Multilamellar nanovectors composed of microbial glycolipid–polylysine complexes for drug encapsulation†

Abstract

This study addresses the potential use of single-glucose microbial amphiphiles as pohospholipid-free drug carriers. Microbial amphiphiles, also known as biosurfactants, are molecules obtained from the fermentation of bacteria, fungi or yeast and are largely studied for their antimicrobial, cleaning or anti-pollution potential. However, recent understanding of their self-assembly properties combined with their interactions with macromolecules suggests broader potential applications, one being the phospholipid-free formulation of drugs. In this study, we demonstrate that this class of bio-based molecules can be directly used to design colloidally-stable vesicular carriers for hydrophobic drugs, without employing phospholipid supports, and that the actives can be delivered to human cells. In this study, multilamellar wall vesicles (MLWVs) have been synthesised using a microbial glycolipid amphiphile and poly-L-lysine, held together by electrostatic attractive interactions. Curcumin, a highly lipophilic molecule, was used as a natural drug model to evaluate the present colloidal system as a potential nanocarrier. The cell uptake of the curcumin-loaded nanocarriers was significantly higher for HeLa cells (50%) compared to normal human dermal fibroblasts (35%) and THP-1-derived macrophages (20%). The cytotoxic effect of delivered curcumin or other pharmaceuticals (doxorubicin, docetaxel, paclitaxel) was higher in HeLa cells as the cell viability was reduced by 50%.