Exploring the liposomal encapsulation and enhanced cytotoxicity of selenium nanoparticles against lung cancer cells

Abstract

Lung cancer is unequivocally the most common cause of cancer-related deaths, surpassing all other types of cancer in terms of mortality rates among both men and women. Although surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are common treatments, they carry significant risks to healthy cells. The versatile benefits of using lipid-based nanocarrier systems in healthcare, combined with the therapeutic and supportive properties of micronutrients like selenium, have led to the investigation of encapsulating selenium nanoparticles in liposomes (Lip-SeNPs) as a new therapeutic strategy. Using scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the characterisation and stability of the Lip-SeNPs were compared with liposome-free SeNPs. This was followed by their cytotoxicity evaluation against lung cancer cells. The DLS results showed that the synthesised liposome-free SeNPs and Lip-SeNPs were spherical, with size distribution of around 151.2 and 163 nm. The zeta potential values were determined for Lip-SeNPs (-15.7 mV) compared to liposome-free SeNPs (-5.71 mV). FTIR analysis of SeNPs and Lip-SeNPs confirmed valuable information about their surface chemistry and potential structure functionalisation avenues. The augmented results obtained from DLS (homogenous size distribution), Zeta potential (higher negative charge), XRD (no other element interference), and SEM-EDS (53 % selenium encapsulation and negligible agglomeration) further strengthened the stability of the generated Lip-SeNPs compared to liposome-free SeNPs. Furthermore, 74.62 % of the SeNP encapsulation efficiency in liposomes was achieved in this study. In addition, dialysis membrane-based drug release profile studies revealed augmented acidic pH-responsive release profiles of Lip-SeNPs, suggesting a superior bioavailability for drug delivery against lung cancer cells.