<p>Functional design of pH-responsive folate-targeted polymer-coated gold nanoparticles for drug delivery and in vivo therapy in breast cancer</p>

Abstract

BackgroundCurcumin has been widely used owing to its various medicinal properties including antitumor effects. However, its clinical application is limited by its instability, poor solubility and low bioavailability. Folic acid (FA)-functionalized nanoformulations may enhance the sustained release of an anticancer drug (curcumin) by tumor-specific targeting to improve therapeutic benefit. This study aims to design a nanoconjugate (NC) comprised of folate–curcumin-loaded gold–polyvinylpyrrolidone nanoparticles (FA–CurAu-PVP NPs) for targeted delivery in breast cancer model systems.MethodsWe developed curcumin-loaded FA-functionalized Au-PVP NCs by layer-by-layer assembly. The folic acid–curcumin Au-PVP NCs (FA–CurAu-PVP NCs) were characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. In vitro anticancer and antimigratory effects of NCs were examined by performing MTT and wound migration assays. The in vivo antitumor efficacy of NCs was investigated using a preclinical breast cancer orthotopic mouse model.ResultsCurcumin (40 µg/mL) was loaded along with conjugation of folate onto Au-PVP NPs to form FA–CurAu-PVP NCs. The size and charge of the NCs were increased gradually through layer-by-layer assembly and showed 80% release of curcumin at acidic pH. The NC did not show aggregation when incubated with human serum and mimicked an intrinsic peroxidase-like property in the presence of 3,3ʹ,5,5ʹ-tetramethylbenzidine substrate. The MTT data using these NCs showed efficient anticancer activity at lower doses in estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR)-negative cells compared with ER/PR-positive cells. Furthermore, the NCs did not show cytotoxicity at the investigated concentration in human breast epithelial and mouse fibroblast cell lines. They showed inhibitory effects on cell migration and high antitumor efficacy in in vivo analysis.ConclusionThese results suggest that folate-based tumor targeting using CurAu-PVP NCs is a promising approach for tumor-specific therapy of breast cancer without harming normal cells.

Stimuli-Responsive, Plasmonic Nanogel for Dual Delivery of Curcumin and Photothermal Therapy for Cancer Treatment

“…The higher EE% and DL% of AuNP@Ng compared to nanogel is probably related to the ability of curcumin to conjugate to AuNP (Luckanagul et al, 2018 ). Moreover, it has been observed that the conjugation efficiency of curcumin to AuNP increases with respect to time (Mahalunkar et al, 2019 ). In this study, it was thought that the 24-h mixing time after adding curcumin to the formulation also increased the conjugation of curcumin to gold nanoparticles.…”

In Vivo Efficacy and Toxicity of Curcumin Nanoparticles in Breast Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review

“…NPs can be administered with a minimal invasive procedure with a regular biopsy needle, for example, right in the tumor site, increasing the lifetime of drugs in contact with malignant target cells, reducing adverse effects on healthy tissues, and bypassing liver metabolism ( 81 ). Two of the included studies used this route to administer micelle NPs to triple negative breast cancer models and showed similar outcomes in terms of tumor volume reduction (51–60%) ( 26 , 27 ).…”

“…This process led to exclusion of 50 articles according to exclusion criteria (Table S2). In the end, 26 articles were maintained and included in this systematic review (Table 1) (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50). A flowchart detailing this process is shown in Figure 3.…”

<p>A pH-Responsive System Based on Fluorescence Enhanced Gold Nanoparticles for Renal Targeting Drug Delivery and Fibrosis Therapy</p>

“…6,[8][9][10] Small molecule polymers and polypeptides were added to the surfaces of AuNPs with the goal of optimizing their properties. 8,11,12 Glutathione (GSH) is an ideal surface coating for AuNPs that prolongs the half-life in blood circulation and possess particles with negative charges that escape macrophage phagocytosis. 13,14 At the same time, abundant lone pair electrons from -COOH and -NH 2 residues in GSH-modified AuNPs may interact with drugs through coordination interaction, especially in the case of transition metal ions, to form a self-assembled drug delivery system.…”