Doxorubicin delivery systems based on doped CaCO₃ cores and polyanion drug conjugates

Abstract

In order to prolong the release and reduce the toxicity of anticancer drug – doxorubicin (DOX), delivery systems (DS) using different polyanions have been developed. Structural (size, morphological stability) and functional (encapsulation efficiency, DOX release) characteristics of three types of DS are compared: CaCO₃ porous vaterites doped with polyanions by co-precipitation and coating techniques, and DOX-polyanion conjugates. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), it was shown that the doping enhances the morphological stability of CaCO₃-based DS during the DOC loading. Doping of CaCO₃ cores by co-precipitation reduces its sizes (up to 1 µm) and DOX encapsulation efficiency. Polyanion-coated CaCO₃ cores and polyanion drug conjugates show about 98 w/w% DOX encapsulation. For the first time, it was shown that the release of DOX from developed DS into human blood plasma is more intense (from 1.3 to 3.0 times for different DS) than into model tumour environment.

Keywords:

• Doxorubicin
• polyanions
• human blood plasma
• delivery systems
• CaCO₃ cores

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.