Title:Anti-Cancer and Anti-Oxidant Effects of Fenoferin-loaded Human
Serum Albumin Nanoparticles Coated with Folic Acid-bound
Chitosan
Volume: 24
Author(s): Methaq Abid Said Klmohamed Almusawi, Vahid Pouresmaeil*Masoud Homayouni Tabrizi
Affiliation:
- Department of
Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
Keywords:
Fenoferin, Human serum albumin, Chitosan, Folic acid, Active targeting, Cancer
Abstract: Background: Several diseases, including cancer, can be effectively treated
by altering the nanocarrier surfaces so that they are more likely to be targeted.
Objective: This study aimed to prepare human albumin (HSA) nanoparticles
containing Fenoferin (FN) modified with folic acid (FA) attached to Chitosan (CS) to
improve its anti-cancer properties.
Methods: Nanoparticles were first synthesized and surface modified. Their
physicochemical properties were assessed by different methods, such as FESEM,
FTIR, and DLS. In addition, the percentage of drug encapsulated was measured by
indirect method. Besides evaluating the cytotoxic effects of nanoparticles using the
MTT assay, the antioxidant capacity of FN-HSA-CS-FA was assessed using the ABTS
and DPPH methods. Nanoparticles were also investigated for their anti-cancer effects
by evaluating the expression of apoptosis and metastasis genes.
Results: Based on this study, FN-HSA-CS-FA was 165.46 nm in size, and a uniform
dispersion distribution was identified. Particles were reported to have a zeta potential
of +29 mV, which is within the range of stable nanoparticles. Approximately 75% of FN
is encapsulated in nanoparticles. Cytotoxic assay determined that liver cancer cells
were most sensitive to treatment with an IC50 of 144 μg/ml. Inhibition of free radicals by
nanoparticles is estimated to have an IC50 value of 195.23 and 964 μg/ml, for ABTS
and DPPH, respectively. In the treatment with nanoparticles, flow cytometry results of
arresting the cells in the SubG1 phase and real-time qPCR results indicated increased
expression of caspases-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 genes.
Conclusion: According to this study, synthesized nanoparticles inhibited free radicals
and activated apoptosis in liver cancer cells, and the capability of these nanoparticles
to inhibit cancer cells was also confirmed. This formulation can, therefore, be used in
preclinical studies to test the efficacy of the drug.
