Concerted pH-Responsive Performance of Chitosan-Deoxycholic Acid as a Polymeric Molecular Block for Cancer Cell...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Cancer therapy often relies on drugs with potential side effects.
• Developing drug-free therapeutic strategies is a key area of research.
• Polymeric nanoparticles offer potential for targeted drug delivery and therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a pH-responsive polymeric molecular block (MB) for drug-free cancer therapy.
• To investigate the nanoparticle's behavior in different pH environments.
• To evaluate its efficacy and biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo.

Main Methods:

• Conjugation of deoxycholic acid (DCA) to chitosan succinate (CS-S) to create CS-S-DCA nanoparticles.
• Assessment of nanoparticle aggregation at tumor-relevant pH (6.2) versus physiological pH (7.4).
• In vitro cytotoxicity assays on cancer cell lines and normal fibroblasts.
• In vivo tumor suppression studies in a mouse model.

Main Results:

• CS-S-DCA nanoparticles demonstrated pH-triggered aggregation at pH 6.2 and stable dispersion at pH 7.4.
• Selective cytotoxicity was observed against MiaPaCa-2, A-549, and HT-29 cancer cells.
• Normal human dermal fibroblasts showed good compatibility.
• Fluorescence imaging confirmed preferential adhesion to cancer cells.
• Significant tumor suppression was achieved in vivo without conventional drugs.

Conclusions:

• pH-responsive polymeric MBs based on CS-S-DCA are a promising drug-free cancer therapy strategy.
• The nanoparticles exhibit targeted aggregation and selective cancer cell disruption.
• This approach offers a biocompatible and effective alternative to drug-based cancer treatments.