Paclitaxel and myricetin encapsulated hemoglobin nanoparticles: characterization and application

Hb is used as a carrier protein to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs PTX and MYN and has applications in cancer treatment. PTX and MYN encapsulated Hb NPs are synthesized by the acid denature method and are characterized by spectroscopic and electron microscopic techniques. The binding constant calculated for Hb and PTX is 3.83 x 10⁸ M^-1, which is the highest in the pH range tested for both drugs. The CD spectra also demonstrated maximum denaturation of Hb at pH 5.0 evidencing the opening of the Hb hydrophobic core. The acidic condition at pH 5.0 is optimized for the synthesis of drug- encapsulated NPs. FTIR spectra of Hb PTX NPs recorded higher shifts in the OH/carboxyl peak compared to Hb-MYN. SEM images of Hb-PTX NPs highlight the tetrahedral structure of the NPs and the round shape of Hb-MYN NPs. The size of Hb-MYN and Hb-PTX is around 38.0 and 44.0 nm respectively as measured by DLS. PTX-Hb NPs demonstrated higher dose-dependent apoptosis-inducing efficacy than MYN-Hb in the K562 cells.