Carrying epirubicin on nanoemulsion containing algae and cinnamon oils augments its apoptotic and anti-invasion effects on human colon cancer cells

The nanotherapeutics holds great potential in cancer therapy since they may consist of more than one anticancer agent that has a different mechanism of action. The present study aimed to incorporate the epirubicin (EPI) into a nanoemulsion containing the algae and cinnamon oils (ALG-CN-EPI) using ultrasonication technique. The apoptotic efficacy of ALG-CN-EPI was assessed in the HCT116 human colon cancer cells using the assays of CCK-8, DNA fragmentation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and Annexin V-FITC/PI while the anti-invasion effect of ALG-CN-EPI was determined by the transwell invasion assay. The zeta average diameters and zeta potential of the nano-suspensions of ALG-CN-EPI, measured by the zetasizer, were 117.2 ± 3.02 nm and -1.810 ± 0.07 mV, respectively. Results of the apoptotic evaluation revealed that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of ALG-CN-EPI (0.7 ± 0.21 µM) was distinctly lower than that of free EPI (6.00 ± 1.56 µM). The DNA fragmentation of HCT116 cells was amplified by a factor of 8 ± 0.24 when treated with ALG-CN-EPI but it did not considerably differ when treated with the free EPI (1.13 ± 0.31). Additionally, cells treated with ALG-CN-EPI resulted in a significant elevation of the intracellular ROS production and higher percentages of late apoptotic cells relative to the EPI treated cells. ALG-CN-EPI treatment suppressed the invasion ability of HCT116 cells to (32.98 ± 3.28)%, whereas the invasion ability of EPI exposed cells was only reduced to about (56 ± 1.81)%. In conclusion, the resulted new nanotherapeutics (ALG-CN-EPI) has potentiated the antitumor activity of EPI.

Keywords: DNA fragmentation; Nanotherapeutics; antitumor activity; chemotherapeutic agent; essential oils; zetasizer.