CYTOTOXICITY SCREENING AND ENHANCED ANTI-CANCER ACTIVITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS-LOADED NANOPARTICLES AGAINST A549 LUNG AND HCT-116 COLON CANCER CELLS

CASTRO, MARÍA AGUSTINA; GIROTTI, JUAN; CISNEROS, JOSÉ SEBASTIÁN; VIÑA, SONIA; CRESPO, ROSANA; CASTRO, GUILLERMO RAUL; CHAIN, CECILIA YAMIL; ISLAN, GERMAN A; RODENAK-KLADNIEW, BORIS

Mar del Plata

Encuentro; REUNIÓN CONJUNTA SAIC SAI&FAIC SAFIS 2022; 2022

SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE INVESTIGACIÓN CLÍNICA

Essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants present several pharmacologicalactivities including anti-cancer effects. EOs are low-cost,mostly non-toxic, and widely used in medicine, however, they showlow bioavailability and are exposed to facile degradation by light, volatilization,and oxidation. Here, we designed EO-loaded solid lipidnanoparticles (SLN/EO), as a biocompatible system to deliver andimprove EOs anticancer activity. Two cell models, A549 lung andHCT-116 colon cancer cells, were exposed for 24 h to 0-500 μL/L ofeight different EOs obtained by hydrodistillation from leaves of localplants. Cell viability (MTT) was evaluated and IC50 were calculated.Lippia alba (EO2) and Clinopodium nepeta (EO3) were the two mostactive EOs in both cell lines. SLN containing EO2 (SLN/EO2) or EO3(SLN/EO3) were prepared by hot melted-ultrasonication method.The morphology, size, z-potential (z-pot), and polydispersity index(PI) were determined by DLS and TEM. SLN/EOs showed sphericalshape, sizes of 140-150 nm with narrow distribution (PI< 0.3), andnegative z-pot (-5 to -13 mV). EO2 encapsulation decreased IC50from 275 and 145 μL/L to 131 and 122 μL/L whereas EO3 encapsulationreduced IC50 from 205 and 200 μL/L to 66 and 134 μL/Lin A549 and HCT-116 cells, respectively. SLN/EO3 and A549 cellswere selected for the following experiments. The encapsulation efficiency(EE) and release of EO3 from SLN were measured by UV-visspectrometry. The EE of EO3 was high (96.8%) and a controlledrelease was observed at acidic (5.0) and neutral (7.4) pH conditions.Cell death (Trypan Blue) and cell migration (Wound Healing)were evaluated. Encapsulation of EO3 increased cell death (from1.3 and 3.4% to 12.6 and 16.0% at 50 and 100 μL/L, respectively,p