Hyaluronic acid-coated solid lipid nanoparticles to overcome drug-resistance in tumor cells

Abstract In this study, we aimed to prepare hyaluronic acid (HA)-coated, docetaxel (DTX)-loaded, solid lipid nanoparticles (HA-SLN) to target and overcome drug-resistant tumor cells. SLN were prepared with stearic acid (SA), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), soy phosphatidylcholine (PC), and DTX by the lipid film method. Next, the lipid nanoparticles were coated with HA via electrostatic attraction. SLN and HA-SLN were characterized and evaluated. An in vitro drug release assay was performed in phosphate-buffered saline for 72 h. The extent of CD44 expression in MCF7, MDA-MB-231, and MCF7/ADR cells was investigated using western blotting. Next, cellular uptake and cytotoxicity were compared. The particle sizes of SLN and HA-SLN were 109.5 ± 8.2 and 224.3 ± 15.9 nm, respectively. SLN had a positive surface charge of 32.5 ± 3.7 mV, whereas HA-SLN had a negative charge of −17.1 ± 0.7 mV. A considerable amount of CD44 expression was detected in MCF7/ADR cells. The cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of HA-SLN were higher in MCF7/ADR cells than in the other cells, showing sufficient targetability and efficacy to control tumor resistance. Therefore, HA-SLN are an effective, targeted drug delivery system for delivering DTX to overcome drug-resistant tumors.