Neuroprotective Ability of Apocynin Loaded Nanoparticles (APO-NPs) as NADPH Oxidase (NOX)-Mediated ROS Modulator for Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Neuronal Injuries

Apocynin (APO) is a known multi-enzymatic complexed compound, employed as a viable NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibitor, extensively used in both traditional and modern-day therapeutic strategies to combat neuronal disorders. However, its therapeutic efficacy is limited by lower solubility and lesser bioavailability; thus, a suitable nanocarrier system to overcome such limitations is needed. The present study is designed to fabricate APO-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (APO-NPs) to enhance its therapeutic efficacy and sustainability in the biological system. The optimized APO NPs in the study exhibited 103.6 +/- 6.8 nm and -13.7 +/- 0.43 mV of particle size and zeta potential, respectively, along with further confirmation by TEM. In addition, the antioxidant (AO) abilities quantified by DPPH and nitric oxide scavenging assays exhibited comparatively higher AO potential of APO-NPs than APO alone. An in-vitro release profile displayed a linear diffusion pattern of zero order kinetics for APO from the NPs, followed by its cytotoxicity evaluation on the PC12 cell line, which revealed minimal toxicity with higher cell viability, even after treatment with a stress inducer (H2O2). The stability of APO-NPs after six months showed minimal AO decline in comparison to APO only, indicating that the designed nano-formulation enhanced therapeutic efficacy for modulating NOX-mediated ROS generation.

Automated summary

The study successfully fabricated APO-NPs with particle size of 103.6 +/- 6.8 nm and zeta potential of -13.7 +/- 0.43 mV, confirmed by TEM. The APO-NPs exhibited higher antioxidant potential compared to APO alone, as demonstrated by DPPH and nitric oxide scavenging assays. In vitro release profile showed zero order kinetics for APO from the NPs, with minimal cytotoxicity and higher cell viability in PC12 cell line evaluation. The stability evaluation after six months indicated minimal decline in antioxidant activity, suggesting enhanced therapeutic efficacy of the designed nano-formulation.