Characterization of Thermoresponsive Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) Polymer Containing Doxorubicin-Loaded Niosomes: Synthesis, Structural Properties, and Anticancer Efficacy

Purpose

Nanotechnology creates materials for medical purposes, such as nanocarriers or smart polymers that target and treat diseases like cancer.

Methods

In this study, hybrid carriers based on doxorubicin/poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (DOX-PVCL) and doxorubicin-loaded niosome /poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (DOX-Nio-PVCL) have been constructed as thermoresponsive polymers. At first, PVCL was synthesized and purified. Then, the DOX-Nio was prepared by the thin layer evaporation method and loaded into the PVCL. Furthermore, doxorubicin was loaded on PVCL by the same method. The structure features and morphology of the synthesized particles were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Raman spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. The synthesized particles’ size was measured at 25˚C and 37˚C by dynamic light scattering (DLS).

Results

The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was determined and showed 32.5, 28.5, 28.5 ˚C values for PVCL, DOX-Nio-PVCl, and DOX-PVCL dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline, respectively. The release behavior of doxorubicin showed that the synthesized formulations had more potential release at pH 5.5 than pH 7.4. Evaluation of the cytotoxicity of PVCL on MCF-7 did not show any significant toxicity for concentrations 5.8–29 µg/mL. MCF-7 cell viability was investigated in the presence of DOX, DOX-Nio, DOX-Nio-PVCL, and DOX-PVCL at a final concentration of 29 µg/mL and 1.1 µg/mL of polymer and drug, respectively. Our results showed the highest MCF-7 cell death in DOX-PVCL-treated cells.

Conclusion

While the synthetic polymer displayed promising abilities in eliminating cancer cells, further study is necessary to explore its potential as a medicinal treatment, particularly in understanding its impact on in vivo structures.