Biodistribution and biocompatibility of glycyrrhetinic acid and galactose-modified chitosan nanoparticles as a novel targeting vehicle for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The dual-ligand glycyrrhetinic acid and galactose-modified chitosan nanoparticles were designed to further improve the targeting capability to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The dual-ligand glycyrrhetinic acid and galactose-modified chitosan nanoparticles were fabricated by using ionic gelation method and their characteristics have been measured. Furthermore, the biodistribution and biocompatibility of this targeting vehicle were investigated and , respectively. The targeting vehicle was specifically internalized into hepatoma cells and accumulated into tumor tissue with high efficacy. Moreover, the vehicle did not induce inflammation reaction and affect morphologies and organ functions. The targeting accumulation in HCC tissue and great biocompatibility of the dual-ligand modified chitosan nanoparticles highlight the potential of delivering anticancer agents into HCC cells.