TY - JOUR
T1 - Polyphosphoester-stabilized cubosomes encapsulating a Ru(II) complex for the photodynamic treatment of lung adenocarcinoma
AU - Casula, Luca
AU - Elena Giacomazzo, Gina
AU - Conti, Luca
AU - Fornasier, Marco
AU - Manca, Benedetto
AU - Schlich, Michele
AU - Sinico, Chiara
AU - Rheinberger, Timo
AU - Wurm, Frederik R.
AU - Giorgi, Claudia
AU - Murgia, Sergio
PY - 2024/9/15
Y1 - 2024/9/15
N2 - The clinical translation of photosensitizers based on ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes (RPCs) in photodynamic therapy of cancer faces several challenges. To address these limitations, we conducted an investigation to assess the potential of a cubosome formulation stabilized in water against coalescence utilizing a polyphosphoester analog of Pluronic F127 as a stabilizer and loaded with newly synthesized RPC-based photosensitizer [Ru(dppn)2(bpy-morph)](PF6)2 (bpy-morph = 2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-diylbis(morpholinomethanone)), PS-Ru. The photophysical characterization of PS-Ru revealed its robust capacity to induce the formation of singlet oxygen (1O2). Furthermore, the physicochemical analysis of the PS-Ru-loaded cubosomes dispersion demonstrated that the encapsulation of the photosensitizer within the nanoparticles did not disrupt the three-dimensional arrangement of the lipid bilayer. The biological tests showed that PS-Ru-loaded cubosomes exhibited significant phototoxic activity when exposed to the light source, in stark contrast to empty cubosomes and to the same formulation without irradiation. This promising outcome suggests the potential of the formulation in overcoming the drawbacks associated with the clinical use of RPCs in photodynamic therapy for anticancer treatments.
AB - The clinical translation of photosensitizers based on ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes (RPCs) in photodynamic therapy of cancer faces several challenges. To address these limitations, we conducted an investigation to assess the potential of a cubosome formulation stabilized in water against coalescence utilizing a polyphosphoester analog of Pluronic F127 as a stabilizer and loaded with newly synthesized RPC-based photosensitizer [Ru(dppn)2(bpy-morph)](PF6)2 (bpy-morph = 2,2′-bipyridine-4,4′-diylbis(morpholinomethanone)), PS-Ru. The photophysical characterization of PS-Ru revealed its robust capacity to induce the formation of singlet oxygen (1O2). Furthermore, the physicochemical analysis of the PS-Ru-loaded cubosomes dispersion demonstrated that the encapsulation of the photosensitizer within the nanoparticles did not disrupt the three-dimensional arrangement of the lipid bilayer. The biological tests showed that PS-Ru-loaded cubosomes exhibited significant phototoxic activity when exposed to the light source, in stark contrast to empty cubosomes and to the same formulation without irradiation. This promising outcome suggests the potential of the formulation in overcoming the drawbacks associated with the clinical use of RPCs in photodynamic therapy for anticancer treatments.
KW - Cancer
KW - Drug delivery
KW - Liquid crystalline nanoparticles
KW - Photodynamic therapy
KW - ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes
U2 - 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.05.088
DO - 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.05.088
M3 - Article
C2 - 38761576
AN - SCOPUS:85193253885
SN - 0021-9797
VL - 670
SP - 234
EP - 245
JO - Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
JF - Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
ER -
