Dual stimuli-responsive polymeric hollow nanocapsules as “smart” drug delivery system against cancer

ABSTRACT

Novel thermal- and pH-responsive hollow nanocapsules (HNCaps) were fabricated through the grafting of a thiol-end capped PNIPAAm-b-PAA by thiol-ene “click” reaction onto PMMA HNCaps. The lowest critical solution temperature (LCST) of the fabricated HNCaps was obtained as 38–40°C. The fabricated nanosystem was loaded with doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox), and its drug loading and encapsulation efficiencies were obtained as 62 and 53%, respectively. The in vitro stimuli-responsive drug release behavior of the fabricated nanomedicine was investigated extensively. The anticancer activity of the drug-loaded HNCaps was evaluated using MTT assay against MCF7 cells. The results exhibited excellent potential of nanosystem as a drug delivery system (DDS) for cancer chemotherapy.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Novel thermal- and pH-responsive poly(methyl metacrylate)-grafted-[poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-block-acrylic acid)] hollow nanocapsules were fabricated as “smart” anticancer drug delivery system (DDS).

KEYWORDS:

• Nanomedicine
• cancer chemotherapy
• hollow nanocapsules
• stimuli responsive

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran (grant number: 980304).

Additional information

Funding

The authors declare no competing financial interest.