Encapsulation of paclitaxel into a bio-nanocomposite. A study combining inelastic neutron scattering to thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Abstract. The anticancer drug paclitaxel was encapsulated into a bio-nanocomposite formed by magnetic nanoparticles, chitosan and apatite. The aim of this drug carrier is to provide a new perspective against breast cancer. The dynamics of the pure and encapsulated drug were investigated in order to verify possible molecular changes caused by the encapsulation, as well as to follow which interactions may occur between paclitaxel and the composite. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, inelastic and quasi-elastic neutron scattering experiments were performed. These very preliminary results suggest the successful encapsulation of the drug.

Restricted mobility of specific functional groups reduces anti-cancer drug activity in healthy cells

“…This assumption is drawn based on the variation of the aspect ratio distribution, which was initially characteristic of elongated cells, and became closer to that describing spherical ones after the interaction. Even in an early stage, this is an encouraging result, since the invasiveness of colon cancer cell lines has been associated with its elongated morphology 38 . Additionally, as the response observed for both Mn-Zn ferrite nanoparticles and the bio-NCP are very similar, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the bio-NCP effect has its origin on the magnetic core.…”

Immobilization of Paclitaxel on Hydroxyapatite for Breast Cancer Investigations

“…22 For both n-HAP-1-PTX and n-HAP-8-PTX, these vibrations are not clearly detected, indicating that at least a part of the drug's side chains is immobilized in both cases. 22,38 Around 3000 cm −1 , vibrational bands are detected in the spectra of n-HAP-1-PTX and n-HAP-8-PTX but are present neither in the spectra of the nanoparticles only modified with chitosan nor in the calculated spectrum in Figure 6c. These vibrations reveal the presence of the surfactant, Tween 80, in the samples.…”

“…25,34−37 After its inclusion in the materials, PTX leads to the appearance of bands around 1250 cm −1 due to vibrations from parts of the drug's aromatic side chains together with vibrations from its acetyl group. 22,38 These vibrations are indicated by the number I in the spectrum in Figure 6c. After the dispersion of these materials in water, the intensities of these bands rapidly decrease for n-HAP-8-PTX (Figure 6b) and confirms a weaker attachment of the drug in comparison with that in n-HAP-1-PTX.…”

“…In the spectra of n-HAP-1-chitosan and n-HAP-8-chitosan, one can observe vibrational bands due to Ca­(OH) 2 precipitation (∼1417 and ∼1456 cm –1 ), asymmetric stretching of CO (∼1431 cm –1 ), symmetric stretching of CO (∼1632 cm –1 ), the presence of water molecules associated with the hydroxyapatite surface (∼1673 cm –1 ), and formation of Schiff bases in the polymeric cross-linking process (∼1570 cm –1 ). ,− After its inclusion in the materials, PTX leads to the appearance of bands around 1250 cm –1 due to vibrations from parts of the drug’s aromatic side chains together with vibrations from its acetyl group. , These vibrations are indicated by the number I in the spectrum in Figure c. After the dispersion of these materials in water, the intensities of these bands rapidly decrease for n-HAP-8-PTX (Figure b) and confirms a weaker attachment of the drug in comparison with that in n-HAP-1-PTX.…”

Water Dynamics in Cancer Cells: Lessons from Quasielastic Neutron Scattering

“…Neutrons, as non-charged particles, scarcely interact with the electrons cloud, which allows for great penetration into matter, especially compared to other scattering probes such as infrared. In biomedical-related research, this feature has been explored to investigate the dynamics of drug molecules confined in different polymeric/ceramic formulations, which is not readily possible with techniques based on light scattering [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Additionally, numerous possibilities for sample environments in experimental setups can be explored due to the high penetrative power of neutrons.…”