Preparation, characterization and anticancer therapeutic efficacy of cisplatin-loaded niosomes

This study developed a carrier for anticancer drug, cisplatin. Cisplatin-loaded niosomes (CP-NMs) were prepared under optimized conditions with Span 40 and cholesterol as the excipients, and then lyophilized and characterized. Their anticancer efficacy was tested in rabbits bearing VX2 sarcoma. The obtained spherical-looking vesicles showed a diameter of 7.73 +/- 1.49 mu m with a zeta-potential of 0 mV. The entrapment efficiency was 76.93 +/- 2.67%, and drug loading 2.96 +/- 0.10%. In vitro release tests gave a t(50%) of 8.36 h. The rabbits locally injected with the CP-NMs gave significantly superior results of inhibition of tumour growth, much lower mortality and improved results of body weight change and inhibition of tumour metastasis to inguinal lymph nodes and liver compared to those treated in the same way with the drug solution. The inspiring anticancer results indicated that the CP-NMs might be developed as an effective anticancer preparation with low toxicity.