Design and Manufacturing of Novel Smart Pegylated Nano-Liposome Co-Encapsulating Two Herbal Compounds: Silibinin and Glycyrrhizic Acid With Hab18 Monoclonal Antibody for Targeted Co-Delivery to Liver Cancer Cells Publisher



Ochi MM ; Amoabediny G ; Rezayat SM ; Akbarzadeh A ; Ebrahimi B
Source: Nanomedicine Journal Published:2026

Abstract

Objective(s): Herbal nano-liposomes, also referred to as nano-Phytosomes, are formed through hydrogen bonding interactions between the phospholipids of lipid membranes and phytomolecules. This structure enhances the delivery efficiency of therapeutic agents. This study focuses on the use of PEGylated nano-liposomes co-loaded with two anticancer compounds derived from herbs, silibinin and glycyrrhizic acid, to target liver cancer cells. Materials and Methods: The co-encapsulated nanoscale liposomes were synthesized using the thin-layer film hydration method with HEPES buffer, followed by sonication. The vesicles encapsulating silibinin and glycyrrhizic acid consisted of DPPC, cholesterol, and DSPE-mPEG2000 in a molar percentage ratio of approximately 61.5:35:3.5. A fluorescent label (DIL) was incorporated into the lipid bilayer at a concentration of 0.1 mol%. The multilamellar vesicles were then sonicated and filtered to produce the nano-liposomes. To enhance targeting, these co-encapsulated the nano-liposomes were conjugated with the monoclonal antibody HAb18. The resulting PEGylated nano-liposome formulation demonstrated a narrow size distribution, with an average particle diameter of approximately 45 nm. The zeta potential of the co-encapsulated nano-Phytosome was measured at -23.25mV. The encapsulation efficiencies of silibinin and glycyrrhizic acid were approximately 24.37% and 68.78%, respectively. Results: The study revealed that the mean diameter of the nano-Phytosome increased upon targeting. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images confirmed that the average diameters of the targeted co-encapsulated nano-liposomes were approximately 84 nm and 81 nm, respectively, while the monoclonal antibody HAb18 exhibited an average diameter of around 16.1 nm and 15 nm. Conclusion: This targeted nano-system offers efficient delivery of herbal drugs to liver cancer cells. © 2026