Self-assembled Nanoparticles Research Articles

Efficient Neutralizing Antibodies Induction by Human Parvovirus B19 Epitope-Presenting Protein Nanoparticles.

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) causes fetal hydrops in pregnant women. Despite the significant impact of this virus, effective vaccines remain unclear. In this study, we successfully engineered B19V protein nanoparticles by fusing the N-terminal receptor-binding domain corresponding to 5-80 amino acids of VP1 with two distinct types of self-assembling protein nanoparticles. Gel filtration and electron microscopic analysis confirmed the spherical assembly of the antigen-fused nanoparticles. The purified nanoparticles are efficiently bound to the surface of UT7/Epo-S1 cells, which are semi-permissive hosts for B19V infection. Immunization of BALB/c mice with VP1u 5-80 nanoparticles elicited a robust production of B19V-specific IgG antibodies compared to single VP1u 5-80 peptides. Moreover, a neutralization assay using B19V derived from a blood donor sample revealed that antibodies from mice immunized with VP1u 5-80 nanoparticles exhibited stronger infection-neutralizing activity. These findings suggest that nanoparticle formation plays a crucial role in enhancing the immunogenicity of the B19V VP1u 5-80 amino acid peptide and that these nanoparticles could serve as promising vaccine candidates, effectively inducing immunity against B19V.

Light patterning semiconductor nanoparticles by modulating surface charges.

Optical patterning of colloidal particles is a scalable and cost-effective approach for creating multiscale functional structures. Existing methods often use high-intensity light sources and customized optical setups, making them less feasible for large-scale microfabrication processes. Here, we report an optical patterning method for semiconductor nanoparticles by light-triggered modulation of their surface charge. Rather than using light as the primary energy source, this method utilizes UV-induced cleavage of surface ligands to modify surface charges, thereby facilitating the self-assembly of nanoparticles on a charged substrate via electrostatic interactions. By using citrate-treated ZnO nanoparticles, uniform ZnO patterns with variable thicknesses can be achieved. These multilayered ZnO patterns are fabricated into a UV detector with an on/off ratio exceeding 104. Our results demonstrate a simple yet effective way to pattern semiconductor nanoparticles, facilitating the large-scale integration of functional nanomaterials into emerging flexible and robotic microdevices.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-Responsive Controlled Release of Self-Assembly Nanoparticles Accelerates Heart Valve Regeneration In Situ by Orchestrating Immunomodulation.

In situ tissue engineering heart valves (TEHVs) are the most promising way to overcome the defects of existing valve prostheses. Despite their promising prospects, the clinical translation of TEHVs remains a formidable challenge, mainly due to unpredictable host interactions post-implantation. An immunomodulatory idea based on hydrogel encapsulation of nanoparticle-coated heart valve scaffolds is introduced. Specifically, galactose-modified human serum albumin nanoparticles (miR-93@HSA NPs) to deliver microRNA-93 mimics are utilized, which target macrophages and induce their differentiation into the anti-inflammatory M2 subtype, fostering a conducive immune microenvironment. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-responsive hydrogel is used to encapsulate the nanoparticles, enabling targeted and sustained release. Results show that the miR-93@HSA NPs exhibit excellent ability to induce macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype. A decellularized valve modified with hydrogel reveals MMP-response release of the miR-93@HSA NPs. In vitro, the immunomodulatory heart valve possesses good endocytocompatibility and effectively reprograms macrophages when cocultured with HUVECs or RAW264.7 macrophages. In vivo, this valve scaffold promises to mitigate early inflammatory damage and provide a pro-endothelialization niche for scaffolds' constructive remodeling. With the use of cell coculture systems and transcriptome sequencing, the mechanism of immune-modulating scaffold accelerating endothelialization is being elucidated. The immunomodulatory heart valve scaffold holds promising potential for clinical translation.

DNA origami drives gene expression in a human cell culture system

Self-assembling DNA nanoparticles have the potential to significantly advance the targeted delivery of molecular cargo owing to their chemical and architectural flexibility. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the genetic code embedded in DNA nanoparticles produced by the method of DNA origami or related techniques can be recognized and copied by RNA polymerase in vitro. Further, sculpted DNA nanoparticles can serve as a substrate for Cas9-mediated gene modification and gene expression in cell culture. In the present study, we further investigate the ability of DNA origami nanoparticles to be expressed in a human cell line with emphasis on the impact of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) domains and the contributions of the architectural disposition of genetic control elements, namely promoter and enhancer sequences. Our findings suggest that while cells possess the remarkable capability to express genes within highly folded architectures, the presence and relative density and location of ssDNA domains appears to influence overall levels of gene expression. These results suggest that it may be possible to nuance folded DNA nanoparticle architecture to regulate the rate and/or level of gene expression. Considering the highly malleable architecture and chemistry of self-assembling DNA nanoparticles, these findings motivate further exploration of their potential as an economic nanotechnology platform for targeted gene editing, nucleic acid-based vaccines, and related biotherapeutic applications.

Double Hydrophilic Hyperbranched Copolymer-Based Lipomer Nanoparticles: Copolymer Synthesis and Co-Assembly Studies

Double hydrophilic, random, hyperbranched copolymers were synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA) and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) utilizing ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the branching agent. The resulting copolymers were characterized in terms of their molecular weight and dispersity using size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and their chemical structure was confirmed using FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy techniques. The choice of the two hydrophilic blocks and the design of the macromolecular structure allowed the formation of self-assembled nanoparticles, partially due to the pH-responsive character of the DMAEMA segments and their interaction with -COOH end groups remaining from the chain transfer agent. The copolymers showed pH-responsive properties, mainly due to the protonation–deprotonation equilibria of the DMAEMA segments. Subsequently, a nanoscopic polymer–lipid (lipomer) mixed system was formulated by complexing the synthesized copolymers with cosmetic amphiphilic emulsifiers, specifically glyceryl stearate (GS) and glyceryl stearate citrate (GSC). This study aims to show that developing lipid–polymer hybrid nanoparticles can effectively address the limitations of both liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles. The effects of varying the ionic strength and pH on stimuli-sensitive polymeric and mixed polymer–lipid nanostructures were thoroughly investigated. To achieve this, the structural properties of the hybrid nanoparticles were comprehensively characterized using physicochemical techniques providing insights into their size distribution and stability.

Tailored Iridescent Visual Appearance of Self-Assembled Correlated-Disordered Nanostructures

Tailored Iridescent Visual Appearance of Self-Assembled Correlated-Disordered Nanostructures

Self-assembled ILs-PVA micelle nanostructure impart the pervaporation membrane with high ethanol dehydration performance

Achieving strong interaction with the targeted composition and constructing abundant transport channels is crucial to obtain the pervaporation (PV) membrane with high selectivity and flux. Here, three ionic liquids (ILs) were screened out based on their relative selectivity and capacity targeting for bioethanol dehydration by COSMO-RS. The interaction energies analysis between ILs, EtOH, and H2O suggests that the ILs can form strong hydrogen bonds with water and disrupt the hydrogen bond in the EtOH–H2O azeotropic mixture, which is beneficial for improving the selectivity. Furthermore, driven by the multiple hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, and van der Waals forces, ILs could self-assemble with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to fabricate the PV membrane with well-ordered micelle nanostructure, as its structure was revealed by MD simulations. The formation of the ILs-PVA micelle dramatically influenced membrane surface morphology, roughness, and water contact angle, providing an extra transport channel for the membrane. The optimal membrane (at the cmc point) exhibited a superior ethanol dehydration separation factor of 1627, along with a flux of 684 g/m2h at 50 °C. It can be expected that this novel self-assembled ILs-PVA micelle nanostructure strategy will find promising applications in other azeotropic mixture separation processes, like ethanol-ethyl acetate, water-butanol, etc.

Thiolated RAFT-PISA nano-templates power on luminescent copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) for selective mercury (II) detection

In this study, we expand the scope of polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) by modifying one of the most prototypical copolymers derived from RAFT-mediated PISA, poly(glycerol methacrylate)-b-poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate) (pGMA-b-pHPMA), by incorporating a comonomer with a protected thiol group-2-(acetylthio)ethyl methacrylate (AcSEMA) into the hydrophobic block. The photoinitiated synthesis of pGMA-b-p(HPMA-co-AcSEMA) was conducted in a water/ethanol mixture (60/40 v/v) to increase the solubility of AcSEMA. Thus, this modification enabled the formation of diverse polymeric nano-morphologies such as spheres, worms, and vesicles, dictated by the balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic block ratios and the AcSEMA content. Besides, the strong metal affinity of thiol groups makes the incorporation of AcSEMA into self-assembled nanostructures a versatile platform for generating advanced hybrid materials with potential applications in biomedicine, sensing, catalysis, or water purification. As evidenced in this work, the post-hydrolysis of the thioacetate group into thiol allowed the use of polymeric nano-objects as templates to power on the luminescenece of functionalized copper nanoclusters (CuNCs). These polymeric CuNCs, composed of several to hundreds of copper atoms, exhibit remarkable red emission, positioning the synthesized hybrids as promising luminescent probes for the development of highly selective “switch-off” luminescent sensors for Hg2+ detection. This work paves the way for the design of multifunctional hybrid nanomaterials with advanced applications.

Fluorocarbon-Functionalized Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly Nanoparticles Alleviate Hypoxia to Enhance Sonodynamic Cancer Therapy.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is an ultrasound-based, noninvasive cancer treatment that targets tumor cells by triggering reactive oxygen species production. However, the limited accumulation of sonosensitizers and the insufficient supply of O2 to the hypoxic environment at the tumor site greatly limit the effectiveness of SDT. To address these issues, positively charged porphyrin-containing nanoparticles (NPs) from self-assembling of fluorocarbon/polyethylene glycol amphiphilic block copolymer, which is synthesized through reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization, are constructed. The NPs with fluorocarbon core and positively charged hydrophilic shells not only stabilize the sonosensitizer and improve its cellular uptake, but also act as an O2 carrier alleviating the hypoxic tumor environment. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that the NPs effectively deliver O2 to the tumor and supply sufficient O2 to Renca cells after ultrasound treatment. Consequently, the NPs inhibit hypoxia-induced resistance to SDT and significantly produce reactive oxygen species by activated porphyrin moieties, inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. These oxygen-enhanced sonosensitizer NPs hold promise for cancer therapies such as photodynamic therapy, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy by overcoming hypoxia-induced resistance.

Stimuli-Responsive Peptide/siRNA Nanoparticles as a Radiation Sensitizer for Glioblastoma Treatment by Co-Inhibiting RELA/P65 and EGFR.

To develop a novel approach for increasing radiosensitivity in glioblastoma (GBM) by using targeted nanoparticles to deliver siRNA aimed at silencing the EGFR and RELA/P65 genes, which are implicated in radioresistance. We engineered biodegradable, tumor-targeted, self-assembled, and stimuli-responsive peptide nanoparticles for efficient siRNA delivery. We evaluated the nanoparticles' ability to induce gene silencing and enhance DNA damage under radiation in vitro and in vivo. The nanoparticles were designed to exhibit pH-responsive endosomal escape and αvβ3 integrin targeting, allowing for preferential accumulation at tumor sites and traversal of the blood-brain tumor barrier. The application of these nanoparticles resulted in significant gene silencing, increased apoptosis, and decreased cell viability. The treatment impaired DNA repair mechanisms, thereby enhancing radiosensitivity in GBM cells. In a GBM mouse model, the combination of nanoparticle treatment with radiotherapy notably prolonged survival without apparent toxicity. Our findings suggest that nanoparticle-mediated dual gene silencing can effectively overcome GBM radioresistance. This strategy has the potential to improve clinical outcomes in GBM treatment, proposing a promising therapeutic avenue for this challenging malignancy.

Sialic Acids Blockade-Based Chemo-Immunotherapy Featuring Cancer Cell Chemosensitivity and Antitumor Immune Response Synergies.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has significantly improved the prognosis of patients with cancer, although the majority of such patients achieve low response rates; consequently, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. The upregulation of sialic acid-containing glycans is a common characteristic of cancer-related glycosylation, which drives disease progression and immune escape via numerous pathways. Herein, the development of self-assembled core-shell nanoscale coordination polymer nanoparticles loaded with a sialyltransferase inhibitor, referred to as NCP-STI which effectively stripped diverse sialoglycans from cancer cells, providing an antibody-independent pattern to disrupt the emerging Siglec-sialic acid glyco-immune checkpoint is reported. Furthermore, NCP-STI inhibits sialylation of the concentrated nucleoside transporter 1 (CNT1), promotes the intracellular accumulation of anticancer agent gemcitabine (Gem), and enhances Gem-induced immunogenic cell death (ICD). As a result, the combination of NCP-STI and Gem (NCP-STI/Gem) evokes a robust antitumor immune response and exhibits superior efficacy in restraining the growth of multiple murine tumors and pulmonary metastasis. Collectively, the findings demonstrate a novel form of small molecule-based chemo-immunotherapy approach which features sialic acids blockade that enables cooperative effects of cancer cell chemosensitivity and antitumor immune responses for cancer treatment.

Polymersomes as Next Generation Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery: Recent Advances, Patents, Synthesis and Characterization

Background: Polymersomes (PS), self-assembled nanostructures formed by amphiphilic block copolymers, have garnered significant attention in recent years due to their unique properties and versatile applications in the fields of drug delivery and biomedicine. They are being prepared for a wide range of complex medicinal compounds, including nucleic acids, proteins, and enzymes. Polymersomes have lately been used as vehicles for delivering varied therapeutic substances and regulating ROS (reactive oxygen species). Due to their immunogenic features, polymersomes could play a critical role in enhancing subunit vaccine and drug delivery against COVID-19 infection. Objective: The prime purpose of this manuscript is to furnish an extensive overview of polymersomes, highlighting their recent advances, fabrication methods, characterization techniques, and pharmaceutical applications. Methods: The article has been amassed using several online and offline manuscripts from reputed journals, books, and other resources. Besides this, various user-friendly interfaces, like Pubmed, Google Scholar, etc, have been utilized to gather the latest data about polymersomes. This domain encompasses recent advancements in the realm of innovations about the delivery of drugs through polymeric vesicles. This field involves innovations or developments in nanocarrier systems as they are efficaciously employed to deliver the desired moiety to the targeted site. Results: PS have been discovered to exhibit remarkable promise in addressing various challenges associated with inadequate bioavailability, targeted drug delivery, dosing frequency, and diminished toxic effects. Over the past decade, such nanovesicles have been effectively employed as a complementary approach to address the issues arising from poorly soluble medications. However, this domain still requires further focus on novel breakthroughs. Conclusion: Polymersomes demonstrate unparalleled potential as innovative carriers, exhibiting remarkable versatility and exceptional biocompatibility. This concise review underscores their extraordinary prospects in diverse fields, accentuating their distinctive attributes and opening new avenues for groundbreaking applications.

Self-assembled Human Serum Protein-based Core-shell Nanoparticles to inhibit key oncogenic signalling in Drug-Resistant Leukemia

Simultaneous inhibition of multiple oncogenic signaling pathways is crucial for managing refractory cancers. This study introduces two unique core-shell nanoparticle (CS-NP) systems crafted from natural proteins that simultaneously target two crucial oncogenic pathways in refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Molecular analysis of approximately 14 refractory CML patients identified resistance to the standard treatment drug, imatinib, attributed to the overex-pression of the STAT5-transferrin pathway alongside the classic BCR-ABL fusion gene. To address this, we developed two dual-drug-loaded core-shell nanoparticles: (a) CS-NP1: Protamine sulfate nanocores carrying BCR-ABL siRNA and an albumin shell loaded with the STAT5 in-hibitor sorafenib, denoted as (PS-siRNA)-(Tf-Soraf) CS-NP; (b) CS-NP2: features a second-generation BCR-ABL inhibitor, dasatinib, in the albumin nanocore, and sorafenib in the transferrin nanoshell, labeled as (nAlb-Dasa)-(Tf-Soraf). We hypothesized that these dual-drug-loaded CS-NPs would effectively target both BCR-ABL and STAT5 pathways, with the transferrin nanoshell aiding in precise delivery to refractory CML cells overexpressing TfR1 due to STAT5 activity. Initial evaluations in drug resistant CML cell lines and patient-derived cells demonstrated significant cytotoxicity. Remarkably, even patients with BCR-ABL oncogene mutations displayed over 95% cytotoxicity with the CS-NPs. Furthermore, in vivo testing on a human xeno-graft model with a BCR-ABL+/+/STAT5+/+/TfR+/+ phenotype showcased a strong anti-tumor response. These results underscore the potential of a molecular-diagnosis-based rational design approach for protein-protein core-shell nanoparticles to simultaneously inhibit multiple oncogenic pathways, thereby overcoming resistance to targeted molecular therapies.

Geometric Frustration Directs the Self-assembly of Nanoparticles with Crystallized Ligand Bundles.

Polymer-grafted nanoparticles are versatile building blocks that self-assemble into a diverse range of mesostructures. Coarse-grained molecular simulations have commonly accompanied experiments by resolving structure formation pathways and predicting phase behavior. Past simulations represented nanoparticles as spheres and the ligands as flexible chains of beads, isotropically tethered to the nanoparticles. Here, we investigate a different minimal coarse-grained model. The model consists of an attractive rod tethered to a repulsive sphere. The motivation of this rod-sphere model is to describe nanospheres with a partially crystallized, stretched polymeric bundle as well as other complex building blocks such as rigid surfactants and end-tethered nanorods. Varying the ratio of sphere size to rod radius stabilizes self-limited clusters and other mesostructures with reduced dimensionality. The complex phase behavior we observe is a consequence of geometric frustration.

Self-assembled lipid-based nanoparticles for chemotherapy against breast cancer.

Self-assembled lipid-based nanoparticles have been shown to have improved therapeutic efficacy and lower toxic side effects. Breast cancer is a common type of malignant tumor in women. Conventional drugs such as doxorubicin (DOX) have shown low therapeutic efficacy and high drug toxicity in antitumor therapy. This paper surveys research on self-assembled lipid-based nanoparticles by categorizing them under three groups: self-assembled liposomal nanostructures, self-assembled niosomes, and self-assembled lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles. Subsequently, the structural features and operating mechanisms of each group are summarized individually along with examples of representative drugs from each group.

SELF-ASSEMBLED LIPID NANOPARTICLES FOR KILLING TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER CELLS.

Triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) lacking estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) on their cell surfaces are highly aggressive, difficult-to-treat and often relapse. Herein, we report on the self-assembled lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) of two new pegylated lipopeptides for killing TNBCs (MDA-MB-231). The pegylated lipopeptides were synthesized by conjugating an n-hexadecyl hydrophobic tail to one end of a (PEG)27 unit the other distal end of which was covalently grafted with two previously reported tumor targeting RGDK- and CGKRK- peptides. The SEM images of the self-assembled LNPs formed upon dissolution of the pegylated lipopeptides in aqueous medium revealed formation of spherical aggregates. The degree of cellular uptake for the self-assembled LNPs formed by the pegylated CGKRK-lipopeptide were found to be significantly higher than that for the self-assembled LNPs formed by the pegylated RGDK-lipopeptide in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, HEK-293 and HFF cells. Notably, about 60% TNBCs (MDA-MB-231 cells) were killed upon treatment with commercially available potent JAK2 inhibitor (WP 1066) loaded LNPs of the pegylated RGDK-lipopeptide. Contrastingly, the same treatment killed only about 20% non-cancerous HEK-293 cells. The self-assembled pegylated LNPs described herein open the door for undertaking preclinical studies in animal models for TNBCs.

Targeting ERCC2 with siRNA Self-Assembled Nanoparticles to Enhance the Cisplatin Response in Bladder Cancer

Targeting ERCC2 with siRNA Self-Assembled Nanoparticles to Enhance the Cisplatin Response in Bladder Cancer

Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly for the Synthesis of Polyisoprene-Polystyrene Block and Random Copolymers: Towards High Molecular Weight and Conversion.

In this study, reversible addition-fragmentation chain- transfer (RAFT) polymerization combined with the polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) technique is used to synthesize polyisoprene (PI)-based block and random copolymers with polystyrene (PS), aiming for high molecular weight and monomer conversion. The focus is to optimize the polymerization conditions to overcome the existing challenge of cross-linking and Diels-Alder reactions during the polymerization of isoprene, which typically constrain the reaction conversion and molecular weight of the final polymers. Using a poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) macroRAFT agent synthesized in ethanol at 80°C, random and block copolymers of PS-PI with a target molecular weight of 50000gmole-1 and a high monomer conversion of ≈80% are achieved under optimized conditions in water-emulsion at 35°C. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) verified the successful synthesis as well as the high content of 1,4 microstructure in polyisoprene. The thermal analysis via differential scanning calorimetry indicated distinct glass transitions for the microphase-separated PI-PS block copolymer, while a single transition for PI-PS random copolymer, indicating no microphase separation. Furthermore, dynamic light scattering analysis together with transmission electron microscopy provided further insight into the self-assembled emulsion nanoparticles of the polymers indicating a particle size in the range 70 to 130nm.

Virus-mimicking nanodrug active crossing of the blood-brain barrier via transcytosis against central nervous system leukemia

The poor central nervous system leukemia (CNSL) clinical efficacy of conventional doses of chemotherapy is mainly attributed to the limited permeability of chemotherapy agents caused by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Effectively enhancing the accumulation of drugs across the BBB in the central nervous system is one of the key challenges in improving patient compliance and clinical efficacy of CNSL. Here, we find that the VP1 protein, the functional module of the John Cunningham (JC) virus, can safely penetrate the BBB through a sialic acid receptor-mediated transcytosis mechanism. Based on this, we develop a JC virus-mimicking nanodrug delivery platform based on VP1 protein-conjugated self-assembled nanoparticles (MFHV), which can active target and cross the BBB via a receptor-mediated transcytosis for safe and effective low-dose chemotherapy against CNSL after systemic administration. The results demonstrate that such a platform can penetrate the BBB through the dual mechanism of clathrin-mediated endocytosis and micropinocytosis pathway. When further synergistic with ferroptosis and histamine metabolism, the long-term survivors of low-dose MTX are significantly enhanced by 83.3 % and 56.7 % in two CNSL mice models. Collectively, this study takes a new perspective on natural living materials and molecule targeting of the BBB to present a promising strategy for low-dose chemotherapy against CNSL with safety and efficacy, which might provide a clinically translatable option for the prevention and treatment of CNSL.

Self-assembled nanoparticles of alginate and paclitaxel-triphenylphosphonium for mitochondrial apoptosis targeting.

Paclitaxel (PTX), an antimitotic drug from the taxanes group, prevents the proliferation of breast cancer cells through mitosis arrest and activation by a cascade of signaling pathways that lead to apoptosis. Mitochondria is one of the important signaling routes for inducing apoptosis. For mitochondria targeting, triphenylphosphonium (TPP) with a delocalized charge and hydrophobic nature was utilized as a moiety to facilitate penetration through a phospholipid membrane of mitochondria. PTX-TPP was synthesized via pH-sensitive ester bond between hydroxyl groups of PTX and carboxylic acid of (4-carboxybutyl) TPP. Then PTX-TPP prodrug encapsulated in alginate nanoparticles, which were self-assembled by the ionotropic complexation technique for enhancement of mitochondrial apoptosis in breast cancer cells. The loading of PTX-TPP conjugation in self-assembled alginate nanoparticles was 16.5% and the particle size of nanoparticles was 123nm with zeta potential around -25.8 Mv. The in vitro cytotoxicity and IC50 of PTX-TPP nanoparticles in the growth of MCF7 cancer cell increased 6.3-fold higher than free PTX. The early apoptotic cells and the late apoptotic/necrotic cells for PTX-TPP nanoparticles were 11.6 and 3.9-fold higher than free PTX. This study indicated this mitochondrial-targeted self-assembled nanoparticles can inhibit the tumor cell growth of breast cancer.