TY - JOUR AB - Liver cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and poses a serious threat to human health. The most important treatment method, liver cancer chemotherapy, is limited due to its high toxicity and poor specificity. Targeted drug delivery systems have emerged as novel therapeutic strategies that deliver precise, substantial drug doses to target sites via targeting vectors and enhance the therapeutic efficacy. In the present study, glycyrrhetinic acid‑modified hyaluronic acid (GA‑HA) was used as a carrier for the model drug docetaxel (DTX) to prepare DTX‑loaded GA‑HA nanoparticles (DTX/GA‑HA‑NPs). The results indicated that the DTX/GA‑HA‑NPs exhibited high monodispersity (particle dispersity index, 0.209±0.116) and desirable particle size (208.73±5.0 nm) and zeta potential (‑27.83±3.14 mV). The drug loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency of the NPs were 12.59±0.68 and 85.38±4.62%, respectively. Furthermore, it was determined that FITC‑GA‑HA was taken up by cells and distributed in the cytoplasm. DTX and DTX/GA‑HA (just the DTX delivered by the nanoparticle) aggregated and altered the structure of cellular microtubules. Compared with DTX alone, DTX/GA‑HA‑NPs had a stronger inhibitory effect on HepG2 cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of HepG2 cells. All experimental results indicated that DTX/GA‑HA‑NPs were successfully prepared and had liver‑targeting and antitumor activities in vitro, which provided a foundation for future in vivo studies of the antitumor effects of DTX/GA‑HA‑NPs. AD - Shandong Key Laboratory of Medical and Health Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biotechnological Medicine in Universities of Shandong, School of Bioscience and Technology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Applied Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong 261053, P.R. China AU - Xue,Hantao AU - Qin,Liya AU - Zhang,Longxiang AU - Li,Xiaocheng AU - Wu,Fei AU - Wang,Weiyu AU - Wang,Chen AU - Diao,Wenbin AU - Jiang,Bin AU - Lian,Bo AU - Wu,Jingliang AU - Bai,Jingkun AU - Sun,Tongyi AU - Zhao,Chunling AU - Qu,Meihua AU - Yu,Wenjing AU - Wang,Yubing AU - Gao,Zhiqin DA - 2021/10/01 DO - 10.3892/etm.2021.10578 IS - 4 JO - Exp Ther Med KW - glycyrrhetinic acid hyaluronic acid docetaxel nanoparticles microtubules cytotoxicity PY - 2021 SN - 1792-0981 1792-1015 SP - 1144 ST - Preparation of docetaxel‑loaded, glycyrrhetinic acid‑modified nanoparticles and their liver‑targeting and antitumor activity T2 - Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine TI - Preparation of docetaxel‑loaded, glycyrrhetinic acid‑modified nanoparticles and their liver‑targeting and antitumor activity UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10578 VL - 22 ER -