ROS-Mediated Apoptosis Induced by BSA Nanospheres Encapsulated with Fruit Extract of Cucumis prophetarum in Various Human Cancer Cell Lines

In recent decades, biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have been used as a nanocarrier for the delivery of anticancer drugs. In the present study, we synthesize bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanospheres and evaluate their ability to incorporate a plant extract with anticancer activity. The plant extract used was the methanol fruit extract of Cucumis prophetarum, which is a medicinal herb. The fruit-extract-encapsulated BSA nanospheres (Cp-BSA nanospheres) were prepared using a desolvation method at various pH values of 5, 7, and 9. The nanosphere formulations were characterized using various techniques such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta-potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and field-effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results show that the Cp-BSA nanospheres prepared at pH 7 were spherical with a uniform particle size, low polydispersity index (PDI), zeta-potential, and high entrapment efficiency (82.3%) and showed sustained release of fruit extract from Cp-BSA nanospheres in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 5. The anticancer activity was evaluated on A549, HepG2, MCF-7 cancer cell lines and HEK 293 normal cell lines. In vitro, antioxidant activity using the 2,2diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondrial membrane potential were estimated. An in vitro cellular uptake study was performed using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) dye at a different time of incubation, and DNA fragmentation was observed in a dose-dependent manner. The gene expression level of Bax and the suppression level of Bcl-2 were observed upon the treatment of Cp-BSA nanospheres. Thus, the Cp-BSA nanospheres triggered ROS-dependent mitochondrial apoptosis in different human cancer cell lines when compared to the noncancerous cell lines and could be used as a potential candidate for anticancer agents.

Automated summary

Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have been used as nanocarriers for anticancer drugs delivery in recent decades. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanospheres were successfully synthesized to encapsulate a plant extract with anticancer activity. Cp-BSA nanospheres prepared at pH 7 exhibited good stability, load efficiency, and sustained release of the fruit extract.