Facile preparation of copper-gallic acid nanoparticles as a high reproducible and drug loading platform for doxorubicin

Doxorubicin (DOX) is the first line drug for cancer chemotherapy but its application is limited by the poor bioavailability and high side effects. Current drug delivery systems (DDSs) of DOX can overcome the above mentioned shortages, but also brings new challenges including low reproducibility and DOX loading. Therefore, the one-step preparation of related DDSs with high DOX loading capacity is highly desirable. Herein, taking advantage of the high complexing ability of both gallic acid (GA) and DOX to metal ions, copper ion was selected as a model ion to serve as a medium, not only to form nanostructured platform with GA, but also as a linker to give high DOX loading capacity to the developed DDSs. We herein introduced a facile method to conveniently prepare DOX loaded DDSs (Cu-GA-DOX NPs) with high reproducibility and drug loading of DOX (23.07%), which also showed uniform particle size, good biocompatibility as well as decent anticancer performance on model colorectal cancers (CT26). This study provides a new strategy and pave the way for the subsequent development of DDS with high reproducibility and DOX loading.