Tumor-targeting, pH-sensitive nanoparticles for docetaxel delivery to drug-resistant cancer cells

Abstract

Tuan Hiep Tran,1 Thiruganesh Ramasamy,1 Ju Yeon Choi,1 Hanh Thuy Nguyen,1 Thanh Tung Pham,1 Jee-Heon Jeong,1 Sae Kwang Ku,2 Han-Gon Choi,3 Chul Soon Yong,1 Jong Oh Kim11College of Pharmacy, Yeungnam University, Dae-Dong, 2College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Gyeongsan, 3College of Pharmacy, Hanyang University, Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, South KoreaAbstract: The attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) increases the circulation time of drug-containing nanoparticles; however, this also negatively affects cellular uptake. To overcome this problem, unique lipid polymer hybrid (LPH) nanoparticles were developed with a pH-responsive PEG layer that detached prior to cell uptake. Docetaxel (DTX) was incorporated into the lipid core of the nanoparticles, which was then shielded with the pH-responsive block co-polymer polyethylene glycol-b-polyaspartic acid (PEG-b-PAsp) using a modified emulsion method. The optimized LPH nanoparticles were ~200 nm and had a narrow size distribution. Drug release from DTX-loaded LPH (DTX-LPH) nanoparticles was pH-sensitive, which is beneficial for tumor targeting. More importantly, DTX-LPH nanoparticles were able to effectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells. The negative surface charge and PEG shell of vehicle remarkably enhanced the blood circulation and physiological activity of DTX-LPH nanoparticles compared with that of free DTX. The nanoparticles were also found to reduce the size of tumors in tumor-bearing xenograft mice. The in vivo anticancer effect of DTX-LPH nanoparticles was further confirmed by the elevated levels of caspase-3 and poly ADP ribose polymerase found in the tumors after treatment. Thus, the results suggest that this novel LPH system could be an effective new treatment for cancer.Keywords: docetaxel, polyaspartic acid, drug delivery systems, antitumor, pH-sensitive