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Purpose: The aim of this work was to prepare paclitaxel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles and determine cytotoxicity of released paclitaxel for two hypoxic human tumor cell lines: breast carcinoma (MCF-7) and carcinoma cervicis (HeLa)., Methods: Poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles containing paclitaxel were prepared by o/w emulsification-solvent evaporation method. Physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticles were studied. Cellular uptake of nanoparticles was evaluated by transmission electronic microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Flow cytometry quantified the number of cells held in G(2)/M phase. Cell viability was determined by the ability of single cell to form colonies. Biodistribution of nanoparticles in mice was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy., Results: The nanoparticles were spherical with average diameter 318 +/- 5.1 nm. The encapsulation efficiency was 88.52%. The drug release profile in vitro exhibited a biphasic pattern. Cellular uptake was observed. Co-culture of tumor cells with paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles demonstrated that released paclitaxel retained its bioactivity to block cells in G(2)/M phase. Paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles exhibited cytotoxic effect on both hypoxic MCF-7 and HeLa cells and its cytotoxicity was more significant than that of free paclitaxel. Fluorescent nanoparticles were mainly distributed to liver and spleen of mice., Conclusions: Paclitaxel-loaded PLGA nanoparticles may be considered a promising drug delivery system to eradicate hypoxic tumor cells.

Radioresistant hypoxic cells may contribute to the failure of radiation therapy in controlling certain tumors. Some studies have suggested the radiosensitizing effect of paclitaxel. The poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) nanoparticles containing paclitaxel were prepared by o/w emulsification-solvent evaporation method. The physicochemical characteristics of the nanoparticles (i.e., encapsulation efficiency, particle size distribution, morphology, in vitro release) were studied. The morphology of the two human tumor cell lines: a carcinoma cervicis (HeLa) and a hepatoma (HepG(2)), treated with paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles was photomicrographed. Flow cytometry was used to quantify the number of the tumor cells held in the G(2)/M phase of the cell cycle. The cellular uptake of nanoparticles was evaluated by transmission electronic microscopy. Cell viability was determined by the ability of single cell to form colonies in vitro. The prepared nanoparticles were spherical in shape with size between 200 nm and 800 nm. The encapsulation efficiency was 85.5%. The release behaviour of paclitaxel from the nanoparticles exhibited a biphasic pattern characterised by a fast initial release during the first 24 h, followed by a slower and continuous release. Co-culture of the two tumor cell lines with paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles demonstrated that the cell morphology was changed and the released paclitaxel retained its bioactivity to block cells in the G(2)/M phase. The cellular uptake of nanoparticles was observed. The free paclitaxel and paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles effectively sensitized hypoxic HeLa and HepG(2) cells to radiation. Under this experimental condition, the radiosensitization of paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles was more significant than that of free paclitaxel.

Paclitaxel and etanidazole are hypoxic radiosensitizers that exhibit cytotoxic action at different mechanisms. The poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles containing paclitaxel, etanidazole and paclitaxel+etanidazole were prepared by o/w and w/o/w emulsification-solvent evaporation method. The morphology of the nanoparticles was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The drug encapsulation efficiency (EE) and release profile in vitro were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The cellular uptake of nanoparticles for the human breast carcinoma cells (MCF-7) and the human carcinoma cervicis cells (HeLa) was evaluated by transmission electronic microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Cell viability was determined by the ability of single cell to form colonies in vitro. The prepared nanoparticles were spherical shape with size between 80 and 150 nm. The EE was higher for paclitaxel and lower for etanidazole. The drug release was controlled over time. The cellular uptake of nanoparticles was observed. Co-culture of the two tumor cell lines with drug-loaded nanoparticles demonstrated that released drug effectively sensitized hypoxic tumor cells to radiation. The radiosensitization of paclitaxel+etanidazole nanoparticles was more significant than that of single drug-loaded nanoparticles.

The two radiosensitizers SR-2508 (etanidazole) and paclitaxel (taxol) have different dose-limiting toxicities in humans. Combination of the two radiosensitizers may increase radiosensitization without increasing toxicity. This study was carried out to determine the synergistic radiosensitizing effect of combination of SR-2508 and paclitaxel in two hypoxic human tumor cell lines: a breast carcinoma (MCF-7) and a carcinoma cervicis (HeLa). The 3-(4,5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to determine the number of surviving cells. Cell cycle was evaluated by flow cytometry. Cell viability was measured by the ability of single cells to form colonies in vitro. Our data demonstrated that the radiosensitization produced by the two radiosensitizers was additive in hypoxic HeLa cells while held in the G(1) phase of the cell cycle. On the other hand, there was no synergistic radiosensitizing effect in hypoxic MCF-7 cells by combination of the two drugs. Our results suggested that the synergistic radiosensitizing effect of SR-2508 and paclitaxel may be tumor-dependent and that breast cancer may not be a good candidate. This study may provide a new combination of radiosensitizers in radiotherapy for cervical carcinoma.