Toxicity, Pharmacokinetics, And Antitumor Activity Study of a Novel Long-Acting Paclitaxel Nanodrug Delivery System Constructed On a Curcumin Derivative Carrier

Purpose/Background: Paclitaxel (PTX) has been widely used in the clinic to treat breast cancer. However, its poor water solubility and intolerable toxicity greatly reduce the efficacy and medication safety. In this paper, a curcumin derivative (CUD) synthesized by the research group was used as a carrier to prepare a new type of PTX nanodrug delivery system (CUD-PTX-LN), thereby improving the safety of PTX medication and enhancing the anti-tumor effect.Methods: CUD-PTX-LN was prepared by solid dispersion technology and the dialysis method was adopted to investigate the release behavior of CUD-PTX-LN in vitro. Meanwhile, the dynamic process of nanoparticles in vivo was analyzed by pharmacokinetic experiments. Hemolysis experiment, acute toxicity and cumulative toxicity were conducted in mice to evaluate the safety of CUD-PTX-LN. Subsequently, the anti-tumor activity of CUD-PTX-LN was investigated using in vitro and in vivo breast cancer cell models.Results: The average particle size, PDI, and Zeta potential of CUD-PTX-LN were 238.5 ± 4.79 nm, 0.225 ± 0.011 and -33.8 ± 1.26 mV, respectively. CUD-PTX-LN had an encapsulation efficiency (%EE) of 94.20 ± 0.49% and an achievable drug loading (%DL) of 10.98 ± 0.31%. This nanoparticle was stable for up to half a year when the lyophilized powder was stored at room temperature. Cytotoxicity test on MCF-7 cells demonstrated the stronger cytotoxic activity of nanoparticles in comparison to free PTX. CUD-PTX-LN significantly prolonged the half-life and retention time of PTX. The area under the curve (AUC) of CUD-PTX-LN was 14.72 mg/L × h, which was 6 times that of the free PTX group (2.38 mg/L × h). In anti-tumor experiments in vivo, CUD-PTX-LN possessed the advantages of improving the antitumor efficacy and reducing the toxic side effects of drugs. Importantly, CUD-PTX-LN is safer than free PTX in terms of assessing hemolytic, acute and cumulative toxicity.Conclusion: A novel PTX nanodrug delivery system constructed based on CUD as a carrier holds great potential in improving breast cancer treatment.