Preparation and Properties of Natural Polysaccharide-Based Drug Delivery Nanoparticles

by Selleckchem | Oct 05 2023

In recent years, natural polysaccharides have been widely used in the preparation of drug delivery systems. In this paper, novel polysaccharide-based nanoparticles were prepared by layer-by-layer assembly technology using silica as a template. The layers of nanoparticles were constructed based on the electrostatic interaction between a new pectin named NPGP and chitosan (CS). The targeting ability of nanoparticles was formed by grafting the RGD peptide, a tri-peptide motif containing arginine, glycine, and aspartic acid with high affinity to integrin receptors. The layer-by-layer assembly nanoparticles (RGD-(NPGP/CS)3NPGP) exhibited a high encapsulation efficiency (83.23 ± 6.12%), loading capacity (76.51 ± 1.24%), and pH-sensitive release property for doxorubicin. The RGD-(NPGP/CS)3NPGP nanoparticles showed better targeting to HCT-116 cells, the integrin αvβ3 high expression human colonic epithelial tumor cell line with higher uptake efficiency than MCF7 cells, the human breast carcinoma cell line with normal integrin expression. In vitro antitumor activity tests showed that the doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles could effectively inhibit the proliferation of the HCT-116 cells. In conclusion, RGD-(NPGP/CS)3NPGP nanoparticles have potential as novel anticancer drug carriers because of their good targeting and drug-carrying activity.

Comments:

The paper describes the preparation of novel polysaccharide-based nanoparticles using layer-by-layer assembly technology. Silica was used as a template for constructing the layers of nanoparticles, which were formed through the electrostatic interaction between a new pectin called NPGP and chitosan (CS). To enhance the targeting ability of the nanoparticles, the RGD peptide, known for its high affinity to integrin receptors, was grafted onto the surface.

The resulting nanoparticles, referred to as RGD-(NPGP/CS)3NPGP, exhibited favorable characteristics for drug delivery. They demonstrated a high encapsulation efficiency of 83.23 ± 6.12% and a loading capacity of 76.51 ± 1.24% for the anticancer drug doxorubicin. The nanoparticles also displayed a pH-sensitive release property, meaning that they released the drug more readily in acidic environments, such as those found in tumor tissues.

Furthermore, the RGD-(NPGP/CS)3NPGP nanoparticles showed selective targeting to HCT-116 cells, which are human colonic epithelial tumor cells expressing high levels of integrin αvβ3 receptors. These nanoparticles exhibited higher uptake efficiency in HCT-116 cells compared to MCF7 cells, a human breast carcinoma cell line with normal integrin expression. This targeting ability suggests that the nanoparticles could potentially deliver drugs specifically to tumor cells while minimizing off-target effects.

In vitro antitumor activity tests demonstrated that the doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles effectively inhibited the proliferation of HCT-116 cells. This indicates that the nanoparticles could serve as promising carriers for anticancer drugs.

In summary, the RGD-(NPGP/CS)3NPGP nanoparticles, prepared through layer-by-layer assembly technology, possess desirable properties for drug delivery. They exhibit efficient encapsulation and release of doxorubicin, as well as targeting capabilities towards integrin receptor-expressing tumor cells. These characteristics make them potential candidates for novel anticancer drug carriers.