Enhanced antitumor efficacy of folate targeted nanoparticles co-loaded with docetaxel and curcumin

Background The current study aimed to investigate whether the novel folate (FT) modified nanoparticles (NPs) co-loaded with docetaxel (DT) and curcumin (CU) (named as FT-NPs) could enhance the delivery efficiency to tumor compared with the NPs without FT (non-targeted NPs). Methods FT-NPs were successfully formulated in this article. In vitro cytotoxic activity against A549 cells and in vivo antitumor activity of FT-NPs in S180 cell bearing mice were conducted. Cellular uptake test was used to evaluate uptake efficiency of FT-NPs. Histological observation was used to determine the lung security. Besides, the physical chemical properties such as stability, particle size, zeta potential , drug encapsulation efficiency, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were also conducted. Results FT-NPs exhibited stronger growth inhibition effects on A549 cells compared with non-targeted NPs, moreover, the novel FT-NPs indicated more effective antitumor efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth. Confocal laser scanning microscopy indicated that the uptake of FT-NPs was facilitated and effective. Histological observation meant that FT-NPs were biocompatible and appropriate for pulmonary administration. Conclusion These results confirmed that FT-NPs with relatively high drug loading capacity could effectively inhibit tumor growth and reduce toxicity. The novel FT-NPs could produce as an outstanding nanocarrier for the targeted treatment of cancers .