Evaluation of niosomal nano-carriers capabilities on toxicity preservation and delivery of pomegranate peel extract in cell culture conditions (MCF-7 cell line of breast cancer)

  Use of nano-carriers that contain plant cytotoxic compounds instead of common chemotherapy drugs can reduce many of the challenges in front of this method of cancer therapy. In this study, surfactant nano-systems containing pomegranate peel extract were designed to evaluate its cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cell line (breast cancer) and investigated its physicochemical properties.

Niosomal vesicles were prepared using span60, cholesterol and polyethylene glycol by thin-film method and the pomegranate peel extract were loaded into the niosomes. Physicochemical characteristics were evaluated using Zeta Sizer, FTIR, SEM, and extract release amount was calculated at 37°C and 42°C. The toxicity of the nano-carrier containing extract was measured on the MCF-7 cell line of breast cancer using MTT assay.

The results of this study indicate that the niosomes-containing extract has the encapsulation efficiency, size, and surface charge as 61.28%, 14.36 nm, and 40.9 mV, respectively. The study of its releasing also shows that the niosomal nano-carrier has controlled release at 37°C and 42°C. The study of FTIR confirms that there is no interaction between peel extract and nano-carrier. Also, SEM shows the spherical morphology of the nano-carriers. MTT results demonstrate that the toxic effects of niosomes-contained pomegranate peel extract on MCF-7 cell line of breast cancer is higher than peel extract alone.

According to the results of this investigation, it is indicated that the carrier niosomal nano vesicles can be a suitable carrier for delivery of pomegranate peel extract in conditions of cancerous cells.