Therapeutic potential of zinc oxide-loaded Syringic acid against in vitro and in vivo model of lung cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Lung cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer that leads to a high mortality rate amongst several cancer types and it is a widely recurrent cancer globally. The use of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) in the formulation of sun cream, food flavors, and colorings due to its varied biological properties. The extensive significance of nanoparticles encourages their production but the approaches are a common challenge in concluding the direct beneficial effect for the disease treatment. Hence, in the present study, zinc oxide-loaded syringic acid (ZnO-SYR) phytochemical was used to elucidate the ther­ apeutic effect against lung cancer. Methods: The ZnO-SYR nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, and FT-IR analysis. The character­ ized ZnO-SYR was tested on in vivo mouse model of lung cancer (benzo(a)pyrene (BAP)) and in vitro A549 cells. Results: The results demonstrated the significant restoration of body weight with attenuated serum marker enzymes compared to BAP-treated animals. In addition, cytokine estimation revealed ameliorated levels of TNF-α, interleukins, IL-6, IL-1β with evidenced histological observations in ZnO-SYR-treated mice compared to BAP-induced lung cancer mice. Discussion: Furthermore, cytotoxicity analysis demonstrated the altered mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), with a profound increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and apoptosis mechanism by ZnO-SYR compared to control cells. The conclusions of the present study put forward an evident confirmation of the protective and beneficial effects of zincoxide-loaded syringic acid against the BAP-induced lung cancer model.