Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Paclitaxel is easy to cause allergic reactions in clinic; therefore, the development of a new paclitaxel formulation appears to be very meaningful.
OBJECTIVE: To prepare paclitaxel nanoparticles and to observe their therapeutic efficacy on mouse models of breast cancer.
METHODS: A biodegradable poly-caprolactone was used as drug delivery material. Paclitaxel nanoparticles were prepared by solvent displacing method. The paclitaxel nanoparticles were characterized for size, drug loading capacity, and in vitro release. Trial mice were randomly divided into negative control group, paclitaxel positive control group, low-dose paclitaxel nanoparticles group, mid-dose paclitaxel nanoparticles group, and high-dose paclitaxel nanoparticles group.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The average size of paclitaxel nanoparticles was around 153.54 nm. The encapsulation efficiency of paclitaxel nanoparticles was 87.25%. Loading amount of paclitaxel in the paclitaxel nanoparticles was 19.06%.     In vitro, nanoparticles maintained sustained release of paclitaxel for over 30 days. After 2 weeks of treatment, the inhibition of tumor growth ratio was more obvious in the mid-dose and high-dose paclitaxel nanoparticles groups than in the paclitaxel positive control group (P < 0.01). These findings indicate that the inhibition of tumor growth ratio of paclitaxel nanoparticles (mid-dose and high-dose groups) is better than that of paclitaxel.