In vitro and in vivo Study of a Novel Liposome-Mediated Dual Drug Delivery for Synergistic Lung Cancer Therapy via Oral Administration

BACKGROUND: To establish the co-delivery liposomes of gefitinib (GFT) and curcumin (CUR) via oral administration with the goals of improving the synergistic effect and reducing acquired drug resistance. METHODS: We prepared liposomes (LPs) which can embed the anticancer compound GFT and CUR and investigated whether they could enhance the antitumor effects of anticancer drugs against MDR. The LPs system was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size, encapsulation efficiency, cellular uptake and cell viability. In addition, the release characteristics and pharmacodynamics of the LPs were also studied in detail. RESULTS: The results showed that GFT/CUR LPs were characterized by small particle size of about 130 nm and negative zeta potential of about −22.2 mV, and the drug controlled to release slowly on a biphasic pattern. Compared with control groups, GFT/CUR LPs showed a higher cellular uptake and cell inhibition rates. Through pharmacodynamics analysis, we found that two compounds (GFT and CUR) were incorporated into one LPs carrier, which played a good role in synergistic effect. CONCLUSION: Co-delivery of GFT and CUR has the potential to improve cancer treatment efficacy and overcome acquired resistance, especially towards GFT-resistant cells.