Lactobionic acid-modified phycocyanin nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin for synergistic chemo-photodynamic
Xiaoqing Liu1, Jianyong Du1, Zheng Xie1
1Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials, Anhui Key Laboratory of Modern Biomanufacturing, School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, 111 Jiulong Road, Hefei, Anhui Province 230601, PR China.
Abstract:
Phycocyanin (PC) is considered to be an effective natural photosensitizer, but it has not been well utilized as its inefficient biostability and intracellular accumulation. To overcome these limitations, the nano-sized PC particles (LAPC/DOX) were developed by grafting with lactobionic acid (LA) and loading with doxorubicin (DOX). Compared to the PC solution, the storage-stability and photostability of PC particles were remarkably increased, and the formation of nanoparticles further improved its biostability. Besides, CLSM images confirmed that LA could also enhance cellular uptake, resulting in more intracellular PC and DOX accumulation. MTT assay revealed that LAPC/DOX caused the highest cytotoxicity by combined chemo-photodynamic therapy. Finally, LAPC/DOX could efficiently accumulate and spread in tumoral multicellular spheroids, resulting in the enhanced growth inhibition. Overall, the LAPC/DOX is effective in cancer treatment, which provides new insights for the usage of functional proteins in vivo.
