Formulation and Optimization of Folate-Bovine Serum Albumin-Coated Ethoniosomes of Pterostilbene as a Targeted Drug Delivery System for Lung Cancer: In Vitro and In Vivo Demonstrations

This study developed a targeted drug delivery system using folate-bovine serum albumin-coated ethoniosomes loaded with pterostilbene (PTS) to enhance its solubility and effectiveness against lung cancer. The optimized formulation showed an entrapment efficiency of 93.19% and a 24-hour release rate of 75.10%, with a small particle size of 144.05 nm and high stability over three months. It demonstrated significant accumulation in A549 lung cancer cells and promising therapeutic activity in both in vitro and in vivo models, including a study with 80 Wistar mice. The system effectively inhibited tumor growth and improved histopathological outcomes, suggesting it could serve as an effective nano-carrier for targeted cancer chemotherapy.