Targeted sustained delivery of antineoplastic agent with multicomponent polylactide stereocomplex micelle

A c(RGDfC)-decorated polylactide stereocomplex micelle (cRGD-SCM) was prepared through the stereocomplex and hydrophobic interactions among 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(D-lactide) (4-arm PEG-b-PDLA), methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(Llactide) (mPEG-b-PLLA), and c(RGDfC)-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(L-lactide) (cRGD-PEG-b-PLLA) for targeted treatment of a(v)beta(3) integrin-positive C26 colon cancer. Doxorubicin (DOX), a model antitumor drug, was loaded into cRGD-SCM with a diameter of approximately 100 nm, and the drug loading efficiency was 45.9 wt.%. cRGD-SCM/DOX with a sustained release pattern exhibited prolonged circulation time, upregulated accumulation in tumor, enhanced tumor inhibition, and decreased side effects compared with free DOX and non-targeting SCM/DOX in vivo. More interestingly, the targeting ligand in the terminal of PEG can be easily replaced with other targeting groups according to the different types of malignancies. Therefore, the cRGD-decorated platform might be a promising targeted drug delivery system for personal chemotherapy clinically. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.