Biotin-conjugated block copolymeric nanoparticles as tumor-targeted drug delivery systems

Abstract

To achieve targeted drug delivery for chemotherapy, a ligand-mediated nanoparticulate drug carrier was designed, which could identify a specific receptor on the surfaces of tumor cells. Biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG/PCL) amphiphilic block copolymers coupled to biotin ligands were synthesized with a variety of PEG/PCL compositions. Block copolymeric nanoparticles harboring the anticancer drug paclitaxel were prepared via micelle formation in aqueous solution. The size of the biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL nanoparticles was determined by light scattering measurements to be 88–118 nm, depending on the molecular weight of the block copolymer, and remained less than 120 nm even after paclitaxel loading. From anin vitro release study, biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL nanoparticles containing paclitaxel evidenced sustained release profiles of the drug with no initial burst effect. The biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL block copolymer itself evidenced no significant adverse effects on cell viability at 0.005–1.0 ώg/mL of nanoparticle suspension regardless of cell type (normal human fibroblasts and HeLa cells). However, biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL harboring paclitaxel evidenced a much higher cytotoxicity for cancer cells than was observed in the PEG/PCL nanoparticles without the biotin group. These results showed that the biotinconjugated nanoparticles could improve the selective delivery of paclitaxel into cancer cells via interactions with overexpressed biotin receptors on the surfaces of cancer cells.