Design of smart chemotherapy of doxorubicin hydrochloride using nanostructured lipid carriers and solid lipid nanoparticles for improved anticancer efficacy

Sooho Yeo; Huiqiang Wu; Il Yoon; Woo Kyoung Lee; Sung-Joo Hwang

doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124048

Design of smart chemotherapy of doxorubicin hydrochloride using nanostructured lipid carriers and solid lipid nanoparticles for improved anticancer efficacy

Int J Pharm. 2024 Mar 25:657:124048. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124048. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Sooho Yeo¹, Huiqiang Wu², Il Yoon³, Woo Kyoung Lee⁴, Sung-Joo Hwang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Yonsei Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Yonsei University, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea; Center for Nano Manufacturing and Department of Nanoscience and Engineering, Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae 50834, Gyeongnam, Republic of Korea.
² Center for Nano Manufacturing and Department of Nanoscience and Engineering, Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae 50834, Gyeongnam, Republic of Korea.
³ Center for Nano Manufacturing and Department of Nanoscience and Engineering, Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae 50834, Gyeongnam, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: yoonil71@inje.ac.kr.
⁴ Center for Nano Manufacturing and Department of Nanoscience and Engineering, Inje University, 197 Injero, Gimhae 50834, Gyeongnam, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: wlee@inje.ac.kr.
⁵ Yonsei Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Yonsei University, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: sjh11@yonsei.ac.kr.

PMID: 38537925
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124048

Abstract

Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is an anticancer agent used in cancer chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to design nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) of DOX as smart chemotherapy to improve its photostability and anticancer efficacy. The characteristics of DOX and DOX-loaded NLCs were investigated using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, particle size, and zeta potential study. The cytotoxicity of DOX was evaluated against three cancer cell lines (HeLa, A549, and CT-26). The particle size and zeta potential were in the range 58.45-94.08 nm and -5.80 mV - -18.27 mV, respectively. The chemical interactions, particularly hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces, between DOX and the main components of NLCs was confirmed by FTIR. NLCs showed the sustained release profile of DOX. The photostability results revealed that the NLC system improved the photostability of DOX. Cytotoxicity results using the three cell lines showed that all formulations improved the anticancer efficacy of free DOX, and the efficacy was dependent on cell type and particle size. These results suggest that DOX-loaded NLCs are promising chemotherapeutic agents for cancer treatment.

Keywords: Anticancer efficacy; Chemotherapy; Doxorubicin hydrochloride; Nanostructured lipid carriers; Photostability.