Folic Acid Targeted Selenium-Curcumin Nanoparticles to Enhance Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Biology

Background:

• Breast cancer remains a significant cause of mortality despite therapeutic advancements.
• Developing effective and safe drug delivery systems for cancer therapy is challenging.
• Selenium (Se) and curcumin (Cur) possess anticancer properties but face limitations in clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a targeted drug delivery system for 4T1 breast cancer cells.
• To enhance the targeting efficiency of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) loaded with curcumin (Cur).
• To evaluate the anticancer efficacy of SeNPs coated with chitosan-folic acid (Cs-FA).

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) loaded with curcumin (Cur).
• Coating of SeNPs with chitosan-folic acid (Cs-FA) to create Se@Cur/Cs-FA nanoparticles.
• Assessment of nanoparticle size, 4T1 breast cancer cell viability, and apoptosis induction.

Main Results:

• The incorporation of Cs-FA and Cur increased nanoparticle size to 184.2 nm.
• Se@Cur/Cs-FA nanoparticles reduced 4T1 cell viability by 40% at 40 µg/mL.
• The Cs-FA coating significantly enhanced apoptosis, indicated by altered p53 and BCL2 gene expression.

Conclusions:

• Se@Cur/Cs-FA nanoparticles demonstrate effective targeting and enhanced apoptosis induction in 4T1 breast cancer cells.
• The developed nanoparticles show potential as a promising therapeutic strategy for breast cancer.
• This targeted delivery system offers a potential solution to improve the efficacy and safety of cancer therapy.