In an attempt to develop a nanomedicine
with the ability to produce
combination chemo- and photodynamic therapeutic effects in cancer,
herein, we fabricated poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) using human serum albumin
(HSA) as the surface modifier via the emulsification
technique to co-deliver both a photosensitizer, chlorin e6 (Ce6),
and a chemotherapeutic drug, paclitaxel (PTX). The Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs
were characterized for size, morphology, drug loading, entrapment
efficiencies, drug release, hemolytic tendency, and kinetic/storage
stabilities by dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy
(SEM), ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and differential scanning calorimetry
(DSC) analysis. The protein integrity in NPs was verified by circular
dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and sodium dodecyl–sulfate polyacrylamide
gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The ability to generate reactive oxygen
species (ROS) by Ce6 was monitored biochemically using DMA, RNO, and
singlet oxygen sensor green (SOSG). Next, cell studies using murine
melanoma (B16F10) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (FaDu) were performed
to determine cellular uptake, laser irradiation-assisted cytotoxicity,
combination drug effect, and cell death mechanisms. The in
vivo therapeutic efficacy was analyzed using tumor (B16F10)-bearing
mice. The NPs released both PTX and Ce6 sustainably with the enhancement
of drug release at a low pH of 4.6. The Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs exhibited
photostimulated ROS production, resulting in enhanced cytotoxicity
than monotherapies and induced a synergistic therapeutic response
in FaDu cells (24 and 48 h of treatment). The Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs exhibited
extensive apoptotic induction, cell cycle arrest, DNA damage in the
G2/M phase, and mitochondrial membrane perturbation compared to the
free Ce6 and PTX and Ce6- or PTX-loaded NPs. The Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs reduced
the tumor weight by 5.99% compared to the control and ∼2.66%
compared to the free drugs, demonstrating the most effective treatment
modality of all the tested formulations in the in vivo experiment using B16F10 tumor-bearing mice and in the immunohistochemistry
analysis. Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs could be a promising treatment option for
solid tumors.