作者： Qiang Xu, Tao Zhu, Chaoli Yi & Qi Shen

School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

摘要：Considered a popular drug for diabetes in recent years, metformin was determined to have a moderate anti-tumor effect, particularly in breast cancer. In this study, the anticancer mechanism of metformin was verified by preparing solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and chitosan-modified solid lipid nanoparticles (CSLNs) containing metformin and then estimating the potential of these SLNs for uptake in cells and mitochondria. Metformin–SLNs were prepared using an emulsification and low-temperature solidification method. The mean particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and loading efficiency of metformin–SLNs and metformin chitosan-modified SLNs were 102.3 ± 4.16 and 200.1 ± 17.69 nm, –21.25 ± 4.89 and 50.6 ± 4.09 mv, 26.25 ± 2.59% and 33.6 ± 2.21%, and 1.74 ± 0.16% and 1.46 ± 0.10%, respectively.

TEM images showed that both the nanoparticles had spherical morphologies with no aggregation. Results of cellular and mitochondrial uptake showed that the metformin–SLNs were easier to uptake in cells and mitochondria than the pure drug group (that was the control group without SLN structure modification). The findings of this research provide a basis for conducting further studies on the anticancer mechanism of metformin.