Biotin Cholesterol for Targeted Drug Delivery

Cholesterol is an essential fatty substance or lipid molecule in the human body, and it is also an important component of the cell membrane structure. Cholesterol is widely distributed in the human body, so it can be used for oral, intravenous and transdermal methods for efficient drug delivery. Cholesterol-based carriers can be designed as micelles, nanoparticles, copolymers, liposomes, etc., which have good biocompatibility and biodegradability, and can also improve the efficiency of drug loading. Compared with normal tissues, biotin is easily taken up by cancer cells, and its distribution and content ratio is higher, so biotin can be used as a drug targeting ligand for active tumors. The surface of cholesterol-based carriers can be easily modified, which can significantly improve the hydrophilic properties to achieve efficient drug delivery and release, and is widely used in the field of efficient drug delivery.

The Services

Alfa Chemistry researchers were able to design highly efficient biotin-modified cholesterol carriers that meet the requirements for drug delivery. The related services we can provide include but are not limited to:

• Synthesis of cholesterol-based drug delivery system
• Preparation of biotin-modified cholesterol carrier
• Characterization of biotin-modified cholesterol carriers
• Statistical analysis
• In vivo toxicity assay of biotin-modified cholesterol carriers
• In vitro drug release study of biotin modified cholesterol carriers

Cholesterol-based drug delivery

Cholesterol is an important factor for maintaining nerve cell function, and is stored in organs such as adrenal glands, ovaries, and testes in the form of fatty acid esters. Cholesterol is widely present in cell membranes and can be used for efficient drug delivery to deliver a variety of drugs, including anticancer drugs, antimalarial drugs and antiviral drugs. The cholesterol carrier with good biocompatibility makes it an effective drug carrier. Cholesterol has both hydrophilic (-OH) and hydrophobic (C, H) properties, allowing for multifunctional chemical modifications. Cholesterol exists in cell membranes and has a wide distribution in the human body, making it an excellent candidate carrier for drug delivery to different organs.

Application of cholesterol carriers in drug delivery

Cholesterol is widely distributed throughout the body and can be applied to the research of various drug delivery systems:

• Micelles: Polymeric micelles are widely used in drug delivery systems, and the incorporation of cholesterol into drug delivery systems can improve transport across cell membranes. Polymeric micelles have certain stability and are typical drug loading containers. Drugs encapsulated in polymer micelles can be delivered to specific tissues to achieve drug control and release control.

Figure 2. Micelle-based drug carriers can be used for efficient drug delivery

• Nanoparticles: Drugs can be easily loaded into nanoparticles for drug delivery. For efficient controlled drug release, a variety of nano-ions have been developed for efficient drug delivery. Nanoparticles can reduce drug toxicity, and can load a large amount of drugs, showing excellent stability. Based on biotin-modified cholesterol nanoparticles, it has sustained drug release and excellent biocompatibility, enabling efficient drug delivery.

Figure 3. Nanoparticle-based drug carriers can be used for efficient drug delivery

• Copolymer: The pH of the cellular environment around cancer cells is slightly acidic (6.5-7.0), and the pH inside tumor cells is 5.0-6.5. Researchers focus on drug delivery systems that are stable in normal physiological systems and can be released quickly in weak acid environments. Polymer materials are a typical one. Polymer materials can be used for the delivery of tumor-targeted drugs, and have good biodegradability and biocompatibility.

Figure 4. Copolymer-based drug carriers can be used for efficient drug delivery

Alfa Chemistry provides a variety of biotin-modified cholesterol drug delivery systems, which have shown great application potential in the treatment of various diseases. If you are interested in our services, please contact us immediately.

References:

1. Yang. W.Z.; et al. Synthesis and characterization of biotin modified cholesteryl pullulan as a novel anticancer drug carrier. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2014, 92(2): 720-727.
2. Ngonidzashe. R.; et al. The efficacy of cholesterol-based carriers in drug delivery. Molecules. 2020, 25(18): 4330.

※ It should be noted that our service is only used for research, not for clinical use.