For efficient
therapy, optimized
polymer micelle drug delivery systems require stability during circulation, appropriate diameters for targeting, and controlled drug release at the lesion site. To enhance the stability, adjust the sizes, and improve the selectivity of drug release of
micelles from polylactides and
polypeptides, stereocomplex interaction has been introduced. Herein, the
cholesterol (CHOL)-enhanced
doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded poly(D-
lactide)-based
micelle (CDM/DOX),
poly(L-lactide)-based
micelle (CLM/DOX), and stereocomplex
micelle (SCM/DOX) from the equimolar mixture of the enantiomeric 4-armed poly(
ethylene glycol)-
polylactide copolymers were reported to enhance
tumor cell uptake and control drug release for treatment of cervical
carcinoma. The introduction of hydrophobic CHOL further upregulated the stability, drug-loading capability, and cell uptake of
micelles. All these DOX-loaded
micelles showed appropriate sizes of ∼100 nm for the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Compared to CDM/DOX and CLM/DOX, SCM/DOX exhibited the highest cell uptake and the most efficient antitumor efficacy in vitro. For U14 cervical
carcinoma mouse model, all of the DOX-loaded
micelles, especially SCM/DOX, effectively inhibited the progression of cervical
carcinoma, as demonstrated by nearly stagnant
tumor growth and increased apoptosis and
necrosis areas within
tumor tissue. Furthermore, these DOX-loaded
micelles effectively alleviated the systemic toxicity of DOX. All the above results suggest that the DOX-loaded
micelles, especially SCM/DOX, are an ideal drug delivery system for combating cervical
carcinoma.