Quantification Study of Drug Delivery by Nanocarriers: A Cell Mass Spectrometry Approach

摘要

Delivery of peptides, proteins, antibodies, vaccines and gene-based drugs by nanocarriers can greatly reduce drug resistance and achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. To understand the drug delivery efficiency by nanocarriers, quantitative measurement is essential. We developed a cell mass spectrometry methodology that can quantify nanocarriers uptake into mammalian cells. The quantitative study will help examine the mechanisms of different types of sustained release formulations with nanocarriers including liposomes, drug loaded biodegradable microspheres, viral nanoparticles and drug polymer conjugates. So far, CMS technology offers the best approach to evaluate the cellular uptake of therapeutic nanocarriers for drug delivery in cancer cells. It is a rapid and accurate method for determining the quantity of gold NPs uptake into cells, and it can be used to determine the number of NPs taken up into each individual cell, whereas ICP-MS provides only a mean uptake for all cells. Furthermore, CMS can be used to measure the cellular uptake not only of metal nanocarriers but also of nonmetal nanocarriers. In clinical use, CMS may help evaluate the drug delivery efficiency of nanocarriers of various sizes, shapes and surface properties and thus facilitate the development of optimal nanocarriers with the most efficient drug delivery capacity.