Cinnamon cassia oil chitosan nanoparticles: Physicochemical properties and anti-breast cancer activity

The aim of this study was to prepare Cinnamomum cassia essential oil (CEO) impregnated chitosan nanoparticles (CS-CEO) and assess its pharmacological activity against breast cancer. Cinnamon oil-loaded chitosan nano-particles were investigated for their physicochemical properties, stability, and anti-cancer activities both in vitro and in vivo. The prepared CS-CEO nanoparticles have a particle size, zeta-potential, entrapment efficiency and drug loading of (215.40 +/- 3.90) nm, (51.70 +/- 1.90) mV, (83.37 +/- 0.4)% and (26.42 +/- 0.65)%, respectively. CS-CEO showed a regular, uniform, and spherical or quasi-spherical structure under a transmission electron mi-croscope. CS-CEO remained stable upon storage at 4 degrees C. CS-CEO exhibited enhanced in vitro antitumor activity (52 mu g/mL) compared to CEO. The mechanism might be related to the up-regulation of Caspase-3 and AIF protein expression. In in vivo experiments, CS-CEO suppressed the growth of 4T1 breast cancer cells transplanted into mice, inhibited tumor cell proliferation, and induced apoptosis by reducing the expression of the Ki-67 protein. These results indicated that CEO encapsulated in chitosan had a higher physical stability and was also more effective against 4T1 breast tumor model, which can be used as a reference for the application of volatile oil components in traditional Chinese medicine.

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to prepare Cinnamomum cassia essential oil (CEO) impregnated chitosan nanoparticles (CS-CEO) and evaluate its pharmacological activity against breast cancer. The CS-CEO nanoparticles had good physicochemical properties, stability, and enhanced anti-cancer activity compared to CEO. This research provides a reference for the application of volatile oil components in traditional Chinese medicine.