PEGylated Hyaluronic Acid Nanoparticle Drug Delivery

A research group from the Republic of Korea developed poly(ethylene glycol)-conjugated hyaluronic acid nanoparticles (PEG-HANPs) with high tumor targetability. Doxorubicin (DOX) was chosen as the model anticancer drug and was effectively encapsulated into the mineralized nanoparticles.

How PEGylated Drugs Impact Cancer Research

“The most effective antitumor efficacy was observed for DOX-loaded PEG-HANPs. Overall, these results suggest that PEG-HANPs could be a promising carrier for an anticancer drug.”

A major drawback of hyaluronic acid (HA)-based drug nanoparticles for cancer therapy is their preferential accumulation in the liver after systemic administration. It is believed that PEGylation could effectively increase their circulation time in the blood and alter their tissue distribution. This work is published in the Journal of Controlled Release. “Robust PEGylated hyaluronic acid nanoparticles as the carrier of doxorubicin: Mineralization and its effect on tumor targetability in vivo”. Journal of Controlled Release, 2013, 168(2):105–114. DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2013.02.022.

Image: courtesy of the publisher and authors

PEGylated hyaluronic acid products: Creative PEGWorks provides a special collection of hyaluronic acid (M.W. 10, 50, 500, 750, 1000, 1500, and 2500 kDa) functionalized or grafted with polyethylene glycol polymers (M.W. 2, 5 and 10 kDa). Degree of substitution from 1 to 10 MOL % can be offered.