title: Codelivery of doxorubicin and curcumin with lipid nanoparticles results in improved efficacy of chemotherapy in liver cancer.
abstract: Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The combination therapy of cytotoxic and chemosensitizing agents loaded in nanoparticles has been highlighted as an effective treatment for different cancers. However, such studies in liver cancer remain very limited. In our study, we aim to develop a novel lipid nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) (an effective drug for liver cancer) and curcumin (Cur) (a chemosensitizer) simultaneously, and we examined the efficacy of chemotherapy in liver cancer. DOX and Cur codelivery lipid nanoparticles (DOX/Cur-NPs) were successfully prepared using a high-pressure microfluidics technique, showing a mean particle size of around 90 nm, a polydispersity index <0.3, and a zeta potential <-10 mV. The encapsulation efficacy was >90% for both DOX and Cur. The blank lipid nanoparticles were nontoxic, as determined by a cell cytotoxicity study in human normal liver cells L02 and liver cancer cells HepG2. In vitro DOX release studies revealed a sustained-release pattern until 48 hours in DOX/Cur-NPs. We found enhanced cytotoxicity and decreased inhibitory concentration (IC)50 in HepG2 cells and reduced cytotoxicity in L02 cells treated with DOX/Cur-NPs, suggesting the synergistic effects of DOX/Cur-NPs compared with free DOX and DOX nanoparticles (NPs). The optimal weight ratio of DOX and Cur was 1:1. Annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide double staining showed enhanced apoptosis in HepG2 cells treated with DOX/Cur-NPs compared with free DOX and DOX-NPs. An in vivo experiment showed the synergistic effect of DOX/Cur-NPs compared with DOX-NPs on liver tumor growth inhibition. Taken together, the simultaneous delivery of DOX and Cur by DOX/Cur-NPs might be a promising treatment for liver cancer.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China ; National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaojing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China ; National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yusang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hebin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China ; National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xuhan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China ; National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiangliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000187:drug effects; D003474:Curcumin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D056945:Hep G2 Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D004317:Doxorubicin; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: codelivery; curcumin; cytotoxicity; doxorubicin; liver cancer; tumor growth inhibition