Design and optimization of PEGylated silver nanoparticles for efficient delivery of doxorubicin to cancer cells

The preparation technique of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is essential for the efficient drug delivery system. AgNPs coated PEG were prepared and investigated to control NPs physicochemical characteristics as well as a selective delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) to the affected site with lower side effects. In this context, AgNPs chemically synthesized and coated with PEG having different molecular weights via two different methods. The optimized AgNPs-PEG were further loaded with DOX. The prepared particles were characterized for their size, shape, and DOX in vitro release in phosphate buffer of two pH conditions 5.0 and 7.4. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the prepared nanoformulations was investigated against MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines, also the biodistribution of AgNPs was also investigated in rats. It was found that the investigated two methods for AgNPs-PEG preparation did not show a significant difference on the AgNPs characteristics. The prepared AgNPs were spherical in shape and showed mono-dispersibility distribution with encapsulation efficiency percent approximately 95%. DOX showed higher release in pH 5.0 than that observed in pH 7.4. Moreover, the prepared system showed sustained release behavior compared to the unloaded DOX. AgNPs loaded with DOX significantly reduced the IC50% compared with AgNPs-PEGs and unloaded DOX against both MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines. In addition, biodistribution study revealed the higher accumulation of AgNPs-PEG in liver compared to the other investigated organs. It could be concluded that the optimized AgNPs-PEG could be considered as an efficient carrier for DOX with high drug loading, sustained DOX delivery, higher synergistic cytotoxicity, and lower side effects on the other healthy cells.

Automated summary

The technique of preparing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) coated with PEG is important for an efficient drug delivery system. In this study, AgNPs coated with PEG of different molecular weights were prepared using two different methods. The optimized AgNPs-PEG was then loaded with doxorubicin (DOX). The prepared particles were characterized for their size, shape, and drug release under different pH conditions. The cytotoxicity of the particles was tested on MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines, and their biodistribution was studied in rats. The results showed that the prepared AgNPs-PEG had spherical shape, mono-dispersibility, and high encapsulation efficiency. The DOX release was higher at pH 5.0 compared to pH 7.4, and the system showed sustained release behavior. AgNPs loaded with DOX demonstrated higher cytotoxicity compared to AgNPs-PEGs and unloaded DOX. The biodistribution study showed higher accumulation of AgNPs-PEG in the liver. Overall, the optimized AgNPs-PEG system can be considered as an efficient carrier for DOX with high drug loading, sustained release, higher cytotoxicity, and lower side effects.