Nanotransporters for theranostics

Abstract

Master thesis deals with the use of bacteriophage as a theranostic drug nanocarrier. The term theranostics is used in recent years for systems that allow connecting of diagnostics, targeted drug delivery and monitoring of patient’s response to administered treatment in a single modality. These systems are very suitable especially with heterogeneous diseases, such as cancer. Nowadays, the treatment of cancer has often severe side effects to the patient’s body, which lowers his capability to fight the disease. Theoretical part of this work is focused on the properties of viral capsids, proteins and inorganic materials as drug nanocarriers. In practical part of this work, different methods for cultivation of bacteriophage are compared, both in liquid and solid medium and with different concentrations of the maltose, trough whose receptors bacteriophage is able to enter the host cell. Optimal was cultivation with 0.2% maltose in solid medium. Practical part is focused mainly on the use of bacteriophage as a nanocarrier for cytotoxic drug doxorubicin. Bacteriophage was able to encapsulate all applied concentrations of doxorubicin (0; 12.5; 25; 50; 100 and 200 g/ml), which was proved using fluorescent detection. Different times of encapsulation (2; 4; 8 and 12 hours) were studied. Optimal time was 2 hours. Encapsulation properties of bacteriophage were compared to apoferritin. Bacteriophage was able to encapsulate 4× higher concentrations of doxorubicin and its release during rinsing with water was 10× lower compared to apoferritin. This work concludes that bacteriophage is a very suitable platform for targeted drug delivery in theranostics