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Nanosized paclitaxel-loaded niosomes: formulation, in vitro cytotoxicity, and apoptosis gene expression in breast cancer cell lines

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Abstract

Background

In this study, the optimized niosomal formulation containing paclitaxel using non-ionic surfactants and cholesterol was designed and its cytotoxic effects against different breast cancer cell lines and apoptosis gene expression analysis were also investigated.

Methods and results

Due to enhancing equation variables, the Box–Behnken method has been applied. Lipid/drug molar ratio, the amounts of Span 60, and cholesterol were selected as the target for optimization. The particle size of niosome loaded paclitaxel and entrapment efficiency proportion have been considered in the role of dependent variables. Then the cytotoxic activity of the optimized formulation was evaluated using an MTT assay against different breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7, T-47D, SkBr3, and MDA-MB-231. The expression level of Bax and Bcl-2 apoptosis genes was determined by Real-Time PCR. In this study, the optimized niosomal formulation revealed that the synthesized niosomes had a spherical appearance and had an average size of 192.73 ± 5.50 nm so that the percentage of drug loading was 94.71 ± 1.56%. Moreover, this formulation showed a controlled and slowed release of paclitaxel at different pH (7.4, 6.5, and 5.4). The cytotoxicity results demonstrated that cell viability in all concentrations of niosome loaded paclitaxel had profound cytotoxic effects on all studied breast cancer cell lines compared to the free paclitaxel (p < 0.05). In addition, the expression of apoptosis genes was much higher than that of free paclitaxel indicating the susceptibility of cells to apoptosis.

Conclusions

As a result, niosomal formulations containing paclitaxel can be used as a new drug delivery system to increase cytotoxicity and treatment of breast cancer in the upcoming future.

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Acknowledgements

The authors of this article thank the Islamic Azad University for its financial assistance.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Bahareh Pourmoghadasiyan and Fatemeh Tavakkoli contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Bahareh Pourmoghadasiyan & Fatemeh Tavakkoli

  2. School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Farzaneh Mahmoudi Beram

  3. Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

    Farzad Badmasti

  4. Department of Biology, Parand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Parand, Iran

    Amir Mirzaie

  5. Department of Biology, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran

    Reza Kazempour

  6. Department of Biology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Shahrzad Rahimi

  7. Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Setare Farokhi Larijani

  8. Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Faranak Hejabi

  9. Department of Applied Chemistry, Tehran South Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Kamand Sedaghatnia

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  1. Bahareh Pourmoghadasiyan
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Contributions

AM designed the experimental study, revision, and supervision, SHR performed the experimental tests, RK the gene expression analysis. BP and FT wrote the manuscript and performed cell culture. FM, FB and SHR assisted in characterization tests. SF, FH and KS assisted in data analysis.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amir Mirzaie.

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Pourmoghadasiyan, B., Tavakkoli, F., Beram, F.M. et al. Nanosized paclitaxel-loaded niosomes: formulation, in vitro cytotoxicity, and apoptosis gene expression in breast cancer cell lines. Mol Biol Rep 49, 3597–3608 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07199-2

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