The influence of nanocarrier architectures on antitumor efficacy of docetaxel nanoparticles.

To study the structural influence, hybrid amphiphilic copolymer (G2C 18 ) and linear amphiphilic copolymer (PEG 45 C 18 ) were utilized to prepare docetaxel (DTX)-loaded nanoparticles through an antisolvent precipitation method. The different architectures of the hydrophilic portion affected the particle sizes significantly, and then induced the different antitumor activity. Compared with DTX/PEG 45 C 18 nanoparticles, the antitumor efficacy of DTX/G2C 18 nanoparticles was significantly enhanced, the IC 50 value was 2.1-fold lower in vitro , and the inhibition rate was 1.3-fold higher in vivo . These results suggested that the antitumor activity was significantly affected by the architecture of the nanocarriers, and should be considered when nanocarriers are designed.