at the site of the tumor tissue as well as low toxicity to non-target tissue. Chitosan nanoparticles have attracted great attention in the field of drug delivery due to their stability, low toxicity and easy preparation. Deacetylated chitosan skeleton is composed of glucosamine units and has a high density of charged amino groups which allow strong electrostatic interactions with biomolecules, transition metals (Zn, Se) and peptides. We obtained an effective level of chitosan encapsulation, 20%. Electrochemical detection of the bounded Zn²⁺ ions into the chitosan structure showed a potential shift from -0.99 to -0.93 V. This result proved the formation of a chitosan-zinc complex. The ability of metallothione to quench the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical in the presence of 50 μM doxorubicin was confirmed by the change of relative absorbance over the range from 50 to 60%.