Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Istanbul 34396, Turkiye.
Eur J Pharm Sci. 2023 Dec 1;191:106600. doi: 10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106600. Epub 2023 Oct 5.
Chemotherapy agents often exhibit limited effectiveness due to their fast elimination from the body and non-targeted delivery. Emerging nanomaterials as drug delivery carriers open new expectancy to overcome these limitations in current chemotherapeutic treatments. In this study, we introduce and evaluate a smart pH-responsive niosomal formulation capable of delivering Doxorubicin (DOX) and Curcumin (CUR) in both individually and co-loaded forms. In particular, drug-loaded niosomes were prepared using thin-film hydration method and then characterized via different physicochemical analyses. The pH responsivity of the carrier was assessed by performing a drug release study in three different pH conditions (4, 6.5, and 7.4). Finally, the anticancer efficacy of the therapeutic compounds was evaluated through the MTT assay. Our results showed spherical particles with a size of about 200 nm and -2 mV surface charge. Encapsulation efficiency (EE%) of the nanocarrier was about 77.06 % and 79.08 % for DOX and CUR, respectively. The release study confirmed the pH responsivity of the carrier. The MTT assay results revealed about 39 % and 43 % of cell deaths after treatment with cur-loaded and dox-loaded niosomes, which increased to 74 % and 79 % after co-administration and co-loading forms of drugs, respectively, exhibiting increased anticancer efficacy by selectively delivering DOX and CUR individually or in combination. Overall, these findings suggest that our nanoformulation holds the potential as a targeted and highly effective approach for cancer management and therapy, overcoming the limitations of conventional chemotherapy drugs.
化疗药物由于其在体内的快速消除和非靶向递送，往往表现出有限的疗效。新兴的纳米材料作为药物递送载体，为克服当前化疗治疗中的这些局限性开辟了新的期望。在这项研究中，我们介绍并评估了一种智能 pH 响应型脂质体制剂，该制剂能够分别和共同装载多柔比星（DOX）和姜黄素（CUR）。特别是，通过薄膜水化法制备载药脂质体，然后通过不同的物理化学分析进行表征。通过在三种不同 pH 值（4、6.5 和 7.4）下进行药物释放研究来评估载体的 pH 响应性。最后，通过 MTT 测定法评估治疗化合物的抗癌功效。我们的结果显示，球形颗粒的粒径约为 200nm，表面电荷为-2mV。纳米载体的包封效率（EE%）分别为 DOX 和 CUR 的 77.06%和 79.08%。释放研究证实了载体的 pH 响应性。MTT 测定结果表明，用载 CUR 和 DOX 的脂质体处理后，细胞死亡率分别约为 39%和 43%，当药物以联合和共同装载形式给药时，细胞死亡率分别增加到 74%和 79%，显示出通过单独或联合递送 DOX 和 CUR 提高了抗癌功效。总的来说，这些发现表明，我们的纳米制剂具有作为癌症管理和治疗的靶向和高效方法的潜力，克服了传统化疗药物的局限性。
