Effect of increased blood glucose on anti-cancer nanoparticle interactions with tissue

Purpose: Little research has been conducted on liposomal drug delivery in pediatric diabetics and non-diabetics with cancer. Preliminary data demonstrates that increased liposomal interactions with collagen in the tumor's extracellular matrix affect tumor targeting. The goal of the present study was to understand the effect that glucose has on liposomes' interaction with collagen and its interference with the anti-cancer action of liposomal drugs in diabetic pediatric patients. Methods: Liposomes were formulated according to the Doxil molar ratio. Varying amounts of glucose, glycated albumin (GA), albumin, and liposomes were dissolved into phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to make solutions representative of the mean pediatric hypoglycemic, normoglycemic, and hyperglycemic diabetic and non-diabetic patient. An Optical Contact Angle instrument quantified the interactions between liposomes and collagen by advancing and receding a drop of each solution onto human and rat collagen-coated slides. Results: The contact angle measured was lower in human collagen than rat collagen in the PBS and Liposomes samples. In samples with added glucose and albumin, the contact angle was lower in rat collagen than human collagen. Conclusions: Liposomes by themselves in PBS have a greater interaction with human collagen than rat collagen, but the addition of glucose, GA, and albumin reverses this trend so that liposomes have a greater interaction with rat collagen than human collagen. The protein's interactions also overpower the liposomes' interaction with collagen. Further investigation is necessary to determine if the presence of elevated glucose has a significant effect on how liposomes interact with collagen.