Aerosol assisted synthesis of a pH responsive curcumin anticancer drug nanocarrier using chitosan and alginate natural polymers

In recent years, several nanocarrier synthesis methods have been developed. In cancer therapy, the use of smart nanocarriers is of interest. Smart nanocarriers respond to their environment and can release their cargo in a controlled manner under the action of internal or external stimuli. In this work, we report on the development of an aerosol-assisted method for the synthesis of curcumin-loaded chitosan/alginate-based polymeric nanocarrier (CurNCs). A custom-fabricated multi-nebulizer system was utilized for the synthesis of CurNCs. The developed system comprises three main parts a sprayer, an electric heater tunnel, and a collector. Curcumin and chitosan solutions were sprayed using a pneumatic multinebulizer into the electric heater tunnel to form chitosan-curcumin assemblies. Then, the aerosol was guided into the collector solution containing sodium alginate and tri-poly phosphate aqueous solution for further cross-linkage. The synthesized CurNCs were characterized using TEM, DLS, and FTIR techniques. The TEM size of the nanoparticles was 8.62 ± 2.25 nm. The release experiments revealed that the nanocarrier is sensitive to the environment pH as more curcumin is released at acidic pH values (as is the case for cancerous tissues) compared to physiological pH. The curcumin content of the nanocarrier was 77.27 mg g−1 with a drug loading efficiency of 62%. The in-vitro cytotoxicity of the synthesized nanocarrier was evaluated against the MCF7 breast cancer cell line. The IC50 concentrations for CurNCs and curcumin were obtained as 14.86 and 16.45 mg mL−1, respectively. The results showed that while the empty nanocarrier shows non-significant cytotoxicity, the CurNCs impact the cell culture and cause prolonged cell deaths. Overall, pH-responsive curcumin polymeric nanocarrier was synthesized using a custom fabricated aerosol-based method. The method enabled fast and feasible synthesis of the nanocarrier with high efficiency.This work has been supported by grants from the Bu-Ali Sina University Research Council and the Centre of Excellence in Development of Environmentally Friendly Methods for Chemical Synthesis (CEDEFMCS) which are gratefully acknowledged

Natural Phytochemicals Derived from Gymnosperms in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancers

The incidence of various types of cancer is increasing globally. To reduce the critical side effects of cancer chemotherapy, naturally derived compounds have been considered for cancer treatment. Gymnosperms are a group of plants found worldwide that have traditionally been used for therapeutic applications. Paclitaxel is a commercially available anticancer drug derived from gymnosperms. Other natural compounds with anticancer activities, such as pinostrobin and pinocembrin, are extracted from pine heartwood, and pycnogenol and enzogenol from pine bark. Gymnosperms have great potential for further study for the discovery of new anticancer compounds. This review aims to provide a rational understanding and the latest developments in potential anticancer compounds derived from gymnosperms

Comparative Evaluation of Apoptosis Induction Using Needles, Bark, and Pollen Extracts and Essential Oils of Pinus eldarica in Lung Cancer Cells

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although effective clinical drugs for treating advanced stages are available, interest in alternative herbal medicines has gained momentum. Herbal extracts are potent antioxidants that reportedly inhibit the growth of various cancer cell lines. In the present study, we investigated the effects of essential oils and hexane, methanolic, and aqueous extracts, obtained from various parts (bark, needles, and pollen) of Pinus eldarica against human lung cancer (A549) cells. First, the DPPH radical scavenging activities of P. eldarica extracts and essential oils were examined, which revealed that methanolic extracts presented higher antioxidant activity than the other extracts and essential oils. Next, A549 cells were exposed to various concentrations of the extracts and essential oils for 48 h. P. eldarica extracts/essential oil-treated lung cancer cells demonstrated a significant decrease in cell proliferation, along with an induction of apoptotic cell death, particularly, the pollen hexane extract, bark essential oil, and methanolic needle extract showed superior results, with IC50 values of 31.7, 17.9, and 0.3 μg/mL, respectively. In the cell cycle analysis, treatment of A549 cells with the methanolic needle and pollen hexane extracts led to apoptosis and accumulation of cells in the sub-G1 phase. Further, exposure to the bark essential oil and methanolic needle extract decreased the cell population in the G2/M phase. Notably, treatment with the pollen hexane extract, bark essential oil, and methanolic needle extract resulted in caspase-3 activation, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage, Bcl-2 downregulation, and Bax and p53 regulation in A549 cells. Furthermore, these extracts and essential oils decreased the migration, and colony formation of A549 cells. These findings provide experimental evidence for a new therapeutic effect of P. eldarica against human lung cancer and suggest P. eldarica as a potential chemopreventive natural resource for developing novel cancer therapeutics

Ghee based nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) with improved wound-healing effects: Ghee based nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs)

Ghee or butter oil is an excellent medium for preparing herbal cosmetics and Ayurvedic medicines formulations. However, water immiscibility restrict its use as a potential carrier system in particular in lipid-based topical formulations. In this work, we prepared ghee-based nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) using olive oil as liquid lipid, Tween 60 as surfactant and glycerol as co-surfactant by hot emulsification–ultrasonication method. Then the loaded NLC with a mixture of ethanolic extracts of Achillea millefolium, Horsetail and Plantago major L. was prepared in the same way. NLCs were characterized in terms of size, zeta potential, polydispersity index (PDI) and creaming index. The particle size of NLCs was lower than 100 nm and the zeta potential displayed the negative charge in all formulations. The results of creaming index showed that NLCs were stable for up to 8 weeks under refrigerated conditions. The wound healing effects of the NLCs were evaluated using an excision model in rats. The NLCs displayed significant increased wound contraction and decreased epithelialization period when compare to standard drug phenytoin. This study showed that the ghee-based formulations are much more efficacious in NLC for wound healing promotion in comparison with their macroemulsion form. The formulated system is easy to produce and to apply and could be favourable for topical application in pharmaceutical industries