Co-delivery of docetaxel and silibinin using pH-sensitive micelles improves therapy of metastatic breast cancer

Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2017 Dec;38(12):1655-1662. doi: 10.1038/aps.2017.74. Epub 2017 Jul 17.

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most vicious killer for women, and tumor metastasis is one of the leading causes of breast cancer therapy failure. In this study, a new pH-sensitive polymer (polyethylene glycol-block-poly[(1,4-butanediol)-diacrylate-β-N,N-diisopropylethylenediamine], BDP) was synthesized. Based on BDP, docetaxel/silibinin co-delivery micelles (DSMs) was constructed. DSM had a well-defined spherical shape under the transmission electron microscope with average hydrodynamic diameter of 85.3±0.4 nm, and were stable in the bloodstream but could dissociate to release the chemotherapeutic agents in the low pH environment of the endo/lysosomes in the tumor cells. Compared with free drugs, DSM displayed greatly enhanced cellular uptake, higher cytotoxicity and a stronger anti-metastasis effect against mouse breast cancer cell line 4T1. In 4T1 tumor-bearing mice treated with DSM (twice a week for 3 weeks), the inhibition rate on tumor growth and metastasis reached 71.9% and 80.1%, respectively. These results reveal that DSM might be a promising drug delivery system for metastatic breast cancer therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Acrylic Resins / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / pharmacology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Docetaxel
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Female
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / drug therapy
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Micelles
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry
  • Silybin
  • Silymarin / administration & dosage
  • Silymarin / chemistry
  • Silymarin / pharmacology*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Taxoids / administration & dosage
  • Taxoids / chemistry
  • Taxoids / pharmacology*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Acrylic Resins
  • Micelles
  • Silymarin
  • Taxoids
  • Docetaxel
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • Silybin