Polyaminoacid Based Core@shell Nanocarriers of 5-Fluorouracil: Synthesis, Properties and Theranostics Application

Cancer is one of the most important health problems of our population, and one of the common anticancer treatments is chemotherapy. The disadvantages of chemotherapy are related to the drug's toxic effects, which act on cancer cells and the healthy part of the body. The solution of the problem is drug encapsulation and drug targeting. The present study aimed to develop a novel method of preparing multifunctional 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) nanocarriers and their in vitro characterization. 5-FU polyaminoacid-based core@shell nanocarriers were formed by encapsulation drug-loaded nanocores with polyaminoacids multilayer shell via layer-by-layer method. The size of prepared nanocarriers ranged between 80-200 nm. Biocompatibility of our nanocarriers as well as activity of the encapsulated drug were confirmed by MTT tests. Moreover, the ability to the real-time observation of developed nanocarriers and drug accumulation inside the target was confirmed by fluorine magnetic resonance imaging (F-19-MRI).

Automated summary

Chemotherapy is a common anticancer treatment but its disadvantages include toxic effects on both cancer cells and healthy tissues. Encapsulation and targeting drugs is a solution to this problem. This study developed multifunctional 5-FU nanocarriers using a layer-by-layer method, with biocompatibility and drug activity confirmed through MTT tests. Real-time observation of these nanocarriers and drug accumulation in the target was successfully demonstrated using fluorine magnetic resonance imaging (F-19-MRI).