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Amiri S, Pashizeh F, Moeinabadi-Bidgoli K, Eyvazi Y, Akbari T, Salehi Moghaddam Z, Eskandarisani M, Farahmand F, Hafezi Y, Nouri Jevinani H, Seif M, Mousavi-Niri N, Chiani M, Tavakkoli Yaraki M. Co-encapsulation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs into niosomal nanocarrier for enhanced breast cancer therapy: In silico and in vitro studies. Environ Res 2023; 239:117292. [PMID: 37806480 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Combination therapy has been considered one of the most promising approaches for improving the therapeutic effects of anticancer drugs. This is the first study that uses two different antioxidants in full-characterized niosomal formulation and thoroughly evaluates their synergistic effects on breast cancer cells. In this study, in-silico studies of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs (ascorbic acid: Asc and curcumin: Cur) interactions and release were investigated and validated by a set of in vitro experiments to reveal the significant improvement in breast cancer therapy using a co-delivery approach by niosomal nanocarrier. The niosomal nanoparticles containing surfactants (Span 60 and Tween 60) and cholesterol at 2:1 M ratio were prepared through the film hydration method. A systematic evaluation of nanoniosomes was carried out. The release profile demonstrated two phases (initial burst followed by sustained release) and a pH-dependent release schedule over 72 h. The optimized niosomal preparation displayed superior storage stability for up to 2 months at 4 °C, exhibiting extremely minor changes in pharmaceutical encapsulation efficiency and size. Free dual drugs (Asc + Cur) and dual-drug loaded niosomes (Niosomal (Asc + Cur)) enhanced the apoptotic activity and cytotoxicity and inhibited cell migration which confirmed the synergistic effect of co-encapsulated drugs. Also, significant up-regulation of p53 and Bax genes was observed in cells treated with Asc + Cur and Niosomal (Asc + Cur), while the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 gene was down-regulated. These results were in correlation with the increase in the enzyme activity of SOD, CAT, and caspase, and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon treatment with the mentioned drugs. Furthermore, these anti-cancer effects were higher when using Niosomal (Asc + Cur) than Asc + Cur. Histopathological examination also revealed that Niosomal (Asc + Cur) had a lower mitosis index, invasion, and pleomorphism than Asc + Cur. These findings indicated that niosomal formulation for co-delivery of Asc and Cur would offer a promising delivery system for an effective breast cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Amiri
- Department of Genetic, Islamic Azad University, Tehran North Branch, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Pashizeh
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Science Yazd, Iran
| | - Kasra Moeinabadi-Bidgoli
- Departments of Medicine and Endocrinology, University of California San Francisco and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yalda Eyvazi
- School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tanin Akbari
- Department of Medical Science, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Salehi Moghaddam
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Faranak Farahmand
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yousef Hafezi
- School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hoda Nouri Jevinani
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Seif
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, K.N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Neda Mousavi-Niri
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohsen Chiani
- Department of Nano Biotechnology, New Technology Research Group, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Tavakkoli Yaraki
- School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia.
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