Athar Mahdieh

University of Oslo, Norway

Design of novel polyurethane-based ionene nanocarriers for cancer therapy: Synthesis, in-vitro, and in-vivo studies

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Biography

She is  highly dedicated individual currently pursuing a PhD in pharmaceutics at the University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. I have gained invaluable experience working on research projects under esteemed professors, expanding my expertise and contributing to the academic community. Her research focuses on the preparation and characterization of novel polymeric nanocarriers for cancer drug delivery. We seek to broaden our perspective and foster collaborative opportunities to further our research endeavors.

Abstract

New strategies for constructing versatile nanocarriers are needed for cancer therapy to overcome the multiple challenges of targeted delivery. This work explores the advantages of polyurethane with main-chain quaternary ammonium salt moieties (ionene) as a novel carrier for targeted drug delivery. We have developed a novel cationic soybean oil-based polyurethane ionene nanocarrier (CPUI) that can act as an effective anticancer agent and efficiently deliver the 5-fluorouracil (5FU) anticancer drug. We also report a potential anticancer drug delivery system targeting the folate receptor. In vitro experiments with blank CPUI carriers on the 4T1 (mouse breast cancer cell line) and the NIH-3T3 (mouse fibroblast cell line) revealed high cytotoxicity for the cancer cells but only low cytotoxicity for the normal fibroblast cells. The CPUI nanoparticles were readily loaded with 5FU in water using electrostatic interactions between the cationic quaternary ammonium groups of ionene and the anionic 5FU. The in vivo study in mice with tumors showed that the blank CPUI carriers significantly inhibited tumor growth, even more than the free drug. Further enhancement of the inhibitory effect was observed when folic acid was added as a targeting moiety to the system via ion exchange with the bromine counterion of the quaternary ammonium moieties. The results suggest that the efficacy of FA-CPUI-5FU nanoparticles as vehicles for drug delivery can be enhanced via folate receptor-mediated endocytosis in 4T1 cells and these novel nanocarriers may provide a potential platform for effective targeted drug delivery to tumor tissue and breast cancer therapy in the clinic.