Highly Biocompatible Apigenin-Loaded Silk Fibroin Nanospheres: Preparation, Characterization, and Anti-Breast-Cancer...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women.
• Apigenin (AGN) shows antitumor potential but suffers from poor solubility and bioavailability.
• Silk fibroin (SF) offers biocompatibility and biodegradability for drug delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize an apigenin-loaded silk fibroin nanodelivery system (SF-AGN).
• To evaluate the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of SF-AGN for breast cancer treatment.
• To assess the chronic toxicity and biocompatibility of the SF-AGN system.

Main Methods:

• Nanoprecipitation was used to create SF-AGN nanoparticles.
• Characterization included morphology, zeta potential, particle size, UV, IR, and TG-DSC analyses.
• In vitro cytotoxicity (MTT assay) and in vivo pharmacokinetic and toxicity studies were performed.

Main Results:

• The SF-AGN system exhibited good dispersibility, a particle size of 163.35 nm, and a zeta potential of -18.5 mV.
• Drug loading averaged 6.20% with good thermal stability.
• SF-AGN significantly enhanced apigenin's inhibitory effect on breast cancer cells and improved bioavailability.
• Toxicity studies confirmed the system's biocompatibility.

Conclusions:

• The SF-AGN nanodelivery system effectively overcomes apigenin's limitations for breast cancer therapy.
• SF-AGN demonstrates enhanced anti-breast-cancer activity and improved bioavailability.
• This novel nanodelivery system shows promise for clinical breast cancer treatment.