The co-delivery of anticancer drugs into
tumor cells by a nanocarrier may provide a new paradigm in
chemotherapy.
Temozolomide and
curcumin are anticancer drugs with a synergistic effect in the treatment of multiform
glioblastoma. In this study, the entrapment and co-entrapment of
temozolomide and
curcumin in a p-sulfonato-
calix[4]arene nanoparticle was investigated by NMR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectrophotometry, isothermal titration calorimetry, and dynamic light scattering. Critical micellar concentration, nanoparticle size, zeta potential,
drug loading percentage, and thermodynamic parameters were all consistent with a drug delivery system. Our data showed that
temozolomide is hosted in the cavity of the
calix[4]arene building blocks while
curcumin is entrapped within the nanoparticle. Isothermal titration calorimetry evidenced that
drug complexation and entrapment are entropy driven processes. The loading in the
calixarene-based nanocontainer enhanced the solubility and half-life of both drugs, whose medicinal efficacy is affected by low solubility and rapid degradation. The
calixarene-based nanocontainer appears to be a promising new candidate for nanocarrier-based
drug combination therapy for
glioblastoma.