Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Liposomal Tubacin: Strategies for the Formulation of a Highly Hydrophobic Anticancer Drug

Published inPharmaceutics, vol. 17, no. 4, p. 491
First online date2025-04-08
Abstract

Background: Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prevalent form of kidney cancer, accounting for over 75% of cases worldwide. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) have emerged as promising agents for ccRCC treatment, particularly in combination with immunotherapy or targeted therapies. Tubacin, a potent HDAC6 inhibitor, has demonstrated potent anticancer activity but faces therapeutic limitations due to its hydrophobic nature and poor solubility, which hinder its effective drug delivery. This study explores liposomal encapsulation as a strategy to improve tubacin delivery; Methods: Liposomes were prepared using the ethanol injection method followed by size-exclusion chromatography. Using the Plackett–Burman Design, we identified a promising liposomal formulation and evaluated its biological activity in vitro; Results: However, initial formulations reduced the mitochondrial activity to 30% in healthy renal cell lines. To mitigate this, we optimized the formulation by reducing tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) content and incorporating Kolliphor® as an additional surfactant. This optimized formulation significantly reduced toxicity in noncancerous cells, with up to 80% of mitochondrial activity conserved while retaining key properties for therapeutic application; Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that liposomal encapsulation enhances the safety and delivery of hydrophobic drugs like tubacin. This approach offers a promising strategy for improving the efficacy of HDACIs in ccRCC treatment, potentially overcoming drug delivery challenges associated with hydrophobic molecules.

Keywords
  • Design of experiment
  • Drug delivery
  • Histone deacetylase inhibitors
  • Liposomes
  • Plackett–Burmann
  • Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate
NoteThe data supporting this work are accessible at: Schelker, Cindy; Revaclier, Léa; Borchard, Gerrit; Nowak-Sliwinska, Patrycja (2025), “Tubacin encapsulation”, Mendeley Data, V2, doi: 10.17632/zgcgvkv42d.2.
Citation (ISO format)
SCHELKER, Cindy et al. Liposomal Tubacin: Strategies for the Formulation of a Highly Hydrophobic Anticancer Drug. In: Pharmaceutics, 2025, vol. 17, n° 4, p. 491. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17040491
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Additional URL for this publicationhttps://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/4/491
Journal ISSN1999-4923
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Creation15/04/2025 14:42:06
First validation22/04/2025 09:25:06
Update22/04/2025 09:25:06
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