Effect of Curcumin-Loaded Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles on the Head and Neck Cancer Cell Line, HN5

Abstract

Curcumin is an active ingredient isolated from Curcuma longa. It has several pharmacological effects, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. Due to its low bioavailability, chemical structure instability, and easy oxidation, the application of curcumin has been limited. In this study, to overcome these limitations, curcumin-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Cur-MSN) were prepared, and the anticancerous effect of Cur-MSNs on head and neck cancer cells, HN5, was investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed rod-shaped mesoporous nanoparticles with average particle size smaller than 100 nm. Higher cytotoxicity of Cur-MSNs was seen in treated cancer cells compared with free curcumin. The expression of Bcl-2 was significantly reduced in the presence of Cur-MSNs compared to the control (untreated HN5 cells) (p < 0.05). A 3.43-fold increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was seen in Cur-MSNs treated HN5 cells at the IC50. Cur-MSNs increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Based on these novel results, we suggest that Cur-MSNs offer efficacy for cancer treatment and future studies should further characterize their properties in various experimental cancer models.

Synthesis and Electrochemical Evaluation of MSNs-PbAE Nanocontainers for the Controlled Release of Caffeine as a Corrosion Inhibitor

“…As observed in the SAXRD diffractogram (Figure 1b), the MSNs show peaks corresponding to the (100), (110), and (200) atomic planes of the hexagonal mesoporous structure, indicating a high degree of ordering as previously reported in the literature [16]. It is possible to corroborate the presence of the MSNs via the FTIR spectra (Figure 1c), which show a peak associated with Si-O-Si asymmetric stretching at 1062 cm −1 , as well as a signal located at 796 cm −1 , which is attributed to the symmetrical vibration of the Si-O-Si bond of the silica network.…”

Characterization of Stable Pyrazole Derivatives of Curcumin with Improved Cytotoxicity on Osteosarcoma Cell Lines

“…The low bioavailability was a sum of poor molecular qualities, such as low solubility and low stability in aqueous solution [ 10 ], low intestinal absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid elimination through feces and urine [ 11 , 12 ]. Therefore, CUR-derived analogs and delivery systems have attempted to improve CUR bioavailability [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Some of them have been investigated for cytotoxicity and apoptosis-triggering effects in OS tumor cells in vitro and in vivo, but their clinical efficacy is still unknown or unsatisfactory (for a review, see [ 17 ]).…”

The application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a drug delivery vehicle in oral disease treatment

“…MSNs easily enter cells through phagocytosis, and the numerous silanol groups on their surface enable the controllable curcumin release, showing greater potential in reducing tumor cell proliferation ( Liu et al., 2018 ; Zhou et al., 2018 ). Compared with free curcumin, Cur-MSNs showed higher cytotoxicity in HNCA cells ( Sharifi et al., 2022 ). Additionally, targeted distribution by hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified or -aminated MSNs had improved anticancer efficacy in breast cancer cells and colon cancer cells ( Ghosh et al., 2021 ; Liu et al., 2022 ).…”