Journal
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
Volume 58, Issue -, Pages 399-412Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.06.017
Keywords
Polymersomes; Co-delivery; Paclitaxel; Doxorubicin; Folate-receptor targeted; Combination chemotherapy
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [81571793, 81671806, 51373199]
- Tianjin Municipal Natural Science Foundation [15JCZDJC38300]
- Program for Innovative Research Team in Peking Union Medical College
- Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Scholars, Ministry of Education of China
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Combination chemotherapy is a promising method of improving cancer treatment, but the distinct pharmacokinetics of combined drugs and non-specific drug distribution slow down the development in the clinic. In this study, folate (FA) receptor-targeted polymersomes with apparent bilayered lamellar structure were successfully developed to co-encapsulate a hydrophobic-hydrophilic chemotherapeutic drug pair (PTX and DOX) in a single vesicle for enhancing the combination chemotherapeutic effect. Hydrophobic PTX was loaded into the thick hydrophobic lamellar membrane by the self-assembly of triblock copolymer PCL8000-PEG(8000)-PCL8000, while hydrophilic DOX was encapsulated into the hydrophilic reservoir using a trans-membrane ammonium sulfate gradient method. In vitro release study indicated that the drugs were released from the polymersomes in a controlled and sustained manner. Cellular uptake study indicated that FA-targeted Co-PS had higher internalization efficiency in FA receptor-overexpressing BEL-7404 cells than non-targeted Co-PS. In vitro cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that FA-targeted Co-PS exhibited less cytotoxic effect than free drug cocktail, but suppressed the growth of tumor cells more efficiently than non-targeted Co-PS. Ex vivo imaging biodistribution studies revealed that FA-targeted Co-PS led to highly efficient targeting and accumulation in the BEL-7404 xenograft tumor. Furthermore, the in vivo antitumor study showed that the combination chemotherapy of polymersomes to BEL-7404 tumor via intravenous injection was superior to free drug cocktail treatment, and the FA-targeted Co-PS exhibited significantly higher tumor growth inhibition than non-targeted Co-PS group. Therefore, the newly developed FA-targeted co-delivery polymersomes hold great promise for simultaneous delivery of multiple chemotherapeutics and would have great potential in tumor-targeting and combination chemotherapy. Statement of Significance Combination chemotherapy is a promising method of improving cancer treatment, but the distinct pharmacokinetics of combined drugs and non-specific drug distribution slow down the development in the clinic. In our study, novel folate-targeted co-delivery polymersomes (Co-PS) were successfully developed to encapsulate a hydrophobic-hydrophilic chemotherapeutic drug pair (paclitaxel and doxorubicin) into the different compartments of the vesicle. In vivo studies revealed that the combination chemotherapy of polymersomes to BEL-7404 xenograft tumor via intravenous injection was superior to free drug cocktail treatment, and the FA-targeted Co-PS exhibited significantly higher tumor growth inhibition than non targeted Co-PS group. Therefore, the newly developed FA-targeted co-delivery polymersomes hold great promise for simultaneous delivery of multiple chemotherapeutics and would have great potential in tumor-targeting and combination chemotherapy. (C) 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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