Polyelectrolyte Oil-Core Nanocarriers for Localized and Sustained Delivery of Daunorubicin to Colon Carcinoma MC38 Cells: The Case of Polysaccharide Multilayer Film in Relation to PEG-ylated Shell

The authors examine properties of daunorubicin (DNR)-loaded oil-core multilayer nanocapsules prepared via layer-by-layer approach with different polyelectrolyte (PE) coatings such as a standard one (containing polysodium 4-styrenesulphonate/poly(diallyldimethyl-ammonium) chloride) and a polysaccharide-based shell (dextran/chitosan), in regard to the outer layer of poly-l-glutamic acid (PGA) grafted with polyethylene glycol (PGA-g-PEG). The nanocarriers are obtained on a cationic nanoemulsion template (stabilized by dicephalic-type surfactant, N,N-bis[3,30-(trimethylammonio)propyl]-dodecanamide dimethylsulfate) and layered with the PE shell of different thicknesses resulting in average size of 150 nm in diameter (as shown by dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy and cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy). The nanocapsules demonstrate efficient DNR encapsulation and its sustained release under physiological conditions or in the attendance of human serum albumin. The biocompatibility studies using colon carcinoma MC38 and macrophage P388D1 cell lines as well as human erythrocytes reveal that surface charge and outer PE layer type determine nanocarrier features that control their biological activity: protein adsorption, cellular internalization and localization, induction of apoptosis, and hemolytic activity. The investigations indicate that polysaccharide-coated nanocapsules present a considerable potential for application as efficient DNR delivery systems in chemotherapy of colon cancer as an alternative to nanocarriers with PEG-ylated shell.