Abstract
Background: Nowadays, scientists are trying to design a developed carrier for delivering drugs specifically to cancerous cells. This study aimed to design the poly (acrylamide-maleic anhydride)/(FA & TPGS) coated nanoliposome (P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL) as an FA-modified targeted drug delivery system. Methods: The P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) copolymer was synthesized via free radical polymerization of AAm and MA, followed by chemical grafting of FA-NH2 and TPGS-SS-NH2. Also, the nanoliposome (NL) was prepared by the thin lipid film hydration method and the Doxorubicin (DOX) was encapsulated into the core of nanoliposome during lipid bilayer formation. After that, the copolymer was used to coat the NL in order to prepare P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL. The cytotoxicity of DOX-loaded P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL, pure DOX and blank P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL against MCF-7 were measured by MTT assay. The intracellular uptake of free DOX and DOX-loaded P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL against MCF-7 was studied using a fluorescence microscope. Results: The P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) copolymer was initially investigated by FT-IR, then the TEM analysis of P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL was performed, and showed that the copolymer formed a thin layer around liposomal vesicles. Also, the TEM and DLS results confirmed the preparation of P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL with less than 100 nm diameter. The zeta potential results confirmed the coating of NL with copolymer by electrostatic interactions. The DOX-loaded P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL exhibited enhanced cellular uptake through FA-mediated endocytosis. The efficiency of DOX-loaded P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL against MCF-7 was verified by MTT, and exhibited higher cytotoxicity of the DOX-loaded P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL compared to pure DOX. Conclusion: Overall, the P(AAm-MA)/(FA & TPGS) NL controlled MCF-7 cells' growth because of its enhanced cellular uptake via FA-mediated endocytosis. Thus, the prepared nanoliposome carrier can be a suitable choice for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.