Fabrication of a biodegradable microcarrier system for drug delivery to cancer cells.

• Main Author: Cheah, Petrie Jiing Ei.
• Other Authors: Bjoern Holger Neu
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Chemical engineering::Biotechnology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/45648
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The main aim of drug delivery in cancer cell is to deliver anti-cancer drug agent that specifically and efficiently targeted to cancer cell. In this study, a biodegradable microcarrier system that utilized the Layer-by-Layer self assembled polyelectrolyte technique as drug delivery system and targeted to human breast cancer cell (MCF-7 & MCF-10a) will be investigated. This PEM systems include the CaCO3 microparticles as template core because of its advantage of biodegradability, biocompatibility and high adsorption ability. It is prepared by alternate coating with positively and negatively charged biodegradable polyelectrolyte (PRM/DSX) and fluorescence labeled with PAH-FITC and PRM-RITC. The result in terms of qualitative and quantitative measurement was promising. The observations and investigations were carried by means of Zeta Potential measurement, Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM), and Flow Cytometry (FCM). The cellular uptake was visualized using membrane stain and lysosomal activity was examined using lysotracker staining. This system was successfully internalized in cells and observed to increase in lysosomal activity. The saturated particle feed ratio was observed in between 1:5 and 1:10. Other than that, the activity of intracellular cysteine protease capthesins B in cell was observed via Immunocytochemistry assay and visualized under CLSM which will extend the project into the incorporation of cystatin, the cysteine protease inhibitors in CaCO3 PEMP in future.