Cancer is a major global public health problem and conventional chemotherapy has several adverse effects and deficiencies. As a valuable option for chemotherapy, nanomedicine requires novel agents to increase the effects of antineoplastic drugs in multiple cancer models. Since its discovery, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are intensively investigated for their use as carriers in drug delivery applications. This study shows the development of a nanovector generated with commercial carbon nanotubes (cCNTs) that were oxidized (oxCNTs) and chemically functionalized with hyaluronic acid (HA) and loaded with carboplatin (CPT). The nanovector, oxCNTs–HA–CPT, was used as a treatment against HeLa and MDA–MB-231 human tumor cell lines. The potential antineoplastic impact of the fabricated nanovector was evaluated in human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) and mammary adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231). The oxCNTs–HA–CPT nanovector demonstrate to have a specific antitumor effect in vitro. The functionalization with HA allows that nanovector bio–directed towards tumor cells, while the toxicity effect is attributed mainly to CPT in a dose-dependent manner.

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Acalypha monostachya (A. monostachya) is a plant that is used in traditional medicine as a cancer treatment; however, its effect has not been validated. In this study, the potential cytotoxic effects and morphological changes of A. monostachya were evaluated in human tumor cell lines. The aqueous (AE), methanolic (ME), and hexane (HE) extracts were obtained, and flavonoid-type phenolic compounds were detected, which indicates an antineoplastic effect. We observed a time-dependent and concentration-selective toxicity in human tumor cells. Additionally, the ME and HE showed the greatest cytotoxic effect at minimum concentrations compared to the AE, which showed this effect at the highest concentrations. All extracts induced significant morphological changes in tumor cells. The HeLa (cervix carcinoma) cells were more sensitive compared to the MDA-MB-231 (triple-negative breast cancer) cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated a cytotoxic in vitro effect of A. monostachya extracts in tumoral human cell lines. These results show the potential antineoplastic effects of A. monostachya in vitro. Hereafter, our lab team will continue working to usefully isolate and obtain the specific compounds of A. monostachya extracts with cytotoxic effects on tumor cells to find more alternatives for cancer treatment.

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