Anticancer activity of bicalutamide-loaded PLGA nanoparticles in prostate cancers

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous malignancy in men in western and most developing countries. Bicalutamide (BLT) is an antineoplastic hormonal agent primarily used in the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancers. In the present study, the aim was to develop a nanotechnology-based delivery system to target prostate cancer cells. This involved the development of a BLT-loaded poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) PLGA (PLGA-BLT) nanoparticulate system in an attempt to improve the therapeutic efficacy of BLT in prostate cancer and to mitigate its toxicity. Nanosized particles with a uniform size distribution and spherical shape were developed. PLGA-BLT showed a pronounced cytotoxic effect on LNCaP and C4-2 cancer cells. The superior cell-killing effect of the nanoparticles may be attributable to their sustained drug-release characteristics and high cellular internalization. PLGA-BLT was also found to significantly inhibit colony formation in the two cell lines. Furthermore, the caspase-3 activity of PLGA-BLT treated cancer cells was enhanced, indicating the cell apoptosis-inducing potential of PLGA-BLT. Overall, these results suggest that nanotechnology-based formulations of BLT exhibit superior anticancer activity and have enormous potential in the treatment of prostate cancers.