Sara Shamekhi - Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Zohreh Ebrahimnezhad - Tuberculosis and Lung Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Yones Pilehvar-soltanahmadi - Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Nasrin Mohajeri - Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical sciences, Tabriz, Iran

Introduction: Nowadays, using drug delivery is an essential method to improve cancer therapy through decreasing drug toxicity and increasing efficiency of treatment. Silibinin (C25H22O10), a polyphenolic flavonoid which is isolated from the milk thistle plant, has various applications in cancer therapy but it has hydrophobic structure with low water solubility and bioavailability. To increase the effect of silibinin, silibinin-loaded PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4 was prepared to determine the inhibitory effect of this nanodrug on Telomerase gene expression. Methods: The rate of silibinin loaded into PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4 was measured. Then, the cytotoxic effect of silibinin-loaded PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4 was determined by Methyl Thiazol Tetrazolium (MTT) assay. After that, inhibition of Telomerase gene expression was indicated through Real-time PCR. Results:Data analysis from MTT assay showed that silibinin-loaded PLGA-PEGFe3O4 had dose dependent cytotoxic effect on T47D cell line. MTT assay showed no cytotoxic effect of free PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4 on T47D breast cancer cell line. Real Time PCR analysis showed that the level of telomerase gene expression more efficiently decreased with silibinin-loaded PLGA-PEGFe3O4 than with free silibinin alone. Conclusion: The present study indicates that this nanodrug causes down-regulation of Telomerase gene expression in cancer cells. Therefore, PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4 could be an appropriate carrier for hydrophobic agents such as silibinin to improve their action in cancer therapy.

Telomerase, Breast Cancer, Silibinin, PLGA-PEG-Fe3O4