Dr.akhtar aman is currently serving as associate professor of pharmaceutics at Shaheed Benair Bhutto University, Pakistan. He earned his Ph.D. in nanomedicine from University College London, UK in 2013. During his PhD, he worked on formulation and pharmacokinetic evaluation of hydrophobically modified glycol chitosan based etoposide nanoparticles. Dr. Aman has published more than 30 research articles in well reputed journals.
Modified Glycol Chitosan Nanocarriers Carry Hydrophobic Materials into Tumors
Delivery of hydrophobic drugs to tumor remains a challenge in chemotherapy. The aim of the current project was to develop a polymeric delivery system for etoposide using modified glycol chitosan derivatives to eliminate the adverse effects associated with the current commercial formulations of etoposide due to various co-solvents and to improve the pharmacokinetics. Modified derivatives were synthesized by palmitoylation of glycol chitosan backbone using palmitic acid N-hydroxy succinimide. The resultant palmitoyl glycol chitosan derivatives were further methylated by quaternization to improve the hydrophilicity of the resultant polymer. The amphiphilic polymer successfully solubilised and encapsulated the hydrophobic drug up to 3mg/ml without any co-solvent, used in commercial formulation for solubalization of hydrophobic drug. Modified glycol chitosan based etoposide formulation transformed the pharmacokinetic pattern and statistically significant difference was observed against commercial formulation, i.e. brain (19 vs. 9, p<0.001), liver (25 vs. 70, p<0.001), lungs (42 vs. 136, p<0.001), spleen (27 vs. 36, P<0.05), kidneys (25 vs. 30, p<0.05). Hydrophobically modified glycol chitosan micelles encapsulating Nile red (fluorescent dye) successfully delivered the loaded dye to A2780 and MCF7 tumor cells in-vitro and to A431 xenograft in-vivo, showing the capability of amphiphilic polymer to solubilise the hydrophobic anticancer drugs and their enhanced uptake across biological barriers such blood brain barrier, thus making modified glycol chitosan based micelles as a promising carriers for hydrophobic drugs.