Regorafenib loaded self-assembled lipid-based nanocarrier for colorectal cancer treatment via lymphatic absorption

Oral chemotherapy can improve the life quality of patients; however, the therapeutic effects are limited by low bioavailability and rapid in vivo elimination of anticancer drugs. Here, we developed a regorafenib (REG)-loaded self-assembled lipid-based nanocarrier (SALN) to improve oral absorption and anti-colorectal cancer efficacy of REG through lymphatic absorption. SALN was prepared with lipid-based excipients to utilize lipid transport in the enterocytes and enhance lymphatic absorption of the drug in the gastrointestinal tract. The particle size of SALN was 106 ± 10 nm. SALNs were internalized by the intestinal epithelium via the clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and then transported across the epithelium via the chylomicron secretion pathway, resulting in a 3.76-fold increase in drug epithelial permeability (Papp) compared to the solid dispersion (SD). After oral administration to rats, SALNs were transported by the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and secretory vesicles of enterocytes and were found in the lamina propria of intestinal villi, abdominal mesenteric lymph, and plasma. The oral bioavailability of SALN was 65.9-fold and 1.70-fold greater than that of the coarse powder suspension and SD, respectively, and was highly dependent on the lymphatic route of absorption. Notably, SALN prolonged the elimination half-life of the drug (9.34 ± 2.51 h) compared to the solid dispersion (3.51 ± 0.46 h), increased the biodistribution of REG in the tumor and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, decreased biodistribution in the liver, and showed better therapeutic efficacy than the solid dispersion in colorectal tumor-bearing mice. These results demonstrated that SALN is promising for the treatment of colorectal cancer via lymphatic transport and has potential for clinical translation.