Purpose: Poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) nanoparticles containing doxorubicin and mineralized calcium carbonate were fabricated and their anti-tumor efficacy was tested using a neuroblastoma-bearing mouse model.
Methods: PLG nanoparticles were prepared by a double emulsion (water-in-oil-in-water; W/O/W) method. Calcium carbonate was mineralized within the PLG nanoparticles during the emulsion process. Rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG) peptide was chemically introduced to the surface of the PLG nanoparticles as a targeting moiety against neuroblastoma. The cytotoxicity and cellular uptake characteristics of these nanoparticles were investigated in vitro. Moreover, their therapeutic efficacy was evaluated using a tumor-bearing mouse model.
Results: Mineralized calcium carbonate in PLG nanoparticles was ionized at acidic pH and generated carbon dioxide gas, which resultantly accelerated the release of doxorubicin from the nanoparticles. RVG peptide-modified, gas-generating PLG nanoparticles showed a significantly enhanced targeting ability to neuroblastoma and an increased therapeutic efficacy in vivo as compared with free doxorubicin.
Conclusions: Targeting ligand-modified polymer nanoparticles containing both anti-cancer drug and mineralized calcium carbonate could be useful for cancer treatment.
Keywords: cancer; drug delivery; gas-generation; polymer nanoparticle.