Theranostic, pH-Responsive, Doxorubicin-Loaded Nanoparticles Inducing Active Targeting and Apoptosis for Advanced Gastric Cancer

This study developed a kind of magnetic-polymer nanocarrier with folate receptor-targeting and pH-sensitive multifunctionalities to carry doxorubicin (DOX) for treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Folate-conjugated, pH-sensitive, amphiphilic poly­(β-aminoester) self-assembled with hydrophobic oleic acid-modified iron oxide nanoparticles, and the resulting hydrophobic interaction area is a reservoir for lipophilic DOX (F–P-DOX). Confocal microscopy illustrated that F–P-DOX treatment could keep higher DOX accumulation in cells than P-DOX (without folate conjugation), and therefore get a higher efficiency of DOX internalization at pH 6.5 than at pH 7.4. Electron microscope characterization and real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed cell apoptosis promoted by F–P-DOX. The better efficacy of F–P-DOX on GC than free DOX and P-DOX was determined by MTT assay and xenograft model. Moreover, the accumulation of F–P-DOX in the tumor site was detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All those observations suggest F–P-DOX could be a promising theranostic candidate for AGC treatment.