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Abstract
Two kinds of paclitaxel (PTX) conjugate nanomicelles were prepared for cell apoptosis and anti-tumor activity evaluation on Lewis lung cancer mice models. One (PTX micelles) was prepared by self-assembling the PTX-conjugate co-polymer, poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lactide-co-2-methyl-2-carboxyl-propylene carbonate/PTX), and the other (FA–PTX micelles) was by co-assembling a mixture of the folic acid (FA)-carrying co-polymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lactide-co-2,2-dihydroxylmethyl-propylene carbonate/FA) (PEG-b-P(LA-co-DHP/FA)), and the PTX-conjugate co-polymer. At 7 and 14 days after tail intravenous injection, the mice were killed. The inhibition rates of tumor growth for PTX and FA–PTX micelles were 50 and 90%, respectively, on the day 7, and 33 and 71%, respectively, on the day 14 after drug injection. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the cell apoptosis rates were 43, 54 and 72% for the control group, PTX micelles group and FA–PTX micelles group, respectively, on the day 7, and 16, 25 and 42 on the day 14. With the TUNEL assay, the grey values of PTX micelles and FA–PTX micelles groups were determined to be 61–62% and 43–44%, of that of the control group, on day 7 or day 14, respectively. Therefore, the PTX micelles and the FA–PTX composite micelles significantly inhibited the subcutaneously inoculated Lewis lung cancer and effectively induced the cell apoptosis, and the FA–PTX composite micelles displayed a better efficacy than the PTX-micelles, implying the contribution of the folate-mediated targeting and endocytosis effect.