mPEG-PCL from PolySciTech used in development of a dual-drug loaded nanoparticle for ovarian cancer therapy

 

Ovarian cancer can be fatal as it is difficult to detect at an early stage leading to more than 70% of ovarian cancers being stage 3 or higher at diagnosis. Typical treatment involves surgery and chemotherapy. Paclitaxel is commonly used however cancers can grow resistant to it requiring the use of a secondary drug. Researchers at Chungbuk National University and Sookmyung Women’s University (Korea) used mPEG-PCL (cat# AK073) from PolySciTech division of Akina, Inc. (www.polyscitech.com) to create dual-loaded nanoparticles (paclitaxel and sorafenib) for ovarian cancer treatment. This research holds promise to improve ovarian cancer therapies in the future. Read more: Jin, Chae Eun, Moon Sup Yoon, Min Jeong Jo, Seo Yeon Kim, Jae Min Lee, Su Jeong Kang, Chun-Woong Park, Jin-Seok Kim, and Dae Hwan Shin. "Synergistic Encapsulation of Paclitaxel and Sorafenib by Methoxy Poly (Ethylene Glycol)-b-poly (caprolactone) Polymeric Micelles for Ovarian Cancer Therapy." Pharmaceutics 15, no. 4 (2023): 1206. https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/15/4/1206

“Abstract: Ovarian cancer has a high mortality rate due to difficult detection at an early stage. It is necessary to develop a novel anticancer treatment that demonstrates improved efficacy while reducing toxicity. Here, using the freeze-drying method, micelles encapsulating paclitaxel (PTX) and sorafenib (SRF) with various polymers were prepared, and the optimal polymer (mPEG-b-PCL) was selected by measuring drug loading (%), encapsulation efficiency (%), particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential. The final formulation was selected based on a molar ratio (PTX:SRF = 1:2.3) with synergistic effects on two ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV3-red-fluc, HeyA8). In the in vitro release assay, PTX/SRF micelles showed a slower release than PTX and SRF single micelles. In pharmacokinetic evaluation, PTX/SRF micelles showed improved bioavailability compared to PTX/SRF solution. In in vivo toxicity assays, no significant differences were observed in body weight between the micellar formulation and the control group. The anticancer effect of PTX/SRF combination therapy was improved compared to the use of a single drug. In the xenografted BALB/c mouse model, the tumor growth inhibition rate of PTX/SRF micelles was 90.44%. Accordingly, PTX/SRF micelles showed improved anticancer effects compared to single-drug therapy in ovarian cancer (SKOV3-red-fluc). Keywords: ovarian cancer; paclitaxel; sorafenib; combination therapy; mPEG-b-PCL; micelle; antitumor; pharmacokinetics”

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