pH-sensitive bovine serum albumin nanoparticles for paclitaxel delivery and controlled release to cervical cancer

In this study, by altering bovine serum albumin (BSA), we were able to create a regulated drug release through a stimulus sensitive mechanism. Paclitaxel (PTX) loaded BSA nanoparticles (NPs) were created using the desolvation method, and after being cross-linked using Schiff base bonds, they became a PTX loaded pH sensitive system (PTX@BSA-NPs). The synthesised PTX@BSA-NPs displayed wide polydispersity + 26 mV, a large negative surface charge, a particle size of about 150 nm, and a high drug loading capacity (22.2%). Size variation and charge reversal showed the pH sensitivity of PTX@BSA-NPs after incubation at various pH levels. In the in vitro drug release study, the disintegration of NPs brought on by Schiff base bond cleavage clearly increased the release of PTX. A thorough investigation of the drug release mechanism using a semi-empirical model confirmed that pH played a crucial role in the release of drugs when under rigorous control. The cytotoxicity test showed that PTX@ BSANPs significantly outperformed the free PTX control in terms of their ability to kill cervical cancer cells (HeLa). Therefore, these results indicated that PTX@BSA-NPs might be helpful for medication distribution in the treatment of cancer and for controlled release. This study also showed that it may be a wise choice to modify commercial biomaterials to create stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems to create nanomedicine with many functions.