Preparation and medical application of drug carrier system of protein based natural macromolecule gelatin

Nanotechnology, where many disciplines such as molecular biology, physics, chemistry and material sciences take place, offers opportunities for striking developments in pharmaceutical and medical applications. Nanotechnology, which is literally 'capable of understanding and controlling 1 to 100 nm sized matter where unique events enable new applications', is becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Cancer is one of the diseases that pose a major problem for all countries of the world today. Nanotechnology provides important advantages in developing more effective diagnosis and treatment methods in cancer treatment. Chemotherapy is one of the most commonly used methods for the treatment of metastatic cancer, which has the ability to uncontrolled cell division and spread to other tissues. The taxane group drugs are among the most researched chemotherapeutic agents, as they inhibit the unlimited ability of neoplastic cells in cancerous tissues to reproduce by a unique molecular mechanism and affect mitosis. The confinement of paclitaxel (Mw: 853,906 g / mol), one of the taxane group chemotherapy agents, in the biodegradable and non-toxic nanoparticle carrier system can protect the body from the toxic side effects of the drug by protecting the drug against degradation during circulation, thereby reducing the toxicity of the drug, increasing the circulatory half-life, improved pharmacokinetics. Allows to show the profile. Biopolymeric particles have been the focus of attention of researchers in controlled drug release systems with their biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity and ability to adsorb bioactive molecules. Gelatin, one of the natural polymers, is widely used in drug release system applications with its abundance of resources, easy obtaining, safe plasma and tissue profile. In the study, gelatin nanoparticles were prepared by the two-step desolvation method. Surface morphology and particle size of nanoparticles prepared within the scope of characterization studies were determined by TEM. Accordingly, spherical, non-porous solid gelatin nanoparticles smaller than 50 nm were obtained. After characterization studies, paclitaxel-loaded gelatin nanoparticles were encapsulated into gelatin nanoparticles by dissolving the hydrophobic drug in DMSO during particle preparation. The encapsulation efficiency of paclitaxel-loaded gelatin nanoparticles has been observed to have 100% drug loading efficiency depending on the properties of the nanoparticles prepared. In vitro release profile of drug loaded particles was determined at 37 ˚C in pH: 7.4 phosphate buffer medium. Accordingly, it has been determined that paclitaxel-loaded gelatin nanoparticles display a controlled release profile for up to 40 days without a sudden burst effect. In the last stage of the study, cytotoxicity of empty gelatin nanoparticles, paclitaxel loaded gelatin nanoparticles and free drug on A549 (non-small cell lung cancer cell line) and HT29 (colon cancer cell line) cell lines were compared with the MTT test. From the results obtained, blank gelatin nanoparticles did not show cytotoxic effects in A549 and HT29 cancer cell lines. On the other hand, paclitaxel loaded gelatin nanoparticles had a cytotoxic effect of 45% and 45.46% after 72 hours on A549 and HT29 cancer cell lines, respectively. It has been observed that the drug released from particles in both cell lines kills cancer cells equally effectively and has a very successful cytotoxic effect in both. It is thought that the results of this study will eliminate the toxic side effects of chemotherapy in cancer treatment and contribute to the development of new drug delivery systems. Keywords: Cancer, Paclitaxel, Controlled Drug Release, Nanoparticles, Biopolymer, Gelatin