Synergistic combination therapy of lung cancer using paclitaxel- and triptolide-coloaded lipid-polymer hybrid nanopartices

Purpose: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the majority of lung cancer. Lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs) combine the advantages of both polymeric nano-particles and liposomes into a single delivery platform. In this study, we engineered LPNs as the co-delivery system of paclitaxel (PTX) and triptolide (TL) to achieve synergistic therapeutic effect and reduced drug resistance. Materials and methods: In this study, PTX- and TL-coloaded LPNs (P/T-LPNs) were fabricated by nanoprecipitation method using lipid and polymeric materials. The P/T-LPNs combination effects on human lung cancer cells were studied. Therapeutic potentials of P/T-LPNs were further determined using lung cancer cells-bearing mice model. Results: The average particle sizes of LPNs were around 160 nm, with narrow size distribution below 0.2. The zeta potential value of LPNs was about -30 mV. The encapsulating efficiency (EE) of PTX and TL loaded in LPNs was over 85%. The cytotoxicity of dual drug loaded LPNs was higher than single drug loaded LPNs. The combination therapy showed synergistic when PTX:TL weight ratio was 5:3, indicating the synergy effects of the LPNs. In vivo tumor growth curve of the experimental group was more gentle opposed to the control group, and tumor volumes of P/T-LPNs and control group were 392 and 1,737 mm(3), respectively. The inhibition rate on day 20 was 77.4% in the P/T-LPNs group, which is higher than the free drugs solution. Conclusion: The in vivo and in vitro results proved the synergetic effect of the two drugs coloaded in LPNs on the lung cancer xenografts, with the least systemic toxic side effect.