Self-assembly of pH-responsive Prodrugs for Effective Antitumor Therapy

Abstract

A novel class of endosomal pH-responsive micellar nanoparticles was created by employing the self-assembly of an amphiphilic poly(ethylene glycol)-Schiff-doxorubicin (PEG-Schiff-DOX) drug. Under normal circumstances, these nanoparticles had excellent storage durability for at least 7 days, but they immediately disintegrated in a mildly acidic environment. Furthermore, a planned drug release behavior was seen, taking advantage of the different drug release mechanisms, which could lead to a higher intracellular drug concentration and longer action duration. The nanoparticles outperformed free DOX in anticancer efficacy against Hela cells, according to CCK-8 assays. Therefore, these prodrug-based nanomedicines hold significant promise for developing translational DOX tumor therapy formulations.