Abstract
Multi-drug resistance (MDR) presents a serious problem in cancer chemotherapy. In this study, Vitamin E (VE)-Albumin core-shell nanoparticles were developed for paclitaxel (PTX) delivery to improve the chemotherapy efficacy in an MDR breast cancer model. The PTX-loaded VE-Albumin core-shell nanoparticles (PTX-VE NPs) had small particle sizes (about 100 nm), high drug entrapment efficiency (95.7%) and loading capacity (12.5%), and showed sustained release profiles, in vitro. Docking studies indicated that the hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonds play a significant role in the formation of the PTX-VE NPs. The results of confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis demonstrated that the cell uptake of PTX was significantly increased by the PTX-VE NPs, compared with the NPs without VE (PTX NPs). The PTX-VE NPs also exhibited stronger cytotoxicity, compared with PTX NPs with an increased accumulation of PTX in the MCF-7/ADR cells. Importantly, the PTX-VE NPs showed a higher anti-cancer efficacy in MCF-7/ADR tumor xenograft model than the PTX NPs and the PTX solutions. Overall, the VE-Albumin core-shell nanoparticles could be a promising nanocarrier for PTX delivery to improve the chemotherapeutic efficacy of MDR cancer.