Abstract
Cytotoxic agents that are used conventionally in cancer therapy present limitations that affect their efficacy and safety profile, leading to serious adverse effects. In the aim to overcome these drawbacks, different approaches have been investigated and, among them, theranostics is attracting interest. This new field of medicine combines diagnosis with targeted therapy; therefore, the aim of this study was the preparation and characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) selective for the anticancer drug Sunitinib (SUT) for the development of a novel theranostic system that is able to integrate the drug controlled release ability of MIPs with Rhodamine 6G as a fluorescent marker. MIPs were synthesized by precipitation polymerization and then functionalized with Rhodamine 6G by radical grafting. The obtained polymeric particles were characterized in terms of particles size and distribution, ξ-potential and fluorescent, and hydrophilic properties. Moreover, adsorption isotherms and kinetics and in vitro release properties were also investigated. The obtained binding data confirmed the selective recognition properties of MIP, revealing that SUT adsorption better fitted the Langmuir model, while the adsorption process followed the pseudo-first order kinetic model. Finally, the in vitro release studies highlighted the SUT controlled release behavior of MIP, which was well fitted with the Ritger-Peppas kinetic model. Therefore, the synthesized fluorescent MIP represents a promising material for the development of a theranostic platform for Sunitinib controlled release and self-monitoring in cancer therapy.
Highlights
Conventional cytotoxic agents that are used in cancer therapy are characterized by several limitations that affect their efficacy and safety profile, resulting in a high incidence of side effects, which include bone marrow suppression, nausea, vomiting, and alopecia
The aim of this study was the preparation and characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) that are selective for the anticancer drug Sunitinib (SUT) for the development of a novel theranostic system that is able to combine the drug controlled release ability of MIPs and Rhodamine 6G as a fluorescent marker
Imprinted beads were prepared by precipitation polymerization and the obtained particles were functionalized with rhodamine 6G as a fluorescent marker by radical grafting using H2O2 and ascorbic acid as a redox pair
Summary
Conventional cytotoxic agents that are used in cancer therapy are characterized by several limitations that affect their efficacy and safety profile, resulting in a high incidence of side effects, which include bone marrow suppression, nausea, vomiting, and alopecia. Many strategies have been explored and, among them, theranostics represents an innovative approach based on the integration of diagnosis and targeted therapy, which allows the real-time monitoring of the therapeutic response [2]. Theranostic agents, are multitasking vehicles consisting of both diagnostic and therapeutic functions in the aim to achieve improved cancer therapy and tumor imaging. Based on these considerations, the aim of this study was the preparation and characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) that are selective for the anticancer drug Sunitinib (SUT) for the development of a novel theranostic system that is able to combine the drug controlled release ability of MIPs and Rhodamine 6G as a fluorescent marker. The use of a fluorescent material, allows the real-time imaging of cancer and simultaneous diagnosis and guided therapy
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