@article{Faria2019, 
author = {Ana R. Faria and Oscar F. Silvestre and Christian Maibohm and Ricardo M. R. Adão and Bruno F. B. Silva and Jana B. Nieder},
title = {Cubosome nanoparticles for enhanced delivery of mitochondria anticancer drug elesclomol and therapeutic monitoring via sub-cellular NAD(P)H multi-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging},
year = {2019},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {12},
number = {5},
pages = {991-998},
keywords = {cubosomes, mitochondria, reactive oxygen species, elesclomol, NAD(P)H fluorescence lifetime, anticancer therapy},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1007/s12274-018-2231-5},
doi = {10.1007/s12274-018-2231-5},
abstract = {Elesclomol (ELC) is an anticancer drug inducing mitochondria cytotoxicity through reactive oxygen species. Here, for the first time, we encapsulate the poorly water soluble ELC in monoolein-based cubosomes stabilized with Pluronic F127. Cellular uptake and nanocarrier accumulation close to the mitochondria with sub-micrometer distance is identified via three-dimensional (3D) confocal microscopy and edge-to-edge compartment analysis. To monitor the therapeutic effect of the ELC nanocarrier, we apply for the first time, label-free time-lapse multi-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (MP-FLIM) to track NAD(P)H cofactors with sub-cellular resolution on live cells exposed to an anticancer nanocarrier. Improved in vitro cytotoxicity is verified when loading the pre-complexed ELC with copper (ELC-Cu). Importantly, for equivalent copper concentration, cubosomes loaded with ELC-Cu show higher cytotoxicity compared to the free drug. The novel nanocarrier shows promising features for systemic ELC-Cu administration, and furthermore we establish the MP-FLIM technique for the assessment of anticancer drug delivery systems.}
}