Hyaluronic acid–chitosan conjugated PLGA nanoparticles for dual chemo-photothermal therapy of triple-negative breast cancer
摘要
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks effective treatment choices, resulting in poor prognosis and systemic toxicity caused by traditional chemotherapy. To present a bi-functional nanoplatform that combines hyaluronic acid (HA) with chitosan (CS)-conjugated poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and indocyanine green (ICG) as co-cargo to achieve synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy (CPTT). HA-CS-PLGA nano-particles were produced through the use of solvent evaporation through a technique known as double-emulsion and conjugation using EDC/NHS. Their physicochemical characteristics, their ability to respond to pH and release, and their ability to work as photothermal were described. Cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were compared to MDA-MB-231 cells, and in vivo efficacy was assessed using TNBC xenograft mice. The nanocarrier exhibited a consistent nanoscale size (approximately 160 nm), a stable negative charge, and high drug encapsulation efficiency. The functionalization of dual polymers enhanced cellular internalization and release under NIR, resulting in significant ROS-induced apoptosis. HA-CS-PLGA-DOX/ICG + NIR showed a high degree of tumor regression without systemic toxicity in vivo, compared to the free-drug and monotherapy groups. The HA-CS-PLGA platform is an effective biomimetic system that combines receptor-based targeted delivery, pH-responsive drug release, and photothermal activation to improve the treatment of TNBC. Its excellent encapsulation efficacy and synergistic tumor inhibitory behavior underscore its potential to be used as a safe and powerful CPTT nanomedicine with translational applications.