Aim: In this study, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is delivered to target colon without the interference of mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS).
Methods: Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) were used as the biological shield to disguise mesoporous silica (MSN) and 5-FU. OMVs-MSN-5-FU were prepared by high pressure co-extrusion, and characterised on the basis of size, drug loading, transmission electron microscope, infra-red spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravity analysis, % in vitro release, MTT assay, cell uptake and in vivo imaging.
Results: OMVs-MSN-5-FU with -18.22 ± 0.17 mV zeta potential and 90.4 ± 9.1 nm size were used for oral treatment of colon cancer. Drug loading of the drug was 50.22%±0.17 (w/w). The cumulative release of OMVs-MSN-5-FU reached 75.07%±0.94 in tumour microenvironment. The percentage of cell viability of OMVs-MSN-5-FU was 33.75%±2.73. In vivo experiments results confirmed that OMVs-MSN-5-FU could be taken up by colon cancer cells.
Conclusions: The study provided a promising nano platform for the targeting treatment of colon cancer.
Keywords: Escherichia coli’s outer membrane vesicles; Composite carrier; colon cancer therapy; mesoporous silica; oral administration.