Desirable PEGylation for improving tumor selectivity of hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles via low hepatic captured, long circulation times and CD44 receptor-mediated tumor targeting

PEG coating was regarded as one effective method to improve the tumor-targeting efficiency of hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles (HBN). However, the research of interaction between PEG coating and different receptors such as stabilin-2 and CD44 was limited. Herein, we synthesized a series of PEGylated hyaluronic acid with Curcumin (PHCs) to evaluate the role of PEG coating density in the interaction between HA and its receptors, which influenced tissues targeting activity, pharmacokinetic profiles and therapeutic efficacy of HBN. Compared with other counterparts, PHC HBN with about 5% PEG coating density preferably accumulated in the tumor mass, rather than in the liver, and hold desirable anti-cancer effect. These results indicated that to obtain optimized anticancer effect of HBN, the cellular uptake efficiency between different types of the cells should be carefully balanced by different PEG densities.