Antiproliferative and Apoptotic Effects of Olive Leaf Extract Microcapsules on MCF-7 and A549 Cancer Cells

Yıldız Bal1, Yusuf Sürmeli1,2, Gülşah Şanlı-Mohamed1,3

  • 1Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, İzmir Institute of Technology, 35430 İzmir, Turkey.

ACS Omega
|August 21, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Olive leaf extract (OLE) was encapsulated in alginate microcapsules for cancer therapy. Chitosan-coated microcapsules showed potent, targeted cytotoxicity against lung and breast cancer cells with minimal impact on healthy cells.

Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Drug Delivery
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Alginate microcapsules offer a promising platform for delivering therapeutic biomacromolecules.
  • Olive leaf extract (OLE) possesses potential anticancer properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To immobilize OLE into calcium alginate (CA) and chitosan-coated CA (CCA) microcapsules.
  • To characterize the OLE-loaded microcapsules and evaluate their efficacy against cancer cell lines.

Main Methods:

  • Immobilization of OLE using calcium alginate and chitosan coating.
  • Characterization using FTIR and morphological analysis.
  • In vitro cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis assays against MCF-7 and A549 cancer cells, and BEAS 2B healthy cells.

Main Results:

  • High OLE loading capacity achieved (80% for OLE-CA, 99% for OLE-CCA).
  • OLE-CCA demonstrated significantly enhanced cytotoxicity against A549 (IC50=0.94 μg/mL) and MCF-7 (IC50=425.5 μg/mL) cells compared to free OLE.
  • Microcapsules induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells, with no toxicity to healthy BEAS 2B cells.

Conclusions:

  • Chitosan-coated alginate microcapsules effectively deliver OLE, enhancing its anticancer activity.
  • OLE microcapsules show potential as targeted nutritional supplements for cancer therapy.

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