Zinc Zeolite as a Carrier for Tumor Targeted and pH-responsive Drug Delivery

Abstract

In this work, for the first time, a material was prepared that releases the drug in a controlled manner under the influence of the pH of cancer environment. The material is zinc zeolite, which only releases the drug at an acidic pH. The release of the drug in an acidic environment indicates a very high potential of the synthesized material in the treatment of cancer. This material does not release the drug at pH 7.4 even for more than 100 h which proves that healthy organs will not be affected. The advantage of this material over those previously described in the literature is that it releases the drug very quickly under the influence of the cancerous environment (88% of the drug during approx 2 h), as well as the fact that it does not release the drug in a different environment. Materials with both features have not been previously described, there are only works on materials having one of these features. Moreover, this material releases zinc ions which additionally act on cancer cells by inducing apoptosis of cancer cells by increasing the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species.

Characterization of a Zeolite-Y-Encapsulated Zn(II)Salmphen Complex with Targeted Anticancer Property

“…The dot plot confirmed that the zeolite-encapsulated Zn­(II) Salmphen shows higher selectivity toward the MCF7 cells than toward HaCaT and the images validate that the Zn­(II)­Salmphen complex resides majorly at the perinuclear region of the cells. The selective internalization of the zeolite-encapsulated Zn­(II)­Salmphen complex (Zn­(II)­Salmphen-Y) into MCF7 cells is probably because of the acidic microenvironment of cancer cells as one of the very recent studies reported that in comparison to a normal cellular environment, the release of drug molecules from the zeolite supercage was rapid and effective in a cancer environment …”

“…From the flow cytometric analysis, it is observed that internalization of Zn(II)Salmphen-Y was much better in cancer cells compared environment, the release of drug molecules from the zeolite supercage was rapid and effective in a cancer environment. 71 Evaluation of ROS Generation in Cancer and Noncancerous Cells. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species is considered a key factor in the death of cancer cells.…”

In Vitro/In Vivo Preparation and Evaluation of cRGDyK Peptide-Modified Polydopamine-Bridged Paclitaxel-Loaded Nanoparticles

“…Compared with the PLGA NPs, the PD-coated NPs had smoother release profiles. Notably, the NP release was greater under slightly acidic conditions, such as those typically found at tumor sites [4], suggesting a certain pH effect that would enable the NPs to better target the tumor site. PD NPs at pH 5.2 showed faster release at first.…”

“…PD structures contain active double bonds that can chemically react with several groups, and a large number of sulfhydryl compounds can degrade the PD shell; thus, PD-encapsulated NPs can be degraded by glutathione when they enter the cells [48]. The PD coating's pH- Notably, the NP release was greater under slightly acidic conditions, such as those typically found at tumor sites [4], suggesting a certain pH effect that would enable the NPs to better target the tumor site. PD NPs at pH 5.2 showed faster release at first.…”

“…Increasing drug solubility and avoiding systemic toxicity are major challenges for their clinical application, and these limitations are often overcome by using drug delivery systems including nanoparticles. Their biosafety, passive targeting [3], pH-responsiveness [4,5], and sustained and controlled release [6][7][8][9] have made nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) a hot research topic [2,10,11].…”