Folate conjugated silk fibroin nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery

Integr Biol (Camb). 2014 Feb;6(2):203-14. doi: 10.1039/c3ib40184g.

Abstract

Disease treatment processes mainly focus on the development of nontoxic, biodegradable, non-immunogenic, biocompatible materials capable of controlled and long-term release of biomolecules. In this work silk protein fibroin from non-mulberry tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta, is used to prepare nanoparticles as a drug delivery system. Folate is a vitamin, which is brought into healthy and cancerous cells by folate receptors. The efficiency of silk fibroin-folate nanoparticles loaded with anticancer drug doxorubicin was evaluated by analysing the cell viability, proliferation and endocytosis. Consequently the effects of pro-inflammatory responses by cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β and nitric oxide were checked by stimulating the macrophages with folate conjugated silk fibroin nanoparticles. The fibroin-folate nanocarriers are nontoxic, easily taken up by cells and capable of sustained drug release. Nanoparticles loaded with anticancer drug doxorubicin target cancer cells. The results show that silk fibroin-folate nanoparticles may serve as promising nanocarriers for different biomedical and nanotechnology applications in cancer research.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Survival / physiology
  • Doxorubicin / administration & dosage
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology*
  • Doxorubicin / therapeutic use
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Endocytosis / physiology
  • Female
  • Fibroins / chemistry*
  • Folic Acid / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Nanoparticles / metabolism*
  • Nanoparticles / ultrastructure
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • fibroin, silkworm
  • Doxorubicin
  • Fibroins
  • Folic Acid