Mesenchymal stem cells-curcumin loaded chitosan nanoparticles hybrid vectors for tumor-tropic therapy

The combination of controlled release technology and targeted drug delivery has become a promising strategy for cancer therapy. In this study, cell-nanoparticle hybrid vector was constructed using mesenchymal stem cells as the targeting cellular carrier and biotinylated chitosan polymer nanoparticles as the drug depot. Drug-loaded nanoparticles (hydrodynamic size =377.0 ± 14.6 nm and zeta potential = 9.6 ± 1.9 mV) were prepared by encapsulating hydrophobic model drug curcumin into biotinylated chitosan polymer. The biotin-modified nanoparticles were anchored on biotinylated mesenchymal stem cells surface by biotin-avidin binding, achieving an upload of 54.73 ± 3.95 pg/cell. The anchorage of nanoparticles on mesenchymal stem cells had no effect on their viability and homing property. Biotin-avidin binding lasted over 48 h, which could be sufficient for cell-directed tumor-tropic delivery. The in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor results advocate that cell-nanoparticle hybrid vector could prove beneficial in pulmonary melanoma metastasis therapy.