Organic–inorganic nanovesicles for doxorubicin storage and release

The potential of organic–inorganic liposomal cerasomes to store and release doxorubicin (DOX) is investigated. Specifically, cerasomes display sustained DOX release in serum-enriched cell culture medium but minimal drug leakage in deionized water. As revealed by a physics-based model, the medium-sensitive DOX release/leakage is attributed to serum-mediated dissociation of DOX molecules. DOX-loaded cerasomes effectively inhibit the proliferation of human prostate cancer DU145 cells. Furthermore, the kinetics of cerasome uptake/internalization and DOX release correlates well with the time scale for DOX-loaded cerasomes to inhibit the proliferation of the DU145 cells.