Evaluation of acute toxicity and in vitro antitumor activity of a novel doxorubicin-loaded folate-coated pH-sensitive liposome

Hybrid Nanosystem Formed by DOX-Loaded Liposomes and Extracellular Vesicles from MDA-MB-231 Is Effective against Breast Cancer Cells with Different Molecular Profiles

“…Leukopenia was observed in all groups treated with DOX, with a decrease in the agranulocyte count compared to the HBS treatment group. Similar results were observed in previous studies performed by our research group, where Balb/c mice treated with free DOX, long-circulating and pH-sensitive liposomes (SpHL-DOX), and folate-decorated long-circulating and pH-sensitive liposomes (SpHL-DOX-Fol) evidenced a significant difference in agranulocyte count compared to the saline control [ 15 ]. The hepatotoxicity induced by the administration of DOX may be increased when encapsulated in nanoformulations due to its normal liver uptake.…”

“…Further investigation of biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of HF-pHSL/EV-DOX is necessary to evaluate this process. Cardiotoxicity is DOX’s most concerning side effect, and its encapsulation in a hybrid nanosystem reduced the heart damage provoked by the administration of free DOX, as seen in histological analyses [ 15 ]. All of these results indicate a perspective of success in the clinical application of HF-pHSL/EV-DOX due to its great cytotoxic activity for different molecular types of breast cancer associated with an excellent toxicity profile.…”

“…Acute toxicity testing is most often performed using mice as a rodent species [ 14 ]. Balb/c female mice were chosen, a standard and well-stablished model used in toxicity studies [ 10 , 15 ]. According to the OECD 423 guideline, females are used because they are slightly more sensitive [ 13 ].…”

Lipid-Based Nanotechnology: Liposome

“…While liposomes have shown potential to mitigate systemic toxicity associated with delivered therapeutic agents, systematic evaluation of side effects stemmed by liposomal nanocarriers in preclinical and clinical settings remains crucial [ 228 , 229 ]. Organ toxicity is a major concern of liposomal nanodrugs [ 230 ] because they prefer to accumulate in certain organs, such as the liver and spleen, affecting the tissue-specific functionality and potentially causing toxicities [ 231 ]. In addition, liposomes may interact with cell membranes, which can alter cell permeability and integrity, ultimately causing cellular damage [ 232 ].…”