Gellan gum nanohydrogel containing anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs: a multi-drug delivery system for a combination therapy in cancer treatment

During the last decades, it has become evident that inflammation plays a critical role in tumorigenesis: tumor microenvironment is largely orchestrated by inflammatory cells. In the present work, a novel gellan gum nanohydrogel system (NH) able to carry and deliver simultaneously anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs was developed. Prednisolone was chemically linked to the carboxylic groups of gellan gum to serve as a hydrophobic moiety promoting nanohydrogel formation, whereas paclitaxel was then physically entrapped in it. NH improved drug performances, acting as paclitaxel and prednisolone solubility enhancer and favoring the drug uptake in the cells. Moreover, NH allowed an increased cytotoxic effect in vitro on several types of cancer cells due to the synergistic effect of the combination of anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs. Thus, NH can be useful in a combination therapy that attacks both, malignant cells and tumor inflammatory components.