Enhancing cisplatin delivery to hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells using dual sensitive smart nanocomposite

Abstract

Targeted entrance and accumulation of higher doses of drugs into malignant cells could help in intensification of tumor specific cytotoxicity. A dual-responsive nanogel, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-poly(N,N-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) [P(NIPAM-co-DMA)] containing N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) as thermoresponsive monomer and N,N-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMA) as pH-responsive monomer and methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) as cross-linking agent, was synthesized by free radical emulsion polymerization. Cisplatin along with magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs) was loaded into the nanogel by physically embedding the magnetic nanoparticles into hydrogel matrix after gelation to obtain drug-loaded magnetic nanocomposite [P(NIPAM-co-DMA)/Fe3O4]. Drug loading efficiencies and drug release profiles of cisplatin-loaded P(NIPAM-co-DMA) nanogel and P(NIPAM-co-DMA)/Fe3O4 nanocomposite were evaluated in vitro for controlled drug delivery in different temperature and pH conditions. Finally, the anticancer activity of P(NIPAM-co-DMA)/Fe3O4 nanocomposite on human liver HepG2 cells was evaluated. Nanogel and nanocomposite showed significantly higher (p