Designing the next-generation serum albumin-based nanoplatform for biomedical applications

Anisotropic particles, particularly synthetic or inorganic ones, have gained significant attention in the field of anticancer drug delivery due to their unique properties and advantages over spherical particles. However, the potential ability of the anisotropic human serum albumin (HSA) nanostructures in drug delivery has been rarely reported. Herein, we report the synthesis of the HSA based alternative shaped nanostructures including nanofibers, nanorods and nanoparticles as a paclitaxel (PTX), an anticancer drug, carrier. The nanohybrids (nanofibers/nanorods) of different shapes and sizes were synthesized by a modified cysteine-assisted nanoprecipitation method. The nanofibers developed showed the highest drug loading efficiency, reaching approximately 24%, followed by nanorods at around 20% and nanoparticles at approximately 6%. The cellular toxicity of the various sizes and shapes of nanohybrids was evaluated using multiple cancer cell types. The results demonstrated that nanorods exhibited the most pronounced cytotoxic effect compared to nanofibers and their corresponding nanoparticles. Overall, this study outlines a strategy to design a next-generation albumin-based nanoplatform that offers significant advantages over the conventional nanoparticles-based drug delivery. The utilization of anisotropic HSA particles opens new possibilities for improving drug loading efficiency and enhancing therapeutic outcomes in cancer treatment.