Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles as a targeted drug delivery system for melanoma treatment
Rodrigo Scopel, Manuel A. Falcão, Angélica Regina Cappellari, Fernanda Bueno Morrone, Sı́lvia Stanisçuaski Guterres, Eduardo Cassel, Andrea M. Kasko, Rubem Mário Figueiró Vargas
Abstract
Aiming to target vitamin D receptors (VDR) expressed in melanoma cells, vitamin D3 functionalized hybrid lipid-polymer nanoparticles (HNP-VDs) comprising a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) core and a lipid shell composed of hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine (HSPC), cholesterol (CHOL) and 1,2-disteroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphaethanolamine-N[succinyl(polyethyleneglycol)-2000 (DSPE-PEG2000) were synthesized. The nanocarriers were optimized to a lipid surface area coverage of 97%. In vitro drug release studies showed an initial burst release in the first 24 h followed by diffusive transport. Finally, cellular uptake experiments demonstrated that the HNP-VDs efficiently targeted B16 melanoma cells, thus resulting in a promising vehicle to deliver therapeutics for the melanoma treatment.