Dual pH/redox-responsive hyperbranched polymeric nanocarriers with TME-trigger size shrinkage and charge reversible ability for amplified chemotherapy of breast cancer.

A novel pH/redox-responsive hyperbranched MeO-PEG-b-(NIPAAm-co-PBAE) nanoparticles (NPs) were designed with size shrinkage and charge-reversible potential for targeted delivery of docetaxel (DTX) to MDA-MB-231 cell lines. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), amine protonation induces charge reversal and disulfide bond cleavage under high TME GSH concentration causing size shrinkage, improved deep tumor penetration, and active targeting of the therapeutic agents. These nano drug delivery systems (NDDSs) significantly promoted cancer cell uptake (~ 100% at 0.5 h), facilitating site-specific delivery and deep tumor penetration. The MTT assay revealed significantly higher cytotoxicity (P value < 0.0001) for DTX-loaded NPs compared to free DTX. Cell cycle analysis revealed G2/M (58.3 ± 2.1%) and S (21.5 ± 1.3%) arrest for DTX-loaded NPs, while free DTX caused G2/M (67.9 ± 1.1%) and sub-G1 (10.3 ± 0.8%) arrest. DTX-loaded NPs induced higher apoptosis (P value < 0.001) in MDA-MB-231 cells (71.5 ± 2.8%) compared to free DTX (42.3 ± 3.1%). Western blotting and RT-PCR assays confirmed significant up-regulation of protein levels and apoptotic genes by DTX-loaded NPs compared to free DTX. In conclusion, TME-responsive charge reversal and size-shrinkable smart NDDSs designed based on low pH, and high glutathione (GSH), offer more effective site-specific delivery of therapeutic agents to tumors.