Methotrexate and 10-hydroxycamptothecine loaded pullulan nanoparticles with the targeting property for efficient cancer therapy

Due to the complexity of cancer, combination therapy has been widely used in the clinic. The use of two kinds of anticancer agents with a synergistic effect may achieve excellent therapeutic effects, especially against drug-resistant tumours. In this paper, MTX and HCPT loaded pullulan nanoparticles (MHNPs) were prepared for tumour-targeted synergistic therapy. In the nanoparticles, MTX could serve as both a targeting ligand and a cytotoxic agent. The MHNPs possessed a size of 185.7 ± 16.7 nm and a sustained release profile of the dual drug over a period of 48 h. The cytotoxicity assays stated that the MHNPs exhibited an enhanced killing ability to HeLa cells than the individual drug loaded NPs. These results suggest that the MHNPs could be a potential carrier with an efficient antitumor effect for tumour-targeted drug delivery.