Preparation and characterization of norcantharidin liposomes modified with stearyl glycyrrhetinate

In the current study, norcantharidin (NCTD)-loaded liposomes (LIPs) modified with stearyl glycyrrhetinate (SG; SG-NCTD-LIP) were prepared by the ethanol injection method. To increase the drug encapsulation efficiency (EE), the formulation of NCTD-LIP was optimized by single factor test and orthogonal design. The release of NCTD in vitro from SG-NCTD-LIP was evaluated by equilibrium dialysis. The cytotoxicity of SG-NCTD-LIP in HepG2 was investigated by MTT assay. The results revealed that the EE of liposomes was 27.80%, the average SG-NCTD-LIP was 87.5 nm, the in vitro NCTD release from SG-NCTD-LIP was delayed compared with NCTD in solution and the drug-release kinetic followed a first-order model. MTT assays revealed increased cytotoxicity activity against HepG2 cells for SG-NCTD-LIP compared with free NCTD. In conclusion, SG-NCTD-LIP prepared in the present study may be a promising liposomal drug delivery system for anticancer drugs in liver-targeting therapy.