Polymeric nanoparticles responsive to intracellular ROS for anticancer drug delivery

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2019 Sep 1:181:252-260. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2019.05.064. Epub 2019 May 25.

Abstract

Thioketal and thioether are moieties used to fabricate reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive polymers for drug delivery. In this paper, three amphiphilic copolymers of mPEG-poly(ester-thioether), mPEG-poly(thioketal-ester) and mPEG-poly(thioketal-ester-thioether) were synthesized. The ROS-responsive behaviors of the three copolymers nanoparticles as drug carriers were investigated. The ROS-sensitivity was demonstrated by NMR, DLS, and SEM. mPEG-poly(ester-thioether) nanoparticles exhibited the fastest drug release rate, which possessed the best ROS sensitivity. The in vitro anticancer activity of the DOX-loaded nanoparticles was studied, the results revealed that the mPEG-poly(ester-thioether) nanoparticles showed the most efficient anticancer activity. Notably, all the three ROS-responsive copolymers nanoparticles showed enhanced cellular uptake and anticancer efficacy comparing to the control mPEG-b-PCL nanoparticles.

Keywords: Drug delivery; Nanoparticles; Poly(ester-thioether); ROS-responsive.

MeSH terms

  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / chemical synthesis
  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / chemistry
  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / pharmacology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Doxorubicin / chemical synthesis
  • Doxorubicin / chemistry
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology*
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Drug Delivery Systems*
  • Drug Liberation
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Micelles
  • Molecular Structure
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism*

Substances

  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic
  • Drug Carriers
  • Micelles
  • Polymers
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Doxorubicin