In vivo pharmacokinetic studies and intracellular delivery of methotrexate by means of glycine-tethered PLGA-based polymeric micelles

Methotrexate (MTX) is a widely used drug for the management of various kinds of cancers. However, numerous challenges are associated with MTX like poor aqueous solubility, dose-dependent side effects and poor-bioavailability. With an aim to explore the potential benefits in drug delivery of MTX, it was intended to fabricate glycine-PLGA-based polymeric micelles. Glycine was chemically linked to PLGA and the linkage was confirmed by FT-IR, and NMR-Spectroscopy. The developed polymeric micelles offered substantial loading to MTX with a pH-dependent drug release profile. The drug was released maximally at the cancer cell pH vis-a-vis blood plasma pH. The cytotoxicity of drug against MDA-MB-231 cell lines was enhanced by approx. 100% and the confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed the localization of dye-tagged nanocarriers in the interiors of cancer cells. The bioavailable fraction of the drug was increased by approx. 4-folds, whereas elimination half-life was enhanced by around two-folds in Wistar rats. The novel approach offers a biodegradable and promising carrier for the better delivery of anticancer agents with immense promises of efficacy enhancement, improved delivery and better pharmacokinetic profile.(C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.