title: Buckysomes: fullerene-based nanocarriers for hydrophobic molecule delivery.
abstract: We report the preparation and preliminary in vitro studies of nanocarriers termed "buckysomes," which are self-assembled, spherical nanostructures composed of the amphiphilic fullerene AF-1. By inducing AF-1 self-assembly at an elevated temperature of 70 degrees C, dense spherical buckysomes with diameters of 100-200 nm were formed, as observed by electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The amphiphilic nature of AF-1 results in the formation of many hydrophobic regions within the buckysomes, making them ideal for embedding hydrophobic molecules to be tested in a drug delivery scheme. After confirming the cellular internalization of buckysomes embedded with the hydrophobic fluorescent dye 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate, we embedded paclitaxel, a highly hydrophobic anticancer drug. The in vitro therapeutic efficacy of the paclitaxel-embedded buckysomes toward suppression of MCF-7 breast cancer cell growth was compared to that of Abraxane, a commercially available, nanoparticle-albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel. Notably, the paclitaxel-embedded buckysomes demonstrated a similar efficacy to that observed with Abraxane in cell viability studies; these results were confirmed microscopically. Moreover, negative control studies of MCF-7 viability using empty buckysomes demonstrated that the buckysomes were not cytotoxic. The results of our studies suggest that buckysomes prepared from self-assembly of AF-1 at 70 degrees C are promising nanomaterials for the delivery of hydrophobic molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin Street, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Ranga
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Partha
authors.forename: Linsey R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lyon
authors.forename: Pratixa P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: Jodie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Conyers
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D037741:Fullerenes; D017239:Paclitaxel