Folate-targeted gold nanoparticles for doxorubicin delivery in tumor spheroids.

ABSTRACT: Targeted drug delivery systems represent a promising strategy for enhancing the efficacy and specificity of cancer therapy. In this study, 35 nm folate-targeted gold nanoparticles are presented as nanoparticle-drug conjugates obtained by anchoring on their surface lipoyl terminating doxorubicin prodrug (proDoxo) releasable at the endolysosomal acidic pH to prevent off-site toxic effects. Colloidal stable nanoparticles with a density of proDoxo up to 1000 molecules/particle and 2 kDa mPEG-SH coating were obtained. At pH 5, Doxo was completely released from the nanoparticles in 5 days while only 13% was released over the same period at pH 7.4. The nanoparticle decoration with folic acid as a targeting agent bestowed nanosystems with selective drug delivery to folate receptor (FR)-overexpress

SUBMITTER: Daniele R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12777817 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature