Construction of a Phenylboronic Acid-Functionalized Nano-Prodrug for pH-Responsive Emodin Delivery and Antibacterial Activity

• Published in: ACS omega 2021-03, Vol.6 (12), p.8672-8679
• Main Authors: Zheng, Guodong, Zheng, Jiahui, Xiao, Le, Shang, Tongyi, Cai, Yanjun, Li, Yuwei, Xu, Yiming, Chen, Xiaoming, Liu, Yun, Yang, Bin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2470-1343; 2470-1343
• DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00606

In this study, a pH-responsive nano-prodrug was fabricated by conjugating emodin to the PEGylated polyethyleneimine (mPEG-PEI) with acid-sensitive boronate ester bonds. 1H NMR spectra results showed that emodin was effectively bonded to mPEG-PEI, and acid-sensitive assay further confirmed the formation of boronate ester bonds. The size and morphology of the nano-prodrug were ascertained through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), which showed that the prodrug has a sphere-like shape with hydrodynamic size around 102 nm at pH 7.4. Subsequently, a drug-release behavior assay was carried out to carefully investigate the acid-sensitive drug-delivery property of the prodrug. Moreover, in vitro cell viability assay confirmed the superior cytotoxic effect of the nano-prodrug against HeLa cells compared to free emodin. Furthermore, the antibacterial study showed that the nano-prodrug could inhibit the bacterial (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative) growth more effectively than free emodin. Overall, this study provides a promising paradigm of the multifunctional nano-prodrug for pH-responsive tumor therapy and antibacterial activity.