Improved anticancer efficiency of Mitoxantrone by Curcumin loaded PLGA nanoparticles targeted with AS1411 aptamer

Objective(s): Mitoxantrone (MTX) is one of the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agents for treatment of different cancers. However, prolonged treatment with MTX results in unwanted side effects and drug resistant cancer cells. Combination therapies and exploiting of targeted nanoparticles have the potential of improving the efficiency of drug treatment as well as reducing the side effects. Curcumin (CUR) is a biological molecules with anticancer property. In this study, we investigated whether targeted PLGA (Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid)–CUR nanoparticles (NPs) can reinforce the effect of MTX on breast cancer cells.Materials and Methods: PLGA NPs containing CUR targeted with AS1411 aptamer were prepared by single emulsion evaporation method. Physicochemical properties of NPs were investigated. The cytotoxicity of non-targeted and targeted NPs along with MTX was evaluated on MCF7, 4T1 and L929 cell lines. Results: The results showed that PLGA-CUR NPs were synthetized with an average encapsulation efficiency of 66% with a mean size of 186±3.2 nm. The drug release of curcumin from these NPs within 72h was about 59% in neutral medium and 90% in acidic medium. Interestingly, the combined treatment with PLGA-CUR-Apt and MTX inhibited the cancer cell's proliferation significantly more than the non-targeted nanoparticles, CUR and MTX-treated group alone. Conclusion: These results suggest that targeted PLGA-CUR nanoparticles may consider as a potential therapeutic contender in improving the efficacy of MTX in Breast cancer therapy.