A polymeric nanoformulation improves the bioavailability and efficacy of sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Sorafenib (sfb) is widely used in clinics for advanced HCC therapy. However, the therapeutic efficacy of sfb is suboptimal due to its poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and side effects. Here, we employed a clinically safe polymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactic acid) (PEG-b-PLA) to prepare a nanoparticle (NP)-based sfb formulation (NP-sfb) and tested its antitumor effect in multiple HCC models. NP-sfb could achieve effective drug loading and remain stable under physiological conditions. NP-sfb could be taken up by HepG2, Hepa1-6, and H22 cells and could efficiently inhibit cell proliferation and/or promote cell apoptosis. In vivo studies indicated that NP-sfb showed significantly improved therapeutic efficacy compared with free-sfb at the same dose or even higher doses. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that NP-sfb not only inhibited tumor proliferation and angiogenesis but also stimulated the tumor microenvironment by reducing the infiltration of immunosuppressive myeloid cells and increasing the ratio of cytotoxic T cells. This study demonstrates that the NP-based formulation is a promising strategy to improve the clinical application of sfb.