Gemcitabine and betulinic acid co-encapsulated PLGA - PEG polymer nanoparticles for improved efficacy of cancer chemotherapy

The present study demonstrated the development of gemcitabine and betulinic acid co-encapsulated PLGA - PEG polymer nanoparticles for enhancing the chemotherapeutic response. This combinatorial PLGA-PEG nanoparticle was formulated using double emulsion and had size < 200 nm. The developed nanoparticles were characterized using dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy for their size and shape, respectively. The in vitro release of the drugs from combinatorial nanoparticles was predominantly followed by Fickian diffusion phenomenon. Study on hemocompatibilty approved the administration of this combinatorial nanoparticle for animal study. In vitro cytotoxicity study on Panc1 cells using MTT assay, reactive oxygen species production and cellular apoptotic assay demonstrated that combinatorial nanoparticle was more cytotoxic compared to native drugs solution. Furthermore, the combinatorial nanoparticle suppressed tumor growth more efficiently in Ehrlich (solid) tumor model than the native gemcitabine and betulinic acid at the same concentrations. These findings indicated that PLGA-PEG nanoparticle might be used to co-deliver multiple chemotherapeutic drugs with different properties for enhancing antitumor efficacy.