Genotoxicity of Noscapine Nanosuspension Prepared by Microfluidic Reactors on HepG2 Cell Line

Noscapine is an antispasmodic alkaloid used as antitussive and anti-cough obtained from plants in the Papaveraceae family which this benzylisoquinoline alkaloid and its synthetic subsidiaries (called noscapinoids) are being assessed for their anticancer potential.  The present research aimed to investigate the induction of DNA destruction and viability of HepG2 tumor spheroid culture influenced by noscapine and nanosuspension of noscapine. Culture of HepG2 cells as spheroids was treated with different concentrations of noscapine for 24 h on Day 11. Afterward, viability assay and alkaline comet assay methods were applied to examine the viability and induced DNA destruction, respectively. Based on the results, no significant impact was observed from Tween 40 on the viability and DNA damage levels in comparison with the control (p > 0.05). Moreover, increasing noscapine concentration resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in viability of hepatic cancer cells and elevation of DNA damages, showing a correlation between rises of DNA damages and viability decline.