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Multifunctional polymersomes for cytosolic delivery of gemcitabine and doxorubicin to cancer cells
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Multifunctional polymersomes for cytosolic delivery of gemcitabine and doxorubicin to cancer cells

Rahul Nahire, Manas K. Haldar, Shirshendu Paul, Avinash H. Ambre, Varsha Meghnani, Buddhadev Layek, Kalpana S. Katti, Kara N. Gange, Jagdish Singh, Kausik Sarkar, …
Biomaterials, Vol.35(24), pp.6482-6497
08/2014
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2014.04.026
PMCID: PMC4059508
PMID: 24797878
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/4059508View
Open Access

Abstract

Although liposomes are widely used as carriers of drugs and imaging agents, they suffer from a lack of stability and the slow release of the encapsulated contents at the targeted site. Polymersomes (vesicles of amphiphilic polymers) are considerably more stable compared to liposomes; however, they also demonstrate a slow release for the encapsulated contents, limiting their efficacy as a drug-delivery tool. As a solution, we prepared and characterized echogenic polymersomes, which are programmed to release the encapsulated drugs rapidly when incubated with cytosolic concentrations of glutathione. These vesicles encapsulated air bubbles inside and efficiently reflected diagnostic-frequency ultrasound. Folate-targeted polymersomes showed an enhanced uptake by breast and pancreatic-cancer cells in a monolayer as well as in three-dimensional spheroid cultures. Polymersomes encapsulated with the anticancer drugs gemcitabine and doxorubicin showed significant cytotoxicity to these cells. With further improvements, these vesicles hold the promise to serve as multifunctional nanocarriers, offering a triggered release as well as diagnostic ultrasound imaging.
Drug delivery Gemcitabine Liposome Pancreatic cancer Polymersome

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