Enhanced anticancer effect of copper-loaded chitosan nanoparticles against osteosarcoma

In this study, copper-loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared for the effective treatment of osteosarcoma. The particle size of the copper-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CuCNPs) is in the range required for drug delivery applications and cancer targeting (<200 nm). The spherical shape of the nanoparticles was observed via TEM and AFM. CuCNPs exhibited a significantly higher anticancer effect compared to free copper sulphate (CuSO4). The substantial anticancer effect of CuCNPs might be due to the better internalization of the NP system compared to that of CuSO4. CuCNPs exhibited a remarkable anticancer effect on cancer cells, where much of the cells were dead and few had typical apoptotic body formations. Our results clearly reveal that the superior anticancer effect of CuCNPs is attributed to the generation of a higher mitochondrial ROS level compared to that of the control. Caspase 3/7 activity showed that CuCNPs exhibit 6-fold and 2-fold higher apoptotic activities than the control and CuSO4 groups, respectively. Based on these result, it can be speculated that the higher ROS generation capacity of CuCNPs result in higher caspase 3/7 activity, which is further confirmed by the higher expression of caspase-3. Overall, the anticancer effect of copper could be enhanced by delivering it in biocompatible chitosan nanoparticles for effective therapy in osteosarcoma.