Engineering a Piperine Eluting Nanofibrous Patch for Cancer Treatment

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

• Piperine, a phytochemical from black pepper, possesses anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
• Developing effective drug delivery systems is crucial for targeted cancer treatment.
• Biodegradable polymers offer potential for sustained drug release and minimizing systemic toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a biodegradable polymeric system for sustained release of piperine for cancer treatment.
• To evaluate the anticancer efficacy of piperine-loaded nanofibrous patches in vitro.
• To investigate the mechanism of piperine-induced cancer cell death.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and gelatin (GEL) blends to create nanofibrous patches.
• Loading of piperine into PCL/GEL nanofibers up to 30 wt %.
• Characterization of fiber morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and drug loading confirmation using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
• In vitro drug release studies and assessment of cytotoxicity against cancer (HeLa, MCF-7) and noncancerous (NIH3T3, hMSCs) cell lines.
• Flow cytometry analysis to determine the mechanism of cell death, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and cell cycle arrest.

Main Results:

• Biodegradable nanofibrous patches of PCL/GEL blends were successfully fabricated with fiber diameters of 300-400 nm.
• Piperine was effectively loaded into the nanofiber mats, exhibiting sustained release kinetics (50% release in 3 days for PCL/GEL 50:50).
• Piperine-loaded nanofibers demonstrated significant in vitro anticancer activity by reducing cancer cell viability and growth, with minimal impact on noncancerous cells.
• Flow cytometry revealed piperine-induced ROS generation and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest, leading to cancer cell apoptosis.

Conclusions:

• Piperine-loaded PCL/GEL nanofiber mats provide a promising biodegradable system for sustained drug delivery.
• The developed system exhibits selective anticancer activity, targeting cancer cells while sparing normal cells.
• These findings suggest the potential for developing implantable biodegradable patches for postsurgical cancer treatment using piperine-eluting nanofibers.