Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To prepare the novel liver-targeting Cur(OA)
2 nanoparticles (Cur(OA)
2-NPs) and investigate the tissue distribution in mice.
METHODS Cur(OA)
2 loaded mPEG
5000-PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by the modified emulsion solvent evaporation method according to the optimized technology and the Cur(OA)
2-NPs were characterized. 25 mg·kg
-1 of Cur(OA)
2-NPs was intravenously injected. At the 0.05, 0.25, 0.75, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 h after administration, 200 μL of blood was taken through the eyeball. The organs(liver, heart, spleen, lung, kidney and brain) were harvested for the measurment of Cur(OA)
2 and curcumin(Cur) with HPLC method after extracting the drug by liquid-liquid extraction method, then analysized the tissue distribution and drug released
in vivo. Nanoparticles were prepared by loading DiR and Cur(OA)
2 into mPEG
5000-PLGA. Normal and H22 cancer model mice were injected at a dose of 25 mg·kg
-1 of Cur intravenously. At different time intervals, the mice were anesthetized and scanned by using an
in vivo NIR optical imaging system with an excitation bandpass filter at 785 nm and an emission filter at 820 nm. Studied the tumor targeting characteristics of nanoparticles in normal mice and H22 cancer model mice.
RESULTS The nanoparticles were spherical with uniform size. The average particle size, drug loading and encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles were (93.39±1.71)nm, (19.35±0.12)% and (92.32±3.13)% respectively. After intravenous injection, the Cur(OA)
2 in the plasma reduced from 310.33 μg·mL
-1 to 28.94 μg·mL
-1 within 4 h, and 90% of Cur(OA)
2 was cleared from blood vessel rapidly. The results in the tissue distribution showed that Cur(OA)
2 was found in other organs besides brain. Cur(OA)
2 reached the highest level of 368.93 μg·g
-1 in liver. There was no Cur detected in plasma, lung and brain, but only detected in the liver(125.72 μg·g
-1), spleen(33.60 μg·g
-1) and kidney(16.81 μg·g
-1). The peak value was found at the 2nd hour after intravenous injection Cur(OA)
2-NPs, and the Cur(OA)
2 and Cur in the liver were greater than the other organs significantly.
In vivo NIR optical imaging system provided evidence that Cur(OA)
2-NPs were accumulated in the liver and tumor, the NIR signal reached the climax at the 2nd hour and decreased slowly as time went by, and we observed a strong NIR signal in the tumor mass at the 8th hour after the administration of nanoparticles. The signal intensity reached the climax in the tumor mass at the 12th hour and decreased follow, and it was stronger than liver significantly.
CONCLUSION This research completed the evaluation of Cur(OA)
2-NPs and laid the foundation for research on anti-tumor of Cur(OA)
2-NPs
in vivo in future. Meanwhile, it can offer some clue for developing a new drug which is insoluble, easily metabolic or toxic
in vivo.