Construction of amphiphilic copolymer nanoparticles based on gelatin as drug carriers for doxorubicin delivery

Novel biodegradable amphiphilic copolymer nanoparticles based on gelatin, poly(lactide) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE) (gelatin-co-PLA-DPPE) have been successfully fabricated. In order to estimate the feasibility as drug carriers, an anti-tumor model drug doxorubicin hydrochloride salt (DOX) was incorporated into polymeric nanoparticles by double emulsion or nanoprecipitation method. The nanoparticle size, size distribution and encapsulation efficiency (EE) were influenced by the feed weight ratio of the copolymer to DOX and different fabrication methods of nanoparticles. In addition, in vitro release experiments exhibited the release behavior was affected by pH of release media. The DOX-loaded nanoparticles showed that faster release at pH 5.0 than their release at pH 7.4 buffer. The DOX-loaded copolymer nanoparticles showed comparable anticancer efficacy with the free drug in vitro and in vivo. These results demonstrate a feasible application of the gelatin derivative as a promising nanocarrier for delivery of anti-tumor drugs.