Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Feb;8(2):193-201.
doi: 10.2217/nnm.12.101. Epub 2012 Oct 24.

Gemcitabine-loaded biocompatible nanocapsules for the effective treatment of human cancer

Donatella Paolino  1 , Donato Cosco, Marilena Celano, Sonia Moretti, Efisio Puxeddu, Diego Russo, Massimo Fresta
Affiliations

Gemcitabine-loaded biocompatible nanocapsules for the effective treatment of human cancer

Donatella Paolino et al. Nanomedicine (Lond). 2013 Feb.

Abstract

Aim: To encapsulate the nucleoside gemcitabine (GEM) in novel PEGylated polymeric nanocapsules (NanoGEM).

Materials & methods: The biological activity of NanoGEM was tested both in vitro and in vivo in comparison with the free drug. The NanoGEM was made of polylactic acid and allowed the entrapment of a great amount of GEM.

Results & discussion: The NanoGEM showed mean sizes of approximately 200 nm, a polydispersity index of approximately 0.1 and a ζ-potential of -30 mV. It exerted a stronger, quicker effect on the reduction of HEK293 cell growth in vitro in comparison with free GEM and had an in vivo antitumoral effect on the proliferation of xenograft tumors at a drug dosage tenfold less than its saline solution. The employment of nanocapsules increased the plasmatic half-life of the drug and allowed a great accumulation of GEM inside the tumors.

Conclusion: NanoGEM represents a promising new tool for the treatment of cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources