Formulation, characterization, and cellular toxicity assessment of tamoxifen-loaded silk fibroin nanoparticles in breast cancer

Abstract

Silk fibroin (SF) is a natural polymeric biomaterial that is widely adopted for the preparation of drug delivery systems. Herein, we aimed to fabricate and characterize SF nanoparticles loaded with the selective estrogen receptor modulator; tamoxifen citrate (TC-SF-NPs) and to assess their in vitro efficacy against breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231). TC-loaded SF-NPs were characterized for particle size, morphology, entrapment efficiency, and release profile. In addition, we examined the in vitro cytotoxicity of TC-SF-NPs against human breast cancer cell lines and evaluated the anticancer potential of TC-SF-NPs through apoptosis assay and cell cycle analysis. Drug-loaded SF-NPs showed an average particle size of 186.1 ± 5.9 nm and entrapment efficiency of 79.08%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the nanoparticles had a spherical morphology with smooth surface. Tamoxifen release from SF-NPs exhibited a biphasic release profile with an initial burst release within the first 6 h and sustained release for 48 h. TC-SF-NPs exerted a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect against breast cancer cell lines. In addition, flow cytometry analysis revealed that cells accumulate in G 0 /G 1 phase, with a concomitant reduction of S- and G 2 -M-phase cells upon treatment with TC-SF-NPs. Consequently, the potent anticancer activities of TC-SF-NPs against breast cancer cells were mainly attributed to the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Our results indicate that SF nanoparticles may represent an attractive nontoxic nanocarrier for the delivery of anticancer drugs.

Cefotaxime Mediated Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles: Characterization and Antibacterial Activity

“…Recent advances in nanotechnology provide new opportunities for the development of innovative delivery vehicles based on unique types of nanoparticulate systems with varying sizes and shapes and malleable antibacterial activities. One of the most appealing features of nanoparticle-based formulations is their capacity to deliver a wide arsenal of drugs, either attached to their surfaces or entrapped within their core structure, to the site of infection efficiently and safely [14][15][16]. By enhancing the pharmacokinetic behavior and, thereby, pharmacological activity of entrapped/loaded drug entities, compared to free drug counterparts, the administered dose needed to produce the designated therapeutic effect can be reduced considerably [15,17].…”

The Contribution of Silk Fibroin in Biomedical Engineering

“…Moreover, the authors investigated the reactive oxygen species levels after treating the cell lines with the developed biomaterials and observed that the reactive oxygen species levels were lower in two cell lines, namely MCF-7 and HFF. These findings highlight the great contribution of SF-based biomaterials in cancer therapy [ 183 ].…”

“…Furthermore, the therapeutic activity resulting from this formulation was higher than other approaches [ 182 ]. In the same year, Moin et al (2021) [ 183 ] developed both nano- and micro-fibroin-based particles as drug delivery systems to encapsulate doxorubicin. The authors used two types of cancer cell lines, specifically MCF-7 and SAOS2, and one normal human cell line, namely HFF.…”

Screening of Apoptosis Pathway-Mediated Anti-Proliferative Activity of the Phytochemical Compound Furanodienone against Human Non-Small Lung Cancer A-549 Cells

“…Furanodienone (FDN) is an emerging bioactive furanosesquiterpenoid with diverse pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities [6]. Recently, many reports have emphasized its cytotoxic potential against different cancer cell lines, including colorectal cancer and breast cancer [7,9,21]. However, the antiproliferative potential of FDN against human lung cancer has not been elucidated yet.…”

“…The cytotoxicity of furanodienone (FDN) on A549 cells was initially evaluated at varying concentrations, ranging from 0 to 300 µM, to determine the appropriate FDN concentration(s) to be used throughout the study using the standard procedure of MTT as previously described [9]. From this study, FDN concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 µM, which exerted remarkable cytotoxic potential, were selected to be used throughout the whole study.…”