Preparation of folate-conjugated pluronic F127/chitosan core-shell nanoparticles encapsulating doxorubicin for breast cancer treatment

Abstract

A targeting drug delivery system using folate-conjugated pluronic F127/chitosan core-shell nanoparticles was developed to deliver doxorubicin (DOX) to the target cancer cells. First, DOX was encapsulated in pluronic F127 micelle cores in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) by a self-assembly method. To form a shell, a layer of either chitosan or folate-conjugated chitosan was deposited onto the pluronic micelles. The encapsulation efficiency was approximately 58.1 ± 4.7. The average size of the core-shell nanoparticles was 37.4 ± 2.0 nm, while the zeta potential was 12.9 ± 2.3 mV, indicating the presence of a shell layer and more stable particles. In an in vitro DOX release study, an initial burst release, followed by a sustained release, was observed within 24 hours. In addition, the core-shell nanoparticles showed greater cytotoxicity towards MCF-7 cells than free DOX, suggesting a better therapeutic efficacy in treating cancer. © 2012 Chawan Manaspon et al.