Tripeptide-Stabilized Oil-in-Water Nanoemulsion of an Oleic Acids–Platinum(II) Conjugate as an Anticancer Nanomedicine

We report a nanoemulsion (NE) which is stabilized by self-assembling tripeptide lysine-tyrosine-phenylalanine (KYF) and encapsulates an oleic acids–platinum conjugate formed using simple Pt (II) coordination chemistry. The KYF-Pt-NE is evaluated both in cultured ovarian cancer cells and in an in vivo preclinical cancer model and shows pH dependent Pt (II) release, which is low at physiological pH and enhanced at tumoral pH. The biological activity of KYF-Pt-NE, evaluated in multiple ovarian cancer cell lines, is significantly higher when compared to the analogous Pt (II) complex used in the clinic. Concurrently, the KYF-Pt-NE platform shows good compatibility with the immune system. Preliminary in vivo testing of KYF-Pt-NE with tumor bearing mice indicates efficient Pt (II) delivery to the tumor. Together, these results demonstrate the potential of peptide-stabilized nanoemulsions, specifically KYF-Pt-NE as an effective nanomedicine against cancer.