Lab talk
Oct 18, 2012
Lipoprotein-like nanoparticles pave the way for nanomedicine
In a recent study, lapatinib – a cancer drug – was bound with albumin and dispersed by egg yolk lecithin to form injectable nanoparticles. The nanostructures could be used to passively target glioma – a type of tumour – with an enhanced anti-glioma effect, and improve the prospects for drugs with poor water solubility.
The particles prepared by Xinguo Jiang’s group, which is based at Fudan University, China, consisted of a lipid surface and a core of conjugated albumin and lapatinib. This method is suitable not only for lapatinib, but also for the whole drug family. According to unpublished data, the relative bioavailability of LTNPs in rats was more than 20-fold compared with Tykerb, the commercially available tablet.
Combining the passive targeting effect of nanoparticles and the receptor-mediated targeting effect of albumin, the team’s nanoparticles displayed an improved anti-glioma effect compared with the conventional drug. To deliver an equal anti-glioma effect, the cumulative dose of nanoparticles was only 5% of the Tykerb formulation.
Additional information can be found in the journal Nanotechnology.
About the author
This study was conducted by researchers from Prof. Xinguo Jiang’s group in the School of Pharmacy at Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Prof. Xinguo Jiang’s work is focused on brain targeting delivery systems by intranasal and intravenous administration. He is also studying methods to solve the problems of poorly water soluble drugs. Huile Gao is a PhD student at Fudan University. Huile Gao is working mainly on the development of brain cancer targeting delivery systems including passive targeting, brain cancer targeting and dual targeting delivery systems.
