Enhanced Bioavailability of Dihydrotanshinone I-Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoparticles for Stroke Therapy

Yanru Ren; Yicheng Feng; Kunyao Xu; Saisai Yue; Tiantian Yang; Kaili Nie; Man Xu; Haijun Xu; Xin Xiong; Fabian Körte; Mike Barbeck; Peisen Zhang; Luo Liu

doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.721988

Enhanced Bioavailability of Dihydrotanshinone I-Bovine Serum Albumin Nanoparticles for Stroke Therapy

Front Pharmacol. 2021 Aug 31:12:721988. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.721988. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Yanru Ren¹, Yicheng Feng¹, Kunyao Xu¹, Saisai Yue¹, Tiantian Yang¹, Kaili Nie¹, Man Xu¹, Haijun Xu¹, Xin Xiong², Fabian Körte², Mike Barbeck³, Peisen Zhang¹, Luo Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
² NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany.
³ Institute of Material Science and Technology, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Abstract

Dihydrotanshinone I (DHT) is a natural component in Salvia miltiorrhiza and has been widely researched for its multiple bioactivities. However, poor solubility and biocompatibility of DHT limit its desirable application for clinical purposes. Herein, DHT was encapsulated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) to enhance bioavailability. Compared to free DHT, DHT-BSA NPs (nanoparticles) showed an improved solubility in normal saline and increased protection against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage in PC12 cells. In addition, DHT-BSA NPs administered by intravenous injection displayed a significant efficacy in the middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion models, without any impact on the cerebral blood flow. In summary, DHT-BSA NPs show an enhanced bioavailability compared with free DHT and a successful penetration into the central nervous system for stroke therapy, demonstrating their application potential in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.

Keywords: bioavailability; dihydrotanshinone I; encapsulation; nanoparticles; stroke therapy.