A prodrug strategy to deliver cisplatin(IV) and paclitaxel in nanomicelles to improve efficacy and tolerance.

A strategy of preparing composite micelles containing both cisplatin(IV) prodrug and paclitaxel was developed, i.e., synthesizing a cisplatin(IV) conjugate and a paclitaxel conjugate starting with the same biodegradable and amphiphilic block copolymer, and co-assembling the two conjugates. The composite micelles could release effective anticancer drug cisplatin(II) upon cellular reduction and PTX via acid hydrolysis once they came into the cancerous cells. Moreover, the composite micelles displayed synergistic effect in vitro and the combination therapy in micellar dosage-form led to reduced systematic toxicity and enhanced antitumor efficacy in vivo.