In vivo and in vitro effects of Bletilla striata polysaccharide-loaded paclitaxel nanoparticles on human gastric cancer cells

Purpose: To investigate the in vivo and in vitro effects of paclitaxel nanoparticle (PTX)-loaded Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) on human gastric cancer cells. Methods: Mice weighing 13 to 17 g and aged 4 to 6 weeks, were inoculated with human gastric gland cancer cell line (MKN45), and randomly assigned to five groups: control group, PTX-1 (10 mk/kg) group; PTX-2 (15 mg/kg) group, BSP-PTX-1 (10 mg/kg) group, and BSP-PTX-2 (15 mg/kg) group. The anti-proliferative influence of BSP-PTX and its cellular target were determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyftetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and fluorescence microscopy, respectively. Results: Inhibition of MKN45 cells was significantly higher in BSP-PTX group (88.24 %) than in PTX group (76.74 %, p < 0.05). More BSP-PTX entered the cells than PTX. Tumor inhibition was significantly low in PTX-1 group (37.58 %), relative to the BSP-PTX-1 group (45.00 %, p < 0.5). In addition, tumor inhibition was significantly lower in PTX-2 group (52.35 %) than in BSP-PTX-2 group (69.80 %, p < 0.5). The weight gain of mice was lower in the PTX or BSP-PTX groups than in control mice, while the weight gain of mice in BSP-PTX-2 group (26.35 %) was significantly higher than that of PTX-2 group (19.43 %, p < 0.5). Conclusion: Bletilla striata polysaccharide-loaded paclitaxel nanoparticles enhance drug delivery, and effectively and safely exert anti-proliferative effect on MKN45 cells and in mice. Thus, these nanoparticles have good potential for development into anti-gastric cancer agents for clinical application.