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Purpose: The size of polymeric nanoparticles is considered as an effective factor in cancer therapy due to enterance into tumor tissue via the EPR effect. The purpose of this work was to investigate the effective parameters on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-paclitaxel (PLGA - PTX) nanoparticles size. Methods: We prepared PLGA-PTX nanoparticles via single emulsion and precipitation methods with variable paremeters including drug concentration, aqueous to organic phase volume ratio, polymer concentration, sonication time and PVA concentration. Results: PLGA-PTX nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results exhibited that the diameter of nanoparticles enhanced with increasing drug, polymer and PVA concentrations whereas organic to aqueous phase volume ratio and sonication time required to the optimization for a given size. Conclusion: The precipitation method provides smaller nanoparticles compared to emulsion one. Variable parameters including drug concentration, aqueous to organic phase volume ratio, polymer concentration, sonication time and PVA concentration affect diameter of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma is a malignant brain tumor and leads to death in most patients. Chemotherapy is a common method for brain cancer in clinics. However, the recent advancements in the chemotherapy of brain tumors have not been efficient enough. With the advancement of nanotechnology, the used drugs can enhance chemotherapy efficiency and increase the access to brain cancers. Combination of therapeutic agents has been recently attracted great attention for glioblastoma chemotherapy. One of the early benefits of combination therapies is the high potential to provide synergistic effects and decrease adverse side effects associated with high doses of single anticancer drugs. Therefore, brain tumor treatments with combination drugs can be considered as a crucial approach for avoiding tumor growth. This review investigates current progress in nano-mediated co-delivery of therapeutic agents with focus on glioblastoma chemotherapy prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The aim of this work is to co-load paclitaxel (PTX) and etoposide (ETP) in methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (mPEG-PLGA NPs) to overcome pharmacokinetics and physiological limitations and enhance therapeutic efficacy for treating intracranial glioblastoma. Both drugs were loaded into mPEG-PLGA NPs by a nano-precipitation method. The resultant NPs demonstrated an enhanced cytotoxic effect indicated by lower IC 50 values and augmented cell apoptosis to U87 and C6 glioma cell lines compared to both free drugs. Additionally, blood compatibility assays showed that the PTX/ETP co-loaded mPEG-PLGA NPs did not induce blood hemolysis, blood clotting, or platelet aggregation. In vivo anti-glioma efficacy evaluation in rats bearing intracranial C6 glioma revealed a superior anti-glioma activity for the treatment with PTX/ETP co-loaded mPEG-PLGA NPs compared to other formulations, particularly a significantly longer median survival, 76 days compared to 36 days for free PTX and 37 days for free ETP treatment, respectively, and higher tumor regression, proved by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]