Folate-functionalized Mesoporous Hollow SnO₂ Nanofibers As A Targeting Drug Carrier To Improve The Antitumor Effect Of Paclitaxel For Liver Cancer Therapy

ObjectiveThe purpose of this paper was to prepare the folate functionalized mesporous hollow SnO₂ nanofibers as a liver tumor targeted drug delivery system to improve the antitumor effect and targeting effect and reduce the toxicity of insolubility drug paclitaxel.MethodsThe mesoporous hollow SnO₂ nanofibers（SNF） were prepared by electrospinning method.SNF were aminated（SNF-NH₂）firstly.Then folate functionalized mesoporous hollow SnO₂ nanofibers（SFNF）were prepared by bonding SNF-NH₂ with FA.Paclitaxel was absorbed into the nanopore of SFNF to obtain SFNFP.The SFNF were characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM）,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）,differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）and X ray diffraction（XRD）.The drug loading capacity was estimated by HPLC method.The MTT assay was to evaluate the safety of SFNF.The cell uptake assay was to proved that the carriers were ingested into the SMMC-7721 cells.Meanwhile,the effects of SFNFP on SMMC-7721 cells were investigated by apoptosis assay and Western Blot assay.The in vivo antitumor efficacy and targeting effects were evaluated by the animal experiments.ResultsAccording to SEM and TEM characterization,SFNF showed a mesoporous hollow structure.The average outer diameter was 200 nm,and the wall thickness was 50 nm.The DSC and XRD study showed that PTX existed in the channels of nanofibers with an amorphous state.The in vitro release experiments demonstrated that SFNF could efficiently improve the dissolution rate of PTX.Both in vitro cell experiments and in vivo antitumor experiments showed that SFNFP could efficiently inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells compared with PTX.ConclusionsSFNF could specifically identify the folate receptors on SMMC-7721 cells,and the drug could accumulated in tumor tissues,achieving tumor target and improving the solubility of PTX.Therefore,SFNFP could improve the antitumor effects and targeting effects of PTX.