Curcumin-enriched Gemini surfactant nanoparticles exhibited tumoricidal effects on human 3D spheroid HT-29 cells in vitro

Abstract

Background Here, we examined the tumoricidal effect of Gemini surfactant nanoparticles enriched with curcumin on 3D spheroid HT-29 cells. The delivery of curcumin and other phytocompounds to the tumor niche is an important challenge. Methods Spheroid HT-29 cells were generated by using a conventional hanging drop method and exposed to different concentrations of Gemini-curcumin nanoparticles. The changes in spheroid integrity and cell viability were evaluated by measuring the spheroid diameter and LDH release, respectively. The uptake of Gemini-curcumin nanoparticles was detected by flow cytometry assay. Flow cytometric of Rhodamine 123 efflux was also performed. Migration capacity was analyzed using a Transwell insert assay. By using real-time PCR analysis and Western blotting, we studied the expression level of MMP-2, -9, Vimentin, and E-cadherin genes. Results Gemini-curcumin nanoparticles had the potential to disintegrate spheroids and decrease central density compared to the control group (p < 0.05). These changes coincided with enhanced LDH release by the increase of nanoparticle concentration (p < 0.05). Data highlighted the ability of cells to uptake synthetic nanoparticles in a dose-dependent manner. We found reduced Rhodamine 123 efflux in treated HT-29 spheroid cells compared to the control (p < 0.05). Nanoparticles significantly decreased the metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) rate by the suppression of MMP-2 and MMP-9, Vimentin, and induction of E-cadherin (p < 0.05). Conclusion Our data confirmed that Gemini curcumin has the potential to suppress cell proliferation and inhibit metastasis in 3D spheroid HT-29 cells in vitro.

Curcumin in Combination With Omacetaxine Suppress Lymphoma Cell Growth, Migration, Invasion, and Angiogenesis via Inhibition of VEGF/Akt Signaling Pathway

“…Evidence has shown that delivering the anti-tumor drugs to tumors using engineered exosomes have potential value for clinical applications ( 65 , 66 ). Zibaei et al.…”

“…Zibaei et al. found that curcumin could be loaded into exosomes by a single-step nano-precipitation method, and then exhibited potent tumoricidal effects on colorectal cancer cells ( 67 ). Sun et al.…”

“…Evidence has shown that delivering the anti-tumor drugs to tumors using engineered exosomes have potential value for clinical applications (65,66). Zibaei et al found that curcumin could be loaded into exosomes by a single-step nanoprecipitation method, and then exhibited potent tumoricidal effects on colorectal cancer cells (67).…”

Cytotoxic and apoptotic potential of gemini-chrysophanol nanoparticles against human colorectal cancer HCT-116 cell lines

“…The viability of HCT-116 and MEF cells were evaluated after treatment with Gemini surfactant NPs, Chrysophanol, and Gemini-Chr NPs using MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2, 5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide) method [ 24 ]. In brief, an initial number of 1 × 10 4 cells were suspended in 100 mL of DMEM/HG in each well of 96-well plates containing 10% FBS.…”

Non-destructive monitoring of 3D cell cultures: new technologies and applications

“…An example of this approach is reported in Kim et al (2018a) , where decreasing the temperature to 4 °C led to a significant increase in micropattern area which resulted in spheroid formation within minutes. Hanging drops is another widely used method in which cells are cultured within a suspended drop of medium and aggregate, due to gravity, to its bottom ( Wang et al, 2017 ; Cho et al, 2020 ; Zibaei et al, 2021 ). This technique was developed at the beginning of the twentieth century to visualize small live organisms and study their motility ( Jain, Jain & Jain, 2020 ) and then adapted to the production of spheroids.…”