570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie
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Background
Berberine (Ber) is a herbal alkaloid with pharmacological activity in general and a high anticancer potency in particular. However, due to its low bioavailability, the difficulty in reaching a target and choosing the right dose, there is a need to improve approaches of Ber use in anticancer therapy. In this study, Ber, noncovalently bound to a carbon nanostructure C60 fullerene (C60) at various molar ratios of the components, was explored against Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC).
Methods
C60–Ber noncovalent nanocomplexes were synthesized in 1:2, 1:1 and 2:1 molar ratios. Ber release from the nanocomplexes was studied after prolonged incubation at different pH with the liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of free Ber content. Biological effects of the free and C60-complaxated Ber were studied in vitro towards LLC cells with phase-contrast and fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, MTT reduction, caspase activity and wound closure assays. The treatment with C60–Ber nanocomplex was evaluated in vivo with the LLC-tumored C57Bl mice. The mice body weight, tumor size, tumor weight and tumor weight index were assessed for four groups, treated with saline, 15 mg C60/kg, 7.5 mg Ber/kg or 2:1 C60-Ber nanocomplex (15 mg C60/kg, 7.5 mg Ber/kg).
Results
Ber release from C60–Ber nanocomplexes was promoted with medium acidification. LLC cells treatment with C60–Ber nanocomplexes was followed by enhanced Ber intracellular uptake as compared to free Ber. The cytotoxicity of the studied agents followed the order: free Ber < 1:2 < 1:1 < 2:1 C60–Ber nanocomplex. The potency of cytotoxic effect of 2:1 C60–Ber nanocomplex was confirmed by 21.3-fold decrease of IC50 value (0.8 ± 0.3 µM) compared to IC50 for free Ber (17 ± 2 µM). C60–Ber nanocomplexes induced caspase 3/7 activation and suppressed the migration activity of LLC cells. The therapeutic potency of 2:1 C60–Ber nanocomplex was confirmed in a mouse model of LLC. The tumor growth in the group treated with 2:1 C60–Ber nanocomplex is suppressed by approximately 50% at the end of experiment, while in the tumor-bearing group treated with free Ber no therapeutic effect was detected.
Conclusions
This study indicates that complexation of natural alkaloid Ber with C60 may be a novel therapeutic strategy against lung carcinoma.
Synergistic Chemo- and Photodynamic Treatment of Cancer Cells with C60 Fullerene Nanocomplexes
(2021)
Recent progress in nanotechnology has attracted interest to a biomedical application of the carbon nanoparticle C60 fullerene (C60) due to its unique structure and versatile biological activity. In the current study the dual functionality of C60 as a photosensitizer and a drug nanocarrier was exploited to improve the efficiency of chemotherapeutic drugs towards human leukemic cells.
Pristine C60 demonstrated time-dependent accumulation with predominant mitochondrial localization in leukemic cells. C60’s effects on leukemic cells irradiated with high power single chip LEDs of different wavelengths were assessed to find out the most effective photoexcitation conditions. A C60-based noncovalent nanosized system as a carrier for an optimized drug delivery to the cells was evaluated in accordance to its physicochemical properties and toxic effects. Finally, nanomolar amounts of C60-drug nanocomplexes in 1:1 and 2:1 molar ratios were explored to improve the efficiency of cell treatment, complementing it with photodynamic approach.
A proposed treatment strategy was developed for C60 nanocomplexes with the common chemotherapeutic drug Doxorubicin, whose intracellular accumulation and localization, cytotoxicity and mechanism of action were investigated. The developed strategy was revealed to be transferable to an alternative potent anticancer drug – the herbal alkaloid Berberine.
Hereafter, a strong synergy of treatments arising from the combination of C60-mediated drug delivery and C60 photoexcitation was revealed. Presented data indicate that a combination of chemo- and photodynamic treatments with C60-drug nanoformulations could provide a promising synergetic approach for cancer treatment.