Multifunctional Micellar Nanocarriers for Tumor-Targeted Delivery of Hydrophobic Drugs.

Poor water solubility, low tumor specificity, insufficient cell internalization, and drug resistance are typical among chemotherapy drugs. In this study, the multifunctional micellar nanocarriers containing the PEG2k-pp-PE, a matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2)-labile self-assembling block copolymer, and the TAT-PEG1k-PE, a cell penetrating moiety, were developed for tumor-targeted delivery of hydrophobic drugs. The functional polymers and their nanocarriers were characterized in terms of their size, zeta potential, micelle formation capability, drug loading and release, cellular uptake, and anticancer activity. After the MMP2-mediated cleavage, the protective long chain PEG (PEG2k) was deshielded and the cell penetrating peptide (TAT) was exposed for the enhanced tumor targeting and cellular penetration. In the in vitro studies, the multifunctional nanocarriers showed the improved cellular uptake and anticancer activity in various cancer cells including both drug sensitive and resistant cells, compared to their nonsensitive counterparts and conventional polymeric micelles. Furthermore, the PEG2k-pp-PE and its containing micelles were found to possess the capability to reverse the P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance. Our results suggested that the multifunctional micellar nanocarriers would be a promising tumor-targeted drug delivery platform, applicable for the MMP2 up-regulated cancers.