In vitro cytotoxic evaluation of doxorubicin and curcumin analogue loaded modified chitosan nanoparticles

Abstract

Chitosan had been successfully modified by conjugating with folic acid for specific delivery for an anticancer agent. The modified chitosan-folate (chitosan-FA) then prepared into a nanosize particle (NP) and loaded with the active substances, a combination of doxorubicin (DOX) and curcumin analog, 2,5-bis-(4-hydroxy,3,5-dimethyl benzylidene) cyclopentanone (Pentagamavunon-1, PGV-1). In this research, the cytotoxic activity of chitosan-FA NP containing the drugs against MCF-7 breast cancer cell was evaluated. The ionic gelation method was used for preparing of the chitosan-FA NP containing active substances. Physical characterization including particle size and zeta potential of the NP was analyzed using Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), whereas the encapsulation efficiency (EE) was analyzed using ultrafast liquid chromatography (UFLC). Anticancer activity of nanoparticles was carried out using the MTT method. The particle size obtained for chitosan-FA containing active substances was 111.8 ± 4.11 nm with the EE more than 75% for DOX and around 12% for PGV-1. The cytotoxic test with MTT assay showed that the DOX and PGV-1 loaded in chitosan-FA NP had anticancer activity against MCF-7 cells with IC 50 value 25.8±2.55 µg/mL for DOX and 24.7±0.91 µg/mL for PGV-1 in combination.