Dual-drug delivery by porous silicon nanoparticles for improved cellular uptake, sustained release, and combination therapy
: Chang-Fang Wang, Ermei M. Mäkilä, Martti H. Kaasalainen, Marja V. Hagström, Jarno J. Salonen, Jouni T. Hirvonen, Hélder A. Santos
: 2015
: Acta Biomaterialia
: 16
: 206
: 214
: 9
: 1742-7061
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2015.01.021
Dual-drug delivery of antiangiogenic drug and chemotherapeutic drug can enhance the therapeutic effect for cancer therapy. Conjugation of methotrexate (MTX) to PSi nanoparticles (MTX−PSi) with positively charged surfaces can improve the cellular uptake of MTX and inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. Herein, MTX−PSi conjugates sustained the release of MTX up to 96 h, and the released fragments including MTX were confirmed by mass spectrometry. The intracellular distribution of the MTX−PSi nanoparticles was confirmed by transmission electronic microscopy. Compared to pure MTX, the MTX−PSi achieved similar inhibition of cell proliferation in folate receptor (FR) over-expressing U87 MG cancer cells, and a higher effect in low FR-expressing EA.hy926 cells. Nuclear fragmentation analysis demonstrated programmed cell apoptosis of the MTX−PSi in the high/low FR-expressing cancer cells, whereas PSi alone at the same dose had a minor effect on cell apoptosis. Finally, the porous structure of MTX−PSi enabled successful concomitant loading of another anti-angiogenic hydrophobic drug, sorafenib, and considerably enhanced the dissolution rate of sorafenib. Overall, the MTX−PSi nanoparticle system can be used as a platform for combination chemotherapy by enhancing the dissolution rate of the hydrophobic drug and sustaining the release of the conjugated chemotherapeutic drug.