Heat-Treated Emulsions with Cross-Linking Bovine Serum Albumin Interfacial Films and Different Dextran Surfaces: Effect of Paclitaxel Delivery

In this study, a type of biocompatible and biodegradable oil-in-water emulsion for hydrophobic drug delivery was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-dextran conjugates with different dextran molecular weights and different conjugation degrees were used as the emulsifier and stabilizer. Paclitaxel (PTX), a hydrophobic antitumor drug, was effectively loaded inside the oil droplets via high-pressure homogenization. The emulsions were heated at 90° C for 1 h to eliminate the anaphylaxis of BSA. By virtue of the cross-linked BSA films at the oil-water interfaces produced by the heat treatment and the hydrophilic dextran surfaces, the emulsions are stable in blood serum, as well as stable against long-term storage. In vitro cytotoxicity study verifies that the unloaded emulsions are biocompatible and the PTX-loaded emulsions have similar antitumor activity as PTX solution. In vivo investigation of murine ascites hepatoma H22-tumor-bearing mice demonstrates that the PTX-loaded emulsion with shorter and denser dextran surface has better tumor inhibition and survivability efficacy than the commercial PTX injection.