PLGA from PolySciTech used for generating dopamine-Mn coated theranostic nanoparticles for use in cancer treatment

Chemotherapy is the primary means of treating cancer however the currently available regimens suffer from significant side-effects and related toxicity due to the non-specific nature of this approach which damages both tumors as well as normal tissues. Combination therapies have been developed as a means for dealing with this by providing for a more targeted approach to cancer treatment in which the tumor is affected by the medicine to a greater degree than healthy tissues. Recently, PLGA from PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) (PolyVivo cat# AP040) was utilized to generate a doxorubicin loaded nanoparticle coated with dopamine and manganese. These particles serve both as magnetic resonance contrast agent and as a photothermal-triggered delivery system. This research holds promise for improved treatment of a wide array of cancers. Read more: Xi, Juqun, Lanyue Da, Changshui Yang, Rui Chen, Lizeng Gao, Lei Fan, and Jie Han. "Mn2+-coordinated PDa@ DOX/Plga nanoparticles as a smart theranostic agent for synergistic chemo-photothermal tumor therapy." International Journal of Nanomedicine 12 (2017): 3331. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5411169/

“Abstract: Nanoparticle drug delivery carriers, which can implement high performances of multi-functions, are of great interest, especially for improving cancer therapy. Herein, we reported a new approach to construct Mn2+-coordinated doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles as a platform for synergistic chemo-photothermal tumor therapy. DOX-loaded PLGA (DOX/PLGA) nanoparticles were first synthesized through a double emulsion-solvent evaporation method, and then modified with polydopamine (PDA) through self-polymerization of dopamine, leading to the formation of PDA@DOX/PLGA nanoparticles. Mn2+ ions were then coordinated on the surfaces of PDA@DOX/PLGA to obtain Mn2+-PDA@DOX/PLGA nanoparticles. In our system, Mn2+-PDA@DOX/PLGA nanoparticles could destroy tumors in a mouse model directly, by thermal energy deposition, and could also simulate the chemotherapy by thermal-responsive delivery of DOX to enhance tumor therapy. Furthermore, the coordination of Mn2+ could afford the high magnetic resonance (MR) imaging capability with sensitivity to temperature and pH. The results demonstrated that Mn2+-PDA@ DOX/PLGA nanoparticles had a great potential as a smart theranostic agent due to their imaging and tumor-growth-inhibition properties. Keywords: PLGA nanoparticles, polydopamine, chemo-photothermal therapy, smart theranostic agent”