Delivery of Adriamycin Loaded Niosomes for Liver Cancer Treatment

Abstract

The delivery efficiency of Adriamycin is crucial for the therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma. Niosome is a promising carrier that can be used for targeted drug delivery. However, the therapeutic effect of Adriamycin loaded niosome is still unclear. In this study, Adriamycin loaded niosomes were constructed as a promising drug carrier system. The morphological determination of niosomes was conducted by transmission electron microscopy. Cell fluorescence was used for cellular uptake analysis. Western blotting was used to estimate the apoptosis-related protein expression in HepG2 cells. 3-(4,5)-di-methylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazolium bromide assay was used for estimating the apoptosis of cancer cells. The in vivo anti-cancer effect and safety of Adriamycin loaded niosomes were analyzed in tumor-bearing mice. Adriamycin loaded niosomes improved the cellular uptake of Adriamycin. The anti-cancer effect of Adriamycin in vivo was enhanced. The responsive release of Adriamycin loaded niosomes under acidic conditions reduced the toxicity of Adriamycin to normal cells and the mortality of tumor-bearing mice. Together, Adriamycin loaded niosomes improved its anti-cancer effect and safety for liver cancer treatment.