Calcium chloride linked camel milk derived casein nanoparticles for the delivery of sorafenib in hepatocarcinoma cells

Abstract

Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor used for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, is limited by its low oral bioavailability. To overcome this drawback, we have developed novel camel milk casein-derived nanoparticles as a drug delivery system. Camel milk casein is not only biocompatible on oral administration but is actually a dietary protein of pharmaceutical relevance. Casein is used because of its amphiphilic nature, self-assembling property, ability to show sustained release, and capability of encapsulating both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. In this study, camel milk casein nanoparticles loaded with sorafenib were developed and characterized. Characterization of casein nanoparticles was done by dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential analysis, scanning light microscopy (SEM), and FTIR. The drug content in nanoparticle and drug-protein binding studies were conducted by UV spectroscopy. The cytotoxicity and cellular uptake efficiency studies were performed in HepG2 cell lines. It was observed that the cytotoxic effect of sorafenib loaded camel milk casein nanoparticles was more than free sorafenib in HepG2 cells. This work suggests camel milk casein as a suitable drug delivery molecule for sorafenib. In the future, it may also be used in enhancing the efficacy and specific distribution of other water-insoluble anticancer drugs.

A nanoformula comprising three entities in one design Synthetic Sorafenib- loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) conjugated with natural Curcumin induces a distinct intrinsic apoptosis pathway versus Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer A549 cell lines

“…Figure 2 shows the FTIR spectrum of Sor that appears to have varied sharp, strong, and weak peaks; moreover, pivotal functional groups match with C-H, -CH2, -CH3, C=O, C-O, N-H, and C=C. The spectrum matches the standard spectrum of solid Sor as well as those reported in the previous study (Mittal et al 2022). The spectrum appears to have a characteristic peak at 3120 cm -1 and 2930 cm -1 due to the C-H stretching bands of aromatic and aliphatic CH, respectively.…”

Evaluation of the cytotoxic activity of sorafenib‐loaded camel milk casein nanoparticles against hepatocarcinoma cells

“…Sorafenib-loaded casein nanoparticles (SFN-CasNPs) were prepared according to our previously reported method [18] and further optimized to improve their drug encapsulation efficiency. Briefly, 200 µL of methanolic solution of sorafenib (1 mg mL (20,30,40,50) µL (Table 3) was added as a crosslinker and for the formation of casein nanoparticles.…”

“…These nanoparticles were characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential, FTIR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). [ 18 ] Based on the suitable properties of camel milk casein and our earlier work, we hypothesized that encapsulation of sorafenib in camel milk casein nanoparticles would have an enhanced cytotoxic effect on liver cancer cells compared to the drug given without any carrier. Presently, we aim to evaluate the cytotoxic efficiency of sorafenib against the human hepatoma cancer cell line, HepG2, using camel milk casein nanoparticles as a carrier.…”

Medicinal Potential of Camel Milk Lactoferrin

“…It forms a high nutritional source with low cholesterol, low sugar, high minerals (sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium), high vitamins (vitamin C, B2, A, and E), and high concentrations of insulin compared to the ruminant milk [20][21][22]. Moreover, very recently camel milk casein-derived nanoparticles have been used as carriers for the delivery of sorafenib in hepatocarcinoma cells [23].…”