Cytotoxic effect of polymeric nanoparticles containing ginger essential oil (GEO) on breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer type that is spread among women worldwide. Essential oils are of paramount importance in pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food areas thanks to their crucial properties. However, stability and bioactivity determine the effectiveness of essential oils. Polymeric nanoencapsulation is a well-established approach for the preservation of essential oils. Ginger contains active phenolic compounds such as gingerol, paradol and shogaol that have antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenesis and anti-artherosclerotic properties that maybe more effective via polymer based nano-encapsulation.In this study, we have evaluated the cytotoxic effect of GEO NPs on breast cancer cells (۴T۱). The GEO nanoparticles were prepared by double-emulsion solvent evaporation technique using PLA (poly (lactic acid)) polymer. Nanoparticles were characterized in terms of average particle size and size distribution using dynamic light scattering (DLS). The cytotoxic activity of GEO NPs on (۴T۱) breast cancer cells and normal cells was evaluated using MTT [۳-(۴,۵-dimethylthiazolyl)-۲,۵-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide] assay. The GEO loaded nanoparticles size was in the range of ۲۹۸ nm with a polydispersity index of ۰.۳ (n=۳). We found that encapsulated GEO was more potent than pure GEO in anticancer activity, whereas the cell viability of normal cells wasn't affected. Our results demonstrated that the GEO NPs has anticancer properties and inhibited growth in ۴T۱ breast cancer cell line.

Keywords:

Breast cancer , Cytotoxic effect , Ginger essential oil , PLA nanoparticles.