Synthesis, Characterization and In Vitro Evaluation of Dual pH/Redox Sensitive Marine Laminarin-Based Nanomedicine Carrier Biomaterial for Cancer Therapy

In order to improve the anti-cancer therapy efficiency of hydrophobic drugs such as curcumin (Cur), a novel dual pH/redox sensitive marine laminarin-based nanomedicine carrier biomaterial with photo-dynamic therapy (PDT) was synthesized in this study. The new synthetic chemical structure, named as Hematin-Laminarin-Dithiodipropionic Acid-MGK (HLDM), was characterized by 1H-NMR and IR. The Cur-loaded micelles were then prepared via dialysis method. The HLDM could self-assemble into micelles in water with hydrodynamic diameter of 135±15 nm. The particle size, zeta potential and morphology of micelles were detected by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Interestingly, the in vitro release experiment showed that the release amount of Cur-loaded HLDM micelles could reach 80% in the pH and redox sensitive environment. Furthermore, cell study showed that the Cur-loaded HLDM micelles had stronger cellular uptake and cytotoxicity to MCF-7 cells than that of HLDM. The multifunctional marine laminarin based nanomedicine carrier biomaterial can be used for new drug delivery systems with dual pH/redox sensitivity for cancer therapy.