Exploring the Relationship of Hyaluronic acid Molecular Weight and Active Targeting Efficiency for Designing Hyaluronic acid-modified Nanoparticles

In this study, we constituted three HA-functionalized Dox-loaded NPs (Dox/HCVs) different HA MWs (7, 63, and 102 kDa) and attempted to illustrate the effects of HA MW on the targeting efficiency. The three Dox/HCVs had similar physiochemical and pharmaceutical characteristics, but showed different affinity to CD44 receptor. Furthermore, Dox/HCV-63 exerted the best targeting effect and the highest cytotoxicity compared with Dox/HCV-7 and Dox/HCV-102. It was interesting to found that both the HA-CD44 binding affinity and induced CD44 clustering by HA-based NPs were HA MW-dependent, the two of which determine the apparent targeting efficacy of Dox/HCV NPs in the conflicting directions. Those results laid a good foundation for rationally designing HA-based NPs in cancer therapy.Graphical AbstractThree active targeting nanoparticles with different hyaluronic acid molecular weight were prepared for exploring the relationship of hyaluronic acid molecular weight and active targeting efficacy and discussing potential mechanisms.
Source: Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research