Synthesis of Nanoparticles of Star-shaped Mannitol-core PLA-TPGS Copolymer for Delivery of Paclitaxel and Activity of Anti-prostate Cancer

The objective of this research is to fabricate novel nanoparticles (NPs) of star-shaped mannitol-functionalized polylactic acid-D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 suclinat(PLA-TPGS) copolymer for paclitaxel delivery for prostate cancer treatment, and evaluate their therapeutic effects in prostate cancer cell line in comparison with the linear PLGA NPs and PLA-TPGS NPs. The paclitaxel-loaded M-PLA-TPGS NPs, prepared by a modified nano-precipitation method, were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) to be near-spherical shape with narrow size distribution. The drug-loaded NPs were further characterized in terms of size, surface charge, drug content, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release. In vitro drug release exhibited biphasic pattern with initial burst release followed by slow and continuous release. The cellular uptake level of M-PLA-TPGS NPs was demonstrated higher than linear PLGA NPs and PLA-TPGS NPs in PC-3 cells. The data also showed that the paclitaxel-loaded M-PLA-TPGS nanoparticles have higher antitumor efficacy than that of linear PLA-TPGS nanoparticles and commercial Taxol in vitro. The star-shaped copolymer M-PLA-TPGS could be used as a potential and promising molecular biomaterial applied in developing novel nanoformulation for prostate cancer treatment.