Preparation of vincristine sulfate-loaded poly (butylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles modified with pluronic F127 and evaluation of their lymphatic tissue targeting

Abstract

In order to improve the lymphatic targeting efficiency of anti-cancer agent vincristine sulfate (VCR), the poly (butylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles (VCR-PBCA-NPs) were prepared by emulsion polymerization and modified superficially with Pluronic F127. These prepared nanoparticles with (F127-VCR-PBCA-NPs) and without surface modification (VCR-PBCA-NPs) were characterized and their lymphatic targeting efficiencies were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that VCR was released more sustained from both kinds of VCR-loaded nanoparticles, compared with the VCR solution. The up-taking efficiency of VCR into raji cells was enhanced by F127-VCR-PBCA-NPs, compared with the VCR-PBCA-NPs or VCR solution. Lower clearance (CL) of VCR from the systemic circulation and higher lymphatic targeting efficiency of VCR were observed for F127-VCR-PBCA-NPs than the VCR-PBCA-NPs or VCR solution, and F127-VCR-PBCA-NPs showed greater antitumor efficacy than the VCR-PBCA-NPs or VCR solution in the human Burkitt’s lymphoma (raji)-bearing nude mice. These findings suggest that superficially modified nanoscale carriers might be promising vehicles for chemotherapeutic agents in the treatments of metastatic tumors and malignant lymphoma.

• Lymphatic targeting
• pharmacokinetics
• Pluronic F127
• polybutylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles
• tissue distribution
• vincristine sulfate

Acknowledgements

We thank Mr. Qiangli Wang (Department of Histology and Embryology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China) for assistance with the cell culture experiments. Special thanks are due to Professor Kinam Park, Purdue University for the constructive suggestions.