Fabrication of Bovine Serum Albumin Coated ZnO Nanoparticles Loaded Disogenin Conjugated Folate to Improve the Anti-Cancer Potential

Nowadays, nanocarriers and bioactive compounds are widely used to increase the bioavailability and effectivity of drugs and bioactive compounds. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were applied as a model system to improve the solubility and absorption of the nanoparticles (NPs) complex. Disogenin (DG) as a natural flavonoid which wide range of biological properties loaded on NPs, then, in order to increase their uptake in cancer cells, folate (FA) was attached to the NPs (ZnO-BSA-DG-FA-NPs). The synthesized nanoparticle were characterized by Dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential (ZP), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Meanwhile, the efficiency of DG encapsulation and FA binding was evaluated by UV-adsorption. The anti-cancer effects and molecular mechanism of the ZnO-BSA-DG-FA-NPs were assessed by MTT, qPCR and flow cytometry respectively. The obtained results confirmed the spherical shape of ZnO-BSA-DG-FA-NPs with the size of 80 nm, dispersion index of 0.33 and surface charge of -20.76 mV. Through MTT assay, the selective toxicity of ZnO-BSA-DG-FA-NPs against of cancer cells (Ntra-2/ IC50:13 mu g/ml) in comparison with HFF (above of 25 mu g/ml) and HUVEC (IC50:13 mu g/ml) cells is reported. The gene expression analysis indicated the significant enhancement of caspase 9 and 3 genes through activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in cells treated with NPs. Also, the cell cycle arrest at SubG1 phase was further confirmed the pro-apoptotic activity of NPs.

Automated summary

In this study, bovine serum albumin and zinc oxide nanoparticles were used as a model system to improve the solubility and absorption of the nanoparticles. By loading disogenin and attaching folate to the nanoparticles, they showed selective toxicity against cancer cells and activated the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. The results confirmed the effectiveness of these nanoparticles in increasing the bioavailability and anti-cancer effects of bioactive compounds.