Polysaccharide-Based Nanoparticles for Two-Step Responsive Release of Antitumor Drug.

A novel two-step in situ method for targeted antitumor drug release by supramolecular assembly (Fc-CPT@HACD) was constructed using camptothecin prodrug (Fc-CPT) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-modified hyaluronic acid (HACD). Benefiting from the overexpressed HO and glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells, Fc-CPT@HACD can be disassembled by oxidation of ferrocene (Fc) to Fc, leading to an efficient release of the anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT) to induce tumor cell apoptosis without affecting normal cells. The in vivo experiment results also demonstrated that Fc-CPT@HACD possessed higher anticancer efficiency than free CPT, accompanied by negligible side effects.