Nanostructured Lipid Carrier Mediated Co-delivery Of Quantum Dots And Paclitaxel To Tumour For Cancer Imaging And Therapy:a Multifunctional Nanoparticle Construct For Theragnostic Approach

Of colloidal systems,ceteris paribus,nanostructured lipid carriers(NLC)are second to none in offering a single unit platform for multifunctional benefits.Timing is an important factor in cancer management.Theragnostic systems have benefit of improving patients' life-quality by expediting therapeutic decisions.The objective of this study was to explore the potential of co-loaded[quantum dots(CdTe/CdS/ZnS)and paclitaxel]NLC as a parenteral multifunctional delivery system.The co-loaded NLC was prepared by emulsion-evaporation and low temperature-solidification method utilising glyceryl monostearate,oleic acid,and soya phosphatidylcholine as lipid matrix.In characterising the co-loaded NLC,physicochemical properties of particle size,polydispersity index(PDI),zeta potential(ZP).morphology.stability study,encapsulation efficacy(EE)and drug loading(DL)were investigated.Moreover,in-vitro PTX release profile,cell viability,cellular uptake,in-vivo anti-tumour efficacy,apoptosis,PTX assay in major organs,histopathological and in-vivo and ex-vivo fluorescence optical imaging abilities of the co-loaded NLC were assessed.The mean particle size,PDI and ZP were reported to be 115.93±1.61 nm,0.1 7 ± 0.04 and-0.22± 0.03 mV,respectively.The particles were spheroid-like in shape with relatively smooth surface.The co-loaded NLC was stable at 4? for 1 month.A higher EE(80.70± 2.11%)and DL(4.68 ± 0.04%)were registered.The co-loaded NLC exhibited a fast release and slow release which was superior to taxolR.IC50 value was found to be 1.05± 0.58 ?M.Cellular internalisation was realised and apoptosis observed.In comparison with taxol(?),co-loaded NLC was significantly(p<0.05)more effective in inhibiting the H22-tumour growth.The tumour growth inhibition rate of 77.85%was recorded.The PTX determination in major organs revealed that co-loaded NLC was mainly located in the liver,spleen and lung,with the longest retention in the spleen.The in-vivo and ex-vivo imaging results showed capability of the co-loaded NLC to specifically target and detect the H22 tumour.It can therefore be safely concluded that the co-loaded NLC formulation can be qualified as a splendid parenteral drug delivery system foundation for cancer theragnostic.