Enhanced apoptosis and mitochondrial cell death by paclitaxel-loaded TPP-TPGS 1000 -functionalized nanoemulsion.

The present research was designed to develop a nanoemulsion (NE) of triphenylphosphine-D-α-tocopheryl-polyethylene glycol succinate (TPP-TPGS) and paclitaxel (PTX) to effectively deliver PTX to improve breast cancer therapy. A quality-by-design approach was applied for optimization and and characterization were performed. The TPP-TPGS-PTX-NE enhanced cellular uptake, mitochondrial membrane depolarization and GM cell cycle arrest compared with free-PTX treatment. In addition, pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and  live imaging studies in tumor-bearing mice showed that TPP-TPGS-PTX-NE had superior performance compared with free-PTX treatment. Histological and survival investigations ascertained the nontoxicity of the nanoformulation, suggesting new opportunities and potential to treat breast cancer. TPP-TPGS-PTX-NE improved the efficacy of breast cancer treatment by enhancing its effectiveness and decreasing drug toxicity.