We designed novel polymer-free cubic bicontinuous liquid crystalline dispersions (cubosomes) using monoolein as molecular building block, phospholipids as stabilizers, propylene glycol as hydrotrope. Their kinetic stability was evaluated by analysing the backscattering profiles upon ageing, and the most stable formulation was chosen as potential photosensitizers delivery vehicle for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of human skin melanoma cells. Morphological and topological features of such formulation alternatively loaded with Chlorin e6 or meso-Tetraphenylporphine-Mn(III) chloride photosensitizing dyes were investigated by cryo-TEM, DLS, and SAXS. Bioimaging studies demonstrated that Me45 and MeWo cell lines effectively internalized these cubosomes formulations. Particularly, photodynamic activity experiments proved both the very low cytotoxicity of the cubosomes formulation loaded with Chlorin e6 dye in the “dark” condition, and its significant cytotoxic effect after photoirradiation. The toxic effect recorded when the photosensitizer was encapsulated within the cubosomes was shown to be one order of magnitude higher than that caused by the free photosensitizer. This is the first report of biocompatible polymer-free cubosomes for potential application in both PDT and bioimaging of skin malignant melanoma.

我们设计了新颖的无聚合物立方双连续液晶分散体（立方体），使用单油精作为分子构建基，磷脂作为稳定剂，丙二醇作为水溶助长剂。通过分析老化后的反向散射曲线评估了它们的动力学稳定性，并选择了最稳定的制剂作为人类皮肤黑素瘤细胞光动力疗法（PDT）的潜在光敏剂传递载体。通过冷冻-TEM，DLS和SAXS研究了交替装有氯绿素e6或内消旋四苯基卟啉-Mn（III）氯化光敏染料的这种制剂的形态和拓扑学特征。生物成像研究表明，Me45和MeWo细胞系有效地内化了这些立方体制剂。特别，光动力学活性实验证明，在“黑暗”条件下，装有氯绿素e6染料的立方脂质体制剂的细胞毒性非常低，并且在光照射后具有显着的细胞毒性作用。当将光敏剂封装在立方体内时，记录到的毒性作用比游离光敏剂引起的毒性作用高一个数量级。这是首次将生物相容性无聚合物立方微粒用于皮肤恶性黑色素瘤的PDT和生物成像中。