Carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin conjugated nanoparticles facilitate therapy for folate receptor-positive tumor with the mediation of folic acid.

Currently, clinical operation treatments, chemotherapy and radiotherapy just could eliminate local tumor cells. However, chemotherapy and radiotherapy also injury normal cells and lead to serious side effects and toxicities. So, it is necessary to find an effective target cancer carrier that delivers the anticancer agents into tumor cells and reduces normal cells' injury. Folic acid (FA) is a classical targeting agent mediates internalization of chemical drugs into tumor cells which over-express folate receptor (FR) on their surface. We herein report that based on host-guest interaction, NPs decorated by novel folate enhance antitumor drug delivery. BSA-NPs were prepared by desolvation method and carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD) was conjugated to the surface of NPs by carbodiimide coupling to hold FA. From in vitro cytotoxicity assay, cell apoptosis study, intracellular ATP level assay and western blot, we can see that FA-CM-β-CD-BSA NPs as good monodispersity, negative charge, and homogenous particle size have a high encapsulation efficiency. The results showed that MTT and cell apoptosis demonstrated that FA-decorated NPs exhibit stronger inhibition rate and induce obvious apoptosis in FR positive Hela cells as compared to free drug and FA undecorated NPs. Moreover, 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) loaded FA-CM-β-CD-BSA NPs down-regulate ATP levels and increase the expression of caspase-3. Taken together, FA-CM-β-CD-BSA NPs enhance FR receptor-mediated endocytosis and lead to more intracellular uptake of drug, inducing the higher apoptosis ratio of cells than free 5-Fu.