Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Drug Nanocarriers Sensitive to Tumor Acidic Media Synthesized in Iran

Home > Press > Drug Nanocarriers Sensitive to Tumor Acidic Media Synthesized in Iran

Abstract:
Iranian researchers from Azarbaijan's Shahid Madani University in association with their colleagues from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and Drug Applied Research Center succeeded in the production of nanocomposites with the ability to carry and release anticancer drugs.

Drug Nanocarriers Sensitive to Tumor Acidic Media Synthesized in Iran

Tehran, Iran | Posted on May 28th, 2014

The nanocomposite is pH-sensitive and it releases the drug only in acidic media of cancer cells.

Sepideh Rasouli, one of the researchers elaborated on the results of the research, and said, "Silica nanoparticles were used in the production of the nanocarrier. The release of anticancer drug (methotrexate) from the copolymeric nanocarrier shows appropriate and sensible sensitivity to pH, to the extent that the drug is not released at natural pH value of the body. However, when it is placed in pH value of tumor cells (4-5.8), the releases take place at acceptable percentage. The non-toxicity of the nanocarriers has been proved by carrying out toxicity tests through MTT assay method on breast cancer cells."

The nanocarriers have been synthesized by producing a copolymer based on cationic silica nanoparticles, and they can play an important role in the reduction of side effects during the treatment and in delivering the anticancer drug to the tumor. It is hoped that the desirable results obtained from tests carried out on breast cancer cells would create possibility for the application of these nanocarriers in pharmaceutical industries to be used in target drug delivery.

Cationic and pH-sensitive copolymers based on silica nanoparticles provide more controlled and more desirable release system than cationic nanosilica for methotrexate drug. The amount of release of methotrexate drug in these copolymers in comparison with cationic nanocomposites with loading ratio of 10 to 1 is higher in acidic media of cancer cells than in healthy cells.

Results of the research have been published in Designed Monomers and Polymers, vol. 17, issue 3, 2014, pp. 227-237.

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