Self-assembled lipid liquid-crystalline nanoparticles, known as cubosomes, were used for the delivery of the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). Several properties make cubosomes a promising alternative in the development of controlled-release systems for drug delivery. They have a larger internal surface area than other carriers, hence deliver more drug molecules to the affected cells and maintain the cubic symmetry of the parent lipidic cubic phase, but at the same time they have a lower viscosity thereby facilitating transport of the drug. The pH-dependent drug release profiles, evaluated by voltammetry, demonstrated triggered drug release from the cubosome carrier to the environment of the cancer cells, where pH is lower. The anticancer effect of a DOX-loaded cubosome on the glioblastoma T98G cell line was found to be highly efficient and required lower concentrations of DOX to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells than the effective concentrations of free DOX.
Keywords: cubosomes; cytotoxicity; doxorubicin; drug delivery; lipids.
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