Red-Blood-Cell-Membrane-Coated Metal-Drug Nanoparticles for Enhanced Chemotherapy

To overcome high toxicity, low bioavailability and poor water solubility of chemotherapeutics, a variety of drug carriers have been designed. However, most carriers are severely limited by low drug loading capacity and adverse side effects. Here, a new type of metal-drug nanoparticles (MDNs) was designed and synthesized. The MDNs self-assembled with Fe(III) ions and drug molecules through coordination, resulting in nanoparticles with high drug loading. To assist systemic delivery and prolong circulation time, the obtained MDNs were camouflaged with red blood cell (RBCs) membranes (RBCs@Fe-DOX MDNs) to improve their stability and dispersity. The RBCs@Fe-DOX MDNs presented pH-responsive release functionalities, resulting in drug release accelerated in acidic tumor microenvironments. The outstanding in vitro and in vivo antitumor therapeutic outcome was realized by RBCs@Fe-DOX MDNs. This study provides an innovative design guideline for chemotherapy and demonstrates the great capacity of nanomaterials in anticancer treatments.