A Novel Folic Acid Receptor-Targeted Drug Delivery System Based on Curcumin-Loaded β-Cyclodextrin Nanoparticles for Cancer Treatment

• Main Authors: Hong W, Guo F, Yu N, Ying S, Lou B, Wu J, Gao Y, Ji X, Wang H, Li A, Wang G, Yang G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2021-06-01
• Series: Drug Design, Development and Therapy
• Subjects: curcumin; β-cd-polycaprolactone copolymers; folate receptor; targeted drug delivery; hela cells
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/a-novel-folic-acid-receptor-targeted-drug-delivery-system-based-on-cur-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-DDDT

Weiyong Hong,1,2,* Fangyuan Guo,2,* Nan Yu,2 Sanjun Ying,2 Bang Lou,2 Jiangqing Wu,2 Ying Gao,2 Xugang Ji,2 Haiying Wang,1 Aiqin Li,3 Guoping Wang,4 Gensheng Yang2 1Department of Pharmacy, Taizhou Municipal Hospital, Taizhou, 318000, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People’s Republic of China; 3Zhejiang Share Bio-Pharm Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 310019, People’s Republic of China; 4Zhejiang Dayang Biotech Group Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 311616, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Gensheng YangCollege of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People’s Republic of ChinaTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [e-mail]: A novel folate receptor-targeted β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) drug delivery vehicle was constructed to improve the bioavailability, biosafety, and drug loading capacity of curcumin. Controlled release and targeted delivery was achieved by modifying the nanoparticles with folic acid (FA).Methods: Folate-conjugated β-CD-polycaprolactone block copolymers were synthesized and characterized. Curcumin-loaded nanoparticles (FA-Cur-NPs) were structured by self-assembly. The physicochemical properties, stability, release behavior and tumor-targeting ability of the fabricated nanoparticles were studied.Results: The average particle size and drug loading of FA-Cur-NPs was 151.8 nm and 20.27%, respectively. Moreover, the FA-Cur-NPs exhibited good stability in vitro for 72 h. The drug release profiles showed that curcumin from FA-Cur-NPs was released significantly faster in a pH 6.4 phosphate buffered solution (PBS) than in pH 7.4, indicating that curcumin can be enriched around the tumor site compared with normal cells. Additionally, the internalization of FA-Cur-NPs was aided by FA receptor-mediated endocytosis, and its cytotoxicity was proportional to the cellular uptake efficiency. Furthermore, in vivo studies confirmed that FA-Cur-NPs exhibited marked accumulation in the tumor site and excellent antitumor activity.Conclusion: These findings suggest that FA-Cur-NPs are a promising approach for improving cancer therapy through active targeting and controllable release.Keywords: curcumin, β-CD-polycaprolactone copolymers, folate receptor, targeted drug delivery, HeLa cells