Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA)-based nanoparticles modified with chitosan-folic acid to delivery of Artemisia vulgaris L. essential oil to HT-29 cancer cells

In the present study, preparation of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA) nanoparticles coated with chitosan (CS) conjugated to folic acid (FA) was applied to load Artemisia vulgaris L. essential oil (AVEO) and evaluate its anticancer effects. To do so, AVEO was encapsulated in PLGA-NPs by W/O method and the surface of nanoparticles was coated with CS attached to FA (AVEO-PCF-NPs). Then, the physicochemical properties of AVEO-PCF-NPs were evaluated by dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta potential, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods, and subsequently, HPLC technique was used to calculate the amount of AVEO encapsulation and FA binding. MTT assay, florescent staining and cell cycle analysis were used to evaluate the occurrence of apoptosis. The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay was done to evaluate the effect of AVEO-PCF-NPs on angiogenesis. AVEO-PCF-NPs suppressed cancer cells with IC50 similar to 78 mu g/ml without inhibitory effect on normal cells. Arrest of cells in the SubG1 phase and AO/PI staining results showed the pro-apoptotic effects of AVEO-PCF-NPs. Significant reduction of blood vessel in samples treated with AVEO-PCF-NPs confirmed inhibitory effects of AVEO-PCF-NPs on angiogenesis. The effect of selective toxicity and the ability to induce apoptosis and inhibit angiogenesis introduces AVEO-PCF-NPs as a suitable candidate for cancer research.

Automated summary

In this study, AVEO-PCF-NPs were prepared by encapsulating AVEO in PLGA-NPs and coating the nanoparticles with CS and FA, showing significant anticancer effects by suppressing cancer cell growth, inducing apoptosis, and inhibiting angiogenesis.