Bound Volume Number
X
Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-5-2015
Capstone Advisor
Prof. Rebecca Bader
Honors Reader
Prof. Christopher Nomura
Capstone Major
Biomedical and Chemical Engineering
Capstone College
Engineering and Computer Science
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
yes
Honors Categories
Sciences and Engineering
Subject Categories
Therapeutics
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a class of biopolyesters produced and stored by bacteria, have garnered attention for a number of industrial and biomedical applications. The goal of the current study was to extend the use of PHAs to drug delivery for the treatment of cancer. As a first step, the cytotoxicity of poly(3- hydroxy-octanoate-co-10-undecanoate) (PHOU) towards the A549 lung carcinoma cell line was determined and nanoparticles were prepared via a single emulsion technique. Elution tests, whereby cells were grown in fluid extracts obtained from media incubated for 24 hours at 37°C with PHOU films, did not result in any significant changes in cellular appearance or proliferation, as determined by microscopy and a WST-8 cellular proliferation assay. In contrast, direct contact assays that required growth of the cells on the PHOU films, resulted in cell death after 24 hours, as indicated by Live-Dead cell staining. PHOU nanoparticles with a size of a ~202 nm and a zeta potential of ~2.7 mV, as established using a Zetasizer Nano, were successfully prepared by nanoprecipitation. Ultimately, consistent nanoparticle development through single emulsion using PHOU was unsuccessful so a miniemulsion technique was used for following nanoparticle development. After achieving consistent nanoparticle development through double emulsion, folate groups were to be attached to the nanoparticles to specifically target cancer cells, but due to polymer cross-linking occurring through that attachment process that prevented successful folate attachment, nanoparticle development with new PHA polymers was necessary. PHO-N3 was successfully used to develop nanoparticles through mini-emulsion, a shorter and more efficient process than previous development methods. Through the use of a Zetasizer Nano, the size and zeta potential for the PHO-N3 nanoparticles were established as ~108 nm and -80 mV; suitable values for drug delivery. Although further assessment is required to establish the cytoxicity of the nanoparticles, the results provide preliminary evidence that nanoparticles of an appropriate size for drug delivery can be prepared.
Recommended Citation
Choiniere, Philip, "Development of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy" (2015). Honors Capstone Projects - All. 908.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/908
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