Triethylamine-mediated protonation-deprotonation unlocks dual-drug self assembly to suppress breast cancer progression and metastasis.

ABSTRACT: Carrier-free nanomedicines exhibited significant potential in elevating drug efficacy and safety for tumor management, yet their self assembly typically relied on chemical modifications of drugs or the incorporation of surfactants, thereby compromising the drug's inherent pharmacological activity. To address this challenge, we proposed a triethylamine (TEA)-mediated protonation-deprotonation strategy that enabled the adjustable-proportion self assembly of dual drugs without chemical modification, achieving nearly 100% drug loading capacity. Molecular dynamic simulations, supported by experiment evidence, elucidated the underlying self-assembly mechanism. Specifically, TEA facilitated the deprotonation of Doxorubicin (Dox) and α-Tocopherol succinate (α-tos), causing Dox to transition from a

SUBMITTER: Lei L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11804646 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature