Lihua Cheng,Chengmeng Jin,Wen Lv,Qiuping Ding,Xu Han
Background
Cisplatin is a potent anticancer drug, but its clinical application has been limited due to its undesirable physicochemical characteristics and severe side effects. Better drug formulations for cisplatin are highly desired.
Methodology/Principal Findings
Herein, we have developed a nanoparticle formulation for cisplatin with high encapsulation efficiency and reduced toxicity by using cisplatin-crosslinked carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) core nanoparticles made from poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-monomethoxy-poly(polyethylene glycol) copolymers (PLGA-mPEG). The nanoparticles have an average diameter of approximately 80 nm measured by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The encapsulation efficiency of cisplatin in the nanoparticles is up to 72%. Meanwhile, we have also observed a controlled release of cisplatin in a sustained manner and dose-dependent treatment efficacy of cisplatin-loaded nanoparticles against IGROV1-CP cells. Moreover, the median lethal dose (LD 50 ) of the cisplatin-loaded nanoparticles was more than 100 mg/kg by intravenous administration, which was much higher than that of free cisplatin.
Conclusion
This developed cisplatin-loaded nanoparticle is a promising formulation for the delivery of cisplatin, which will be an effective therapeutic regimen of ovarian cancer without severe side effects and cumulative toxicity.
One of the major obstacles to successful paclitaxel (PTX) chemotherapy is toxic side effects, which are often due to the conventional surfactants used, such as Cremophor EL. PTX is characterized by its hydrophobicity and insolubility, which limit its application in ovarian cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to develop Cremophor EL-free PTX-loaded methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymers (PLGA-mPEG) nanoparticles (NPs) using d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) as a novel emulsifier. The ability of nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel (NP-PTX) to inhibit tumor growth was assessed in vitro and in vivo. The acute toxicity of NP-PTX was also evaluated in vivo. We found that paclitaxel was efficiently encapsulated into PLGA-mPEG NPs with a low concentration of TPGS as the emulsifier. The synthesized NP-PTX demonstrated the desired diameter of 80 nm as characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The NP-PTX also exhibited a sustained release of loaded PTX over 4 d with the same chemotherapeutic efficiency and reduced side effects. NP-PTX-treated cells showed slightly lower cytotoxic responses compared with those treated with free PTX at the same concentration. In vivo studies confirmed that NP-PTX significantly enhanced the median lethal dose of paclitaxel by 10-fold, and a similar effect on the inhibition of tumor growth was achieved in nude mice.
Weilin Wang,Xin Cui,Hengfa Wei,Jingjing Wang,Yesbolat Ahehati,Cuiping Jiang,Fei Li,Shasha Li
Background/Objectives:The limited targeting efficiency and systemic toxicity of conventional medicine present significant challenges in the treatment of skeletal disorders, such as bone tuberculosis. To address these limitations, we developed a bone-targeting nanomicelle delivery system functionalized with alendronate (ALN), designated ALN-PLGA-mPEG@RPT, to improve the targeted delivery and therapeutic efficacy of rifapentine (RPT) in bone tissue.Methods:The ALN-PLGA-mPEG blank micelles, prepared in accordance with our research group’s optimized protocol, were loaded with RPT and subjected to systematic formulation optimization. The resulting nanomicellar system was comprehensively characterized in terms of its physicochemical properties, including particle size and polydispersity index (PDI). Additionally, drug-loading capacity, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release curve were evaluated. Bone-targeting efficacy was assessed using in vivo imaging techniques, while biodistribution and safety profiles were determined through in vivo distribution studies and histopathological examination.Results:The optimized ALN-PLGA-mPEG@RPT nanomicelles exhibited a mean particle size of 101.90 ± 4.17 nm, and a PDI of 0.242 ± 0.021. The formulation achieved a drug loading of 16.74 ± 0.51% with an encapsulation efficiency of 50.27 ± 1.91%. In vitro release studies confirmed a sustained-release profile, with only 25% of RPT released within 12 h. In vivo imaging revealed significantly enhanced bone-targeting capability in the ALN-modified group, showing a 1.93-fold higher drug accumulation in bone tissue compared to blood. Histopathological analysis indicated no observable pathological alterations in major organs.Conclusions:The ALN-PLGA-mPEG@RPT nanomicelle system exhibits favorable bone-targeting efficiency, sustained-release properties, and biocompatibility, representing a promising strategy for the precise treatment of bone tuberculosis and other skeletal diseases.