Polysaccharide-Based Lotus Seedpod Surface-Like Porous Microsphere as an Efficient Drug Carrier for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the properties and functions of polysaccharide-based porous microsphere (PPM) for drug delivery, as well as its inhibitory effect on malignant tumors.

Materials and Methods

PPM was prepared using the inverse emulsion polymerization method. FT-IR measurements were conducted to measure the wavenumber of PPM. Particle size distribution was tested with a particle analyzer, and surface morphologies of PPM were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Dialysis method, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), and cell apoptosis analysis were adopted to evaluate the drug release, cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of mitomycin-C (MMC), respectively. Finally, an in vivo study was performed in C57BL/6 mice to confirm the function of MMC-loaded PPM on tumor growth.

Results

FT-IR spectra proved the successful preparation of MMC-loaded PPM. PPM had an average size of 25.90 ± 0.34 μm and then increased to 30.10 ± 0.20 μm after drug loading. Under SEM, the surface morphology was lotus seedpod surface-like, with macropits on the surface and micropores in macropits. Compared with the free MMC group, MMC-loaded PPM exhibited a delayed drug release rate in a pH-dependent manner and higher cell viability. Flow cytometry results showed that the cell apoptosis in the PPM/MMC group was lower than that in the free MMC group. In vivo experiment revealed the inhibitory efficacy of MMC-loaded PPM on malignant tumors.

Conclusion

In summary, MMC-loaded PPM exhibited favorable surface morphology, sustained drug release ability, nontoxicity and excellent biocompatibility, suggesting that PPM might be a potential drug carrier for tumor treatment.

Keywords:

• polysaccharide-based porous microsphere
• tumor treatment
• mitomycin-C
• drug release
• inverse emulsion polymerization

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (No. LQ18H010004).

Author Contributions

Yuanbo Wu and Zhihao Yang are responsible for study design and data analysis. Jiangwei Ni and Jiandong Zhang contributed to the acquisition of data and performance of experiments. Kun Chen, Liangcheng Zheng and Jiandong Zhang are responsible for data interpretation and revision of the paper. Zhifeng He wrote the paper and performed the experiments. All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting or revising the article, have agreed on the journal to which the article will be submitted, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.