Self-assembled coumarin- and 5-fluorouracil-PEG micelles as multifunctional drug delivery systems

The copper(I)-catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition is recognized as one of the most successful click reactions to access self-assembling amphiphilic polymer-drug conjugates (PDCs). In this way, poor water-soluble drugs can be linked covalently to hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to obtain PEG...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: López Quijorna, Sonia, Rodríguez López, Julián, García González, María Teresa, Rodríguez Romero, Juan Francisco, Pérez-Ortiz, José M., Ramos Marcos, María Jesús, Gracia Fernández, Ignacio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Repositorio:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
OAI Identifier:oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/30260
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10578/30260
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Anticancer
Polymer-drug conjugates
Drug delivery
Micelles
Click chemistry
Contra el cáncer
Conjugados polímero-fármaco
Entrega de medicamentos
Descripción
Sumario:The copper(I)-catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition is recognized as one of the most successful click reactions to access self-assembling amphiphilic polymer-drug conjugates (PDCs). In this way, poor water-soluble drugs can be linked covalently to hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to obtain PEGylated drug micelles that can be used as versatile carriers for the delivery of diverse therapeutic agents. In this work, two novel amphiphilic PDCs that combine PEG with privileged scaffolds well-known for their anticancer properties, such as coumarin and 5-fluorouracil, have been synthesized and characterized. These conjugates were able to self-assemble into micelles at relatively high critical micellar concentration, probably due to the large portion of hydrophilic PEG. The micelles allowed to load other anticancer drugs (paclitaxel, curcumin, and gemcitabine), providing a unique opportunity to develop promising co-delivery carriers for synergistic cancer therapy. The Korsmeyer-Peppas mathematical model was used for describing the in vitro kinetics of drug release from the micelles. Similar sustained and controlled drug release profiles were obtained for paclitaxel and curcumin in both conjugates, which was attributed to the excellent stability driven by the strong interaction between polymeric conjugates and drugs in the micelle core. In contrast, the high instability observed for the gemcitabine-loaded micelles provided an initial uncontrolled burst release of drug. A preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity study of the micelles against human pancreatic cancer cells PANC-1 and BxPC-3 was also carried out, demonstrating that both coumarin and 5-fluorouracil retain their anticancer properties after conjugation with PEG.