Targeted Delivery of Anticancer Drug Loaded Charged PLGA Polymeric Nanoparticles Using Electrostatic Field

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Invasive cancer cells proliferate and metabolize aggressively.
• Targeted drug delivery aims to minimize side effects in non-targeted organs.
• Current chemotherapy often involves high drug concentrations and systemic toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of pure positive electrostatic charges (PPECs) for targeted delivery of drug-loaded nanoparticles (DLNs).
• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of PPEC-assisted chemotherapy in mouse models.
• To assess the controlled release of drugs from DLNs capped with poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and Poly(vinyl-alcohol) (PVA).

Main Methods:

• Developed DLNs using PLGA and PVA, characterized by stable negative charges.
• Applied a charged patch delivering PPECs to the tumor region in mouse models.
• Assayed drug release and tumor suppression using biochemical, radiological, and histological methods.
• Evaluated drug concentration and side effects in non-targeted organs (rat livers).

Main Results:

• DLNs exhibited strong attraction to PPECs due to stable negative charges.
• Controlled, targeted drug release was observed at the tumor site.
• Achieved significant drug delivery with a lower concentration (0.75 mg kg⁻¹) compared to conventional chemotherapy (2 mg kg⁻¹).
• Demonstrated negligible side effects in non-targeted organs.

Conclusions:

• PPECs facilitate targeted delivery and controlled release of DLNs to tumor sites.
• This PPEC-assisted approach enables effective local chemotherapy with reduced drug dosage and minimal toxicity.
• PPECs show significant potential for advanced-targeted chemotherapy with improved safety profiles.