Redox/NIR dual-responsive glutathione extended polyurethane urea electrospun membranes for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.125108
• Publication Date: 2024-12-20T00:07:19Z
• Authors: Annalisa Martorana; Giorgia Puleo; Giovanni Carlo Mi...; Francesco Cancilla; Mariano Licciardi; Giovanna Pitarresi; Luigi Tranchina; Maurizio Marrale; Fabio Salvatore P...
• Keywords: Polyurethane; Electrospinning; Loco-regional therapy; Settore CHEM-08/A - Tecnologia, socioeconomia e normativa dei medicinali e dei prodotti per il benessere e per la salute; Polyurethane Electrospinning Gold nanorods Photothermal therapy Loco-regional therapy; Gold nanorods; Photothermal therapy

Despite advancements in cancer treatments, therapies frequently exhibit high cytotoxicity, and surgery remains the predominant method for treating most solid tumors, often with limited success in preventing post-surgical recurrence. Implantable biomaterials, designed to release drugs at a localised site in response to specific stimuli, represent a promising approach for enhancing tumour therapy. In this study, a redox-responsive glutathione extended polyurethane urea (PolyCEGS) was used to produce paclitaxel (PTX) and gold nanorods (AuNRs) loaded electrospun membranes for combined redox/near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive release chemotherapy and hyperthermic effect. Electrospinning conditions were optimized to fabricate AuNR-loaded scaffolds, at three different AuNRs concentrations. The obtained membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses and photothermal profiles were evaluated by a thermocamera, showing a temperature increase, up to 42.5 °C, when exposed to NIR light (810 nm) at 3 W/cm 2 . The AuNRs/PTX loaded scaffolds exhibited sustained PTX release, with 15 % released over 30 days and almost 1.8 times more in a simulated reductive environment. Moreover, their excellent photothermal effects and NIR light-triggered release led to significant synergic cytotoxicity in human colon cancer (HCT-116) and human breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines. This system potentially enables controllable locoregional PTX release at the tumour site post-surgery, preventing recurrence and enhancing cytotoxicity through combined drug and PTT effects, highlighting its potential for future anticancer treatments.