Effect of Curcumin-Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles on the Head and Neck Cancer Cell Line, HN5
2022
Simin Sharifi | Elaheh Dalir Abdolahinia | Mohammad Ali Ghavimi | Solmaz Maleki Dizaj | Michael Aschner | Luciano Saso | Haroon Khan
Curcumin is an active ingredient isolated from <i>Curcuma longa</i>. It has several pharmacological effects, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. Due to its low bioavailability, chemical structure instability, and easy oxidation, the application of curcumin has been limited. In this study, to overcome these limitations, curcumin-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Cur-MSN) were prepared, and the anticancerous effect of Cur-MSNs on head and neck cancer cells, HN5, was investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed rod-shaped mesoporous nanoparticles with average particle size smaller than 100 nm. Higher cytotoxicity of Cur-MSNs was seen in treated cancer cells compared with free curcumin. The expression of <i>Bcl-2</i> was significantly reduced in the presence of Cur-MSNs compared to the control (untreated HN5 cells) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A 3.43-fold increase in the <i>Bax/Bcl-2</i> ratio was seen in Cur-MSNs treated HN5 cells at the IC<sub>50</sub>. Cur-MSNs increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Based on these novel results, we suggest that Cur-MSNs offer efficacy for cancer treatment and future studies should further characterize their properties in various experimental cancer models.
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