Topically applied liposome-in-hydrogels for systematically targeted tumor photothermal therapy

• Published in: Drug delivery 2021-01, Vol.28 (1), p.1923-1931
• Main Authors: Chen, Gang, Ullah, Aftab, Xu, Gang, Xu, Zhou, Wang, Fei, Liu, Tianqing, Su, Yi, Zhang, Tangjie, Wang, Kaikai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Cutaneous; Animals; Body Weight; Cancer therapies; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; Cholesterol; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Drug delivery systems; Drugs; Hospitals; Hydrogels; Hydrogels - chemistry; Indoles - administration & dosage; Indoles - adverse effects; Indoles - pharmacokinetics; Indoles - pharmacology; Infectious diseases; IR780; Laboratories; liposome-in-hydrogels; Liposomes - chemistry; Low-Level Light Therapy - adverse effects; Low-Level Light Therapy - methods; Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy; Lung Neoplasms - secondary; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Nanoparticles; Patient compliance; Pharmacy; Photosensitizing Agents - administration & dosage; Photosensitizing Agents - adverse effects; Photosensitizing Agents - pharmacokinetics; Photosensitizing Agents - pharmacology; photothermal therapy; Photothermal Therapy - methods; Product safety; topical application; Topical medication; transdermal drug delivery; Transdermal medication; Tumor Burden - drug effects; Tumors; Veterinary colleges; Veterinary medicine; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Zoonoses
• ISSN: 1071-7544; 1521-0464
• DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2021.1974607

Transdermal drug delivery for local or systemic therapy provides a potential anticancer modality with a high patient compliance. However, the drug delivery efficiency across the skin is highly challenging due to the physiological barriers, which limit the desired therapeutic effects. In this study, we prepared liposome-in-hydrogels containing a tumor targeting photosensitizer IR780 (IR780/lipo/gels) for tumor photothermal therapy (PTT). The formulation effectively delivered IR780 to subcutaneous tumor and deep metastatic sites, while the hydrogels were applied on the skin overlying the tumor or on an area of distant normal skin. The photothermal antitumor activity of topically administered IR780/lipo/gels was evaluated following laser irradiation. We observed significant inhibition of the rate of the tumor growth without any toxicity associated with the topical administration of hydrogels. Collectively, the topical administration of IR780/lipo/gels represents a new noninvasive and safe strategy for targeted tumor PTT.