A chitosan-based cascade-responsive drug delivery system for triple-negative breast cancer therapy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

It is extremely difficult to develop targeted treatments for triple-negative breast (TNB) cancer, because these cells do not express any of the key biomarkers usually exploited for this goal.

Results

In this work, we develop a solution in the form of a cascade responsive nanoplatform based on thermo-sensitive poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL)-chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (NPs). These are further modified with the cell penetrating peptide (CPP) and loaded with the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX). The base copolymer was optimized to undergo a phase change at the elevated temperatures of the tumor microenvironment. The acid-responsive properties of CS provide a second trigger for drug release, and the inclusion of CPP should ensure the formulations accumulate i

SUBMITTER: Niu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6737697 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature