Anticancer activity of an ultrasonic nanoemulsion formulation of Nigella sativa L. essential oil on human breast cancer cells

Abstract

Nigella sativa L. (NS) is a plant renowned in traditional holistic medicine systems for almost 1400 years because of its remarkable antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. The essential oil of N. sativa, in particular, possesses these significant biological properties. However, N. sativa essential oil has many insoluble constituents with properties that have not been fully explored. Nanoemulsion-based insoluble formulations are a widely used carrier system for lipophilic materials. In the present study, we used ultrasonic emulsification, polysorbate 80 and water to formulate a highly stable N. sativa essential oil nanoemulsion (NSEO-NE). To optimize the NSEO-NE preparation, we changed the surfactant concentration, the oil-surfactant mixing ratio and the emulsification time. The droplet size distribution and morphology of the prepared NE was analyzed using dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The droplet size of the NSEO-NE was approximately 20-50 nm in diameter. The anticancer properties of the NE preparation were studied using a modified methyl-thiazolyl-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay as well as cellular uptake and nuclear morphological analyses. The NSEO-NE significantly reduced the viability of Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) breast cancer cells. The nucleo-cytoplasmic morphological features of NSEO-NE-treated cells included cell membrane blebbing, cytoplasmic vacuolation, marginalization of chromatin, and fragmentation of the nucleus. The results clearly indicate that NSEO-NE induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. These findings support the potential application of NSEO-NE in breast cancer therapy, and also merit future translational research.

North African Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used in Cancer Therapy

“…A different volatile extract from the seeds obtained with petroleum ether decreased the viability of A549 lung carcinoma cells exposed to concentrations above 0.1 mg/mL, while an alcoholic extract only exhibited toxicity at concentrations equal or higher than 0.25 mg/mL (Al-Sheddi et al, 2014). A nanoemulsion of essential oil was cytotoxic to MCF-7 breast cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner (IC 50 = 82 and 59 μL/mL for 24 and 48 h, respectively; Periasamy et al, 2016). …”

“…Thabrew et al (2005) demonstrated that an aqueous extract inhibited DNA (IC 50 = 3 mg/mL) and protein synthesis in HepG2 cells. A nanoemulsion of essential oil caused cell death by either apoptosis (~44% after 24 h) and necrosis (~28% after 24 h; Periasamy et al, 2016). Thymoquinone, the major compound of N. sativa , caused DNA fragmentation, induced apoptosis (36% vs. 2.5% after 48 h), induced the expression of caspase-8 precursor, and downregulated procaspases-3 (Khalife et al, 2016).…”

Synthesis of CuS and ZnO/Zn(OH)2 nanoparticles and their evaluation for in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities

“…Antimicrobials are among the most commonly purchased drugs worldwide . Health problems demand a novel class of effective antimicrobial compounds to be more resistant against pathogenic microorganisms than the current antibiotics . This goal can be obtained by identifying new drug targets via genomic, improving the existing antibiotics, and most importantly by identifying new antimicrobial agents with novel materials and mode of action .…”

A comprehensive and updated review on the pharmacological activities and phytochemistry of Nigella sativa L.

“…Recent evidence suggests that the nanoemulsion of NS oil at a concentration of 20-80 µL/mL caused cell membrane blebbing, cytoplasmic vacuolation, marginalization of chromatin, and fragmentation of the nucleus in MCF-7 cells [16]. A recent evidence suggests that topical use of black seed oil (600 mg) reduced cyclic mastalgia in woman (n = 52), where the activity was found significant when compared to the painkiller, diclofenac [17].…”