Dual-Functional Micelles for Codelivery of Sorafenib and Dehydrodiisoeugenol in Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a significant health challenge that requires urgent attention, primarily due to the limited application of chemotherapeutic drugs. This limitation arises from the high infiltration of immune cells within the tumor microenvironment, which diminishes the effectiveness of the therapeutic agents. Consequently, exploring the combination of drug therapy with the M1 polarization mechanism is considered a promising strategy to address this issue. In this study, we designed a hierarchically targeted micelle system responsive to reactive oxygen species (ROS), enabling the synergistic delivery of the hydrophobic drugs sorafenib (Sof) and dehydrodiisoeugenol (Deh) through the integration of a ROS-sensitive bond (thioacetal ketones, TK) and a specific targeting group (glycyrrhetinic acid, GA). The results demonstrated that TK-GA-Sof/Deh-Ms exhibited excellent encapsulation efficiency and stability. The cumulative release rates of Sof and Deh from TK-GA-Sof/Deh-Ms at 48 h were recorded as 49.67 ± 0.02% and 43.90 ± 0.01%, respectively. The online SynergyFinder2.0 software was used to calculate a ZIP synergy score of 6.339 for Sof and Deh, indicating synergy. The combination showed a more significant antitumor effect. The IC50 value of TK-GA-Sof/Deh-Ms was 13.21 ± 1.36 μM. Notably, Deh not only promotes the polarization of M1 macrophages but also effectively inhibits the activation of M2 macrophages. In summary, this study introduces a stepwise-targeting micelle system for liver cancer that possesses dual functions─tumor inhibition and macrophage regulation, thereby paving the way for innovative treatment strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma.