Topically applied liposome-in-hydrogels for systematically targeted tumor photothermal therapy

Drug Deliv. 2021 Dec;28(1):1923-1931. doi: 10.1080/10717544.2021.1974607.

Abstract

Transdermal drug delivery for local or systemic therapy provides a potential anticancer modality with a high patient compliance. However, the drug delivery efficiency across the skin is highly challenging due to the physiological barriers, which limit the desired therapeutic effects. In this study, we prepared liposome-in-hydrogels containing a tumor targeting photosensitizer IR780 (IR780/lipo/gels) for tumor photothermal therapy (PTT). The formulation effectively delivered IR780 to subcutaneous tumor and deep metastatic sites, while the hydrogels were applied on the skin overlying the tumor or on an area of distant normal skin. The photothermal antitumor activity of topically administered IR780/lipo/gels was evaluated following laser irradiation. We observed significant inhibition of the rate of the tumor growth without any toxicity associated with the topical administration of hydrogels. Collectively, the topical administration of IR780/lipo/gels represents a new noninvasive and safe strategy for targeted tumor PTT.

Keywords: IR780; liposome-in-hydrogels; photothermal therapy; topical application; transdermal drug delivery.

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Cutaneous
  • Animals
  • Body Weight
  • Chemistry, Pharmaceutical
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Hydrogels / chemistry*
  • Indoles / administration & dosage
  • Indoles / adverse effects
  • Indoles / pharmacokinetics
  • Indoles / pharmacology*
  • Liposomes / chemistry*
  • Low-Level Light Therapy / adverse effects
  • Low-Level Light Therapy / methods
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Lung Neoplasms / secondary
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Photosensitizing Agents / administration & dosage
  • Photosensitizing Agents / adverse effects
  • Photosensitizing Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Photosensitizing Agents / pharmacology*
  • Photothermal Therapy / methods*
  • Tumor Burden / drug effects
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • 2-(2-(2-chloro-3-((1,3-dihydro-3,3-dimethyl-1-propyl-2H-indol-2-ylidene)ethylidene)-1-cyclohexen-1-yl)ethenyl)-3,3-dimethyl-1-propylindolium
  • Drug Carriers
  • Hydrogels
  • Indoles
  • Liposomes
  • Photosensitizing Agents

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Nos.: 31900993, 81903556], the General and Special Financial Grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [Grant No.: 2019M661956 and 2020T130561], the Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project of Jiangsu Province [Grant No.: 2019K066], the Open Project Program of MOE Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance [Grant No.: DQCP20/21PQ08], the Start-up Fund Provided by Yangzhou University [Grant No.: 5020/137011461], the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD), and the Postdoc Fund by Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong Province.