Enhanced anti-tumor efficacy of berberine-loaded mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles for synergistic chemotherapy and photothermal therapy

Qian Ding; Jinlu Shang; Liuxuan Yang; Li Deng; Siqiong Wu; Jing Chen; Jing Yang; Ke Wang; Chunhong Li; Junyan Chen; Meiling Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.125151

Enhanced anti-tumor efficacy of berberine-loaded mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles for synergistic chemotherapy and photothermal therapy

Int J Pharm. 2024 Dec 30:125151. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.125151. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Qian Ding¹, Jinlu Shang², Liuxuan Yang³, Li Deng⁴, Siqiong Wu³, Jing Chen⁵, Jing Yang³, Ke Wang³, Chunhong Li⁶, Junyan Chen⁷, Meiling Zhou⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The Third Hospital of Mianyang, Sichuan Mental Health Center, Mianyang 621000, China; Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
² Department of Pharmacy, West China Hospital Sichuan University Jintang Hospital, Chengdu, China.
³ Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
⁴ Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
⁵ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The Third Hospital of Mianyang, Sichuan Mental Health Center, Mianyang 621000, China.
⁶ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, China.
⁷ Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Luzhou People's Hospital, Luzhou 646000, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39743162
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.125151

Abstract

The development of innovative therapeutic strategies that combine multiple treatment modalities is essential for effective cancer therapy. In this study, we engineered berberine (BER)-loaded mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA) nanoparticles (BER-MPDA) to enhance anti-tumor efficacy through synergistic chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (PTT). The mesoporous structure of MPDA allowed for a high loading capacity of BER, a natural isoquinoline alkaloid with known anticancer properties. Upon near-infrared laser irradiation, BER-MPDA exhibited marked photothermal conversion efficiency, leading to effective tumor cell ablation. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments indicated that the combined treatment of BER-MPDA with near-infrared laser irradiation resulted in superior tumor inhibition compared to monotherapy. The synergistic effect was attributed to the enhanced cellular uptake and the simultaneous induction of chemo- and photothermal cytotoxicity. Our findings suggest that BER-MPDA represents a promising platform for multimodal cancer therapy, offering a potent approach to overcoming the limitations of conventional chemotherapy and PTT.

Keywords: 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (PubChem CID: 7947); Berberine; Berberine hydrochloride (PubChem CID: 12456); Chemotherapy; Dopamine hydrochloride (PubChem CID: 65340); Enhanced anti-tumor efficacy; Mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles; Photothermal therapy; Pluronic F127 (PubChem CID: 24751); Synergistic treatment; Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (PubChem CID: 6503).