Self-assembled nanoparticles from hyaluronic acid-paclitaxel prodrugs for direct cytosolic delivery and enhanced antitumor activity.

A prodrug-based nanosystem obtained by formulating prodrug and nanotechnology into a system is one of the most promising strategies to enhance drug delivery for disease treatment. Herein, we report a new nanosystem based on HA-PTX conjugates (HA-PTX Ns), which penetrated across cell membranes into cytosol, thus enhancing paclitaxel (PTX) delivery. HA-PTX Ns were successfully obtained based on HA-PTX, and their average particle size was approximately 200 nm. Importantly, unlike other prodrug-based nanosystems, HA-PTX Ns obtained cellular entry without entrapment within the lysosomal-endosomal system by using pathways including clathrin-mediated endocytosis, microtubule-associated internalization, macropinocytosis and cholesterol-dependence. Due to significant accumulation in tumors, HA-PTX Ns had more than a 4-fold decrease in tumor volume on day 14 in contrast with PTX alone. In conclusion, HA-PTX Ns could enter cells, bypass the lysosomal-endosomal system and improve PTX delivery.