title: Paclitaxel-containing nano-engineered polymeric capsules towards cancer therapy.
abstract: Paclitaxel is one of the anticancer agents most often used in clinical oncology practice for the treatment of ovarian, breast and non-small cell lung cancers. Nanoengineered polymeric capsules (NPCs) represent a new and very effective tool for the encapsulation and smart release of different compounds. In present work capsules were fabricated by means of the layer-by-layer assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes onto colloidal particles, followed by removal of the cores at low pH to obtain hollow microcapsules. Paclitaxel was loaded into the capsule. As tumors exhibit a lower extracellular pH than normal tissues, the property of NPCs to open the pores in their shell at slightly acidic pH values could be used for the triggered release of paclitaxel within a tumor microenvironment. For the characterization of NPCs, quartz crystal microbalance was used to monitor the process of shell growth on planar supports. The effective encapsulation of paclitaxel was then demonstrated by atomic force microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy, whereas its release was characterized by Uv-vis spectroscopy. Finally the biological activity of encapsulated paclitaxel against human breast cancer cells was assessed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication, Computer and System Sciences, University of Genova, Via Opera Pia 13, 16145 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pastorino
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erokhina
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caneva-Soumetz
authors.forename: Carmelina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002214:Capsules; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D002214:Capsules; D004337:Drug Carriers; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011108:Polymers; D017239:Paclitaxel