A large number of antitumor drug delivery carriers based on passive targeting and/or active targeting have been developed. However, encapsulation of antitumor drugs into these drug carriers is often complicated, and antitumor activities of these targeting systems are not satisfactory. In the present study, we first prepared heptakis-6-folic acid (FA)-appended β-cyclodextrin (β-CyD) possessing two caproic acids between FA and a β-CyD molecule as a spacer (Fol-c(2)-β-CyD) and evaluated the potential as a novel tumor targeting carrier for antitumor drugs through a complexation. Fol-c(2)-β-CyD formed an inclusion complex with doxorubicin (DOX) at a 1:1 molar ratio with a markedly high stability constant (>10(6) M(-1)). Cellular uptake of DOX was increased by the addition of Fol-c(2)-β-CyD in KB cells, a folate receptor-α (FR-α)-positive cell line. Additionally, Fol-c(2)-β-CyD increased in vitro antitumor activities of antitumor drugs such as DOX, vinblastine (VBL), and paclitaxel (PTX) in KB cells, but not in A549 cells, a FR-α-negative cell line. The complex of DOX with Fol-c(2)-β-CyD markedly increased antitumor activity of DOX, not only after intratumoral administration but also after intravenous administration to mice subcutaneously inoculated Colon-26 cells, a FR-α-positive cell line. These findings suggest that Fol-c(2)-β-CyD could be useful as a promising antitumor drug carrier.
To obtain a tumor cell-selectivity of methyl-β-cyclodextrin (M-β-CyD), we newly synthesized folate-appended M-β-CyD (FA-M-β-CyD), and evaluated the potential of FA-M-β-CyD as a novel anticancer agent in vitro and in vivo. Potent antitumor activity and cellular association of FA-M-β-CyD were higher than those of M-β-CyD in KB cells, folate receptor (FR)-positive cells. FA-M-β-CyD drastically inhibited the tumor growth after intratumoral or intravenous injection to FR-positive Colon-26 cells-bearing mice. The antitumor activity of FA-M-β-CyD was comparable and superior to that of doxorubicin after both intratumoral and intravenous administrations, respectively, at the same dose, in the tumor-bearing mice. All of the tumor-bearing mice after an intravenous injection of FA-M-β-CyD survived for at least more than 140 days. Importantly, an intravenous administration of FA-M-β-CyD to tumor-bearing mice did not show any significant change in blood chemistry values. These results strongly suggest that FA-M-β-CyD has the potential as a novel anticancer agent.
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