Internalization

Doxorubicin

Biotechnology

Biology

Materials science

Critical micelle concentration

Targeted drug delivery

Biochemistry

Drug

Endocytosis

Drug delivery

Intracellular

Genetics

In vivo

Combinatorial chemistry

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Nanocarriers

Aqueous solution

Pharmacology

Micelle

Chemotherapy

Medicine

Chemistry

Cell

Biophysics

Ethylene glycol

Chinese Chemical Letters

Cancer therapy with nanoscale drug formulations has made significant progress in the past few decades. However, the selective accumulation and release of therapeutic agents in the lesion sites are still great challenges. To this end, we developed a cRGD-decorated pH-responsive polyion complex (PIC) micelle for intracellular targeted delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) to upregulate tumor inhibition and reduce toxicity. The PIC micelle was self-assembled via the electrostatic interaction between the positively charged cRGD-modified poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(l-lysine) and the anionic acid-sensitive 2,3-dimethylmaleic anhydride-modified doxorubicin (DAD). The decoration of cRGD enhanced the cell internalization of PIC micelle through the specific recognition of αvβ3 integrin on the membrane of tumor cells. The active DOX was released under intracellular acidic microenvironment after endocytosis following the decomposition of DAD. Moreover, the targeted PIC micelle exhibited enhanced inhibition efficacies toward hepatoma in vitro and in vivo compared with the insensitive controls. The smart multifunctional micelle provides a promising platform for target intracellular delivery of therapeutic agent in cancer therapy.

Targeted pH-responsive polyion complex micelle for controlled intracellular drug delivery