Pharmacokinetics of a paclitaxel-loaded low molecular weight heparin-all-trans-retinoid acid conjugate ternary nanoparticulate drug delivery system

Amphiphilic low molecular weight heparin-all-trans-retinoid acid (LHR) conjugate, as a drug carrier for cancer therapy, was found to have markedly low toxicity and to form self-assembled nanoparticles for simultaneous delivery of paclitaxel (PTX) and all-trans-retinoid acid (ATRA) in our previous study. In the present study, PTX-loaded LHR nanoparticles were prepared and demonstrated a spherical shape with particle size of 108.9 nm. Cellular uptake analysis suggested rapid internalization and nuclear transport of LHR nanoparticles. In order to investigate the dynamic behaviors and targeting ability of LHR nanoparticles on tumor-bearing mice, near-infrared fluorescent (NIFR) dye DiR was encapsulated into the nanoparticles for ex vivo optical imaging. The results indicated that LHR nanoparticles could enhance the targeting and residence time in tumor site. Furthermore, in vivo biodistribution study also showed that the area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC (0→inf)) values of PTX and ATRA for PTX-loaded LHR nanoparticles in tumor were 1.56 and 1.62-fold higher than those for PTX plus ATRA solution. Finally, PTX-loaded LHR nanoparticles demonstrated greater tumor growth inhibition effect in vivo without unexpected side effects, compared to PTX solution and PTX plus ATRA solution. These results suggest that PTX-loaded LHR nanoparticles can be considered as promising targeted delivery system for combination cancer chemotherapy to improve therapeutic efficacy and minimize adverse effects.