Co-Delivery of Docetaxel and Curcumin via Nanomicelles for Enhancing Anti-Ovarian Cancer Treatment

INTRODUCTIONS: Ovarian cancer is a stubborn malignancy of gynecological system with a high mortality rate. Docetaxel (DTX), the second-generation of anti-tumor drug Taxane, has shown superior efficacy over classic paclitaxel (PTX) in certain cancers. However, its clinical application is hindered by poor bioavailability. The natural spice extract curcumin (Cur) has been discovered to improve the bioavailability of DTX. Therefore, it is meaningful to develop a combined drug strategy of DTX and Cur with methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-poly (L-lactic acid) (MPEG-PLA) copolymers in ovarian cancer therapy. METHODS: Injectable DTX-Cur/M nanomicelles were synthesized and characterized in the study. The molecular interactions between DTX, Cur and copolymer were simulated and the drug release behavior was investigated. The anti-tumor activity and anti-tumor mechanisms of DTX-Cur/M were evaluated and explored in both cells and mice model of xenograft human ovarian cancer. RESULTS: DTX-Cur/M nanomicelles with an average particle size of 37.63 nm were obtained. The drug release experiment showed sustained drug release from DTX-Cur/M nanomicelles. The MTT assay and apoptotic study indicated that DTX-Cur/M exhibited stronger inhibition and pro-apoptotic effects on A2780 cells compared with DTX or Cur alone. In vivo anti-tumor experiment results confirmed that the DTX-Cur/M played the most effective role in anti-ovarian cancer therapy by inhibiting tumor proliferation, suppressing tumor angiogenesis and promoting tumor apoptosis. CONCLUSION: We designed injectable DTX-Cur/M nanomicelles for co-delivery of DTX and Cur agents to the tumor site through systemic administration. The DTX-Cur/M nanomicelle would be a biodegradable, sustainable and powerful anti-tumor drug candidate with great potential in ovarian cancer treatment.