Encapsulation of 5-Flurouracil into PLGA Nanofibers and Enhanced Anticancer Effect in Combination with Ajwa-Dates-Extract (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

Abstract

Side effects connected with chemotherapeutic agents used in cancer treatment has led to alternative modalities of combinatorial therapies in an attempt to reduce the drug dosage and associated risks. In the current study we evaluated the potential use of Ajwa Dates Extract (ADE), reported to have anti-cancer effects, as an adjuvant therapy in combination with 5-flurouracil (5FU) against the human-breast-adenocarcinoma cell line (MFC-7) in vitro. The effects of ADE alone and in combination with 5-FU were evaluated in terms of cell viability and cytotoxicity. For drug delivery purpose, we successfully encapsulated 5FU in both presence and absence of ADE through electrospinning together with poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) in different combinations. Physicochemical properties of 5FU and ADE incorporated into PLGA nanofibers remained unaltered as confirmed by Fourier-Transform-Infrared (FTIR), Raman-spectroscopies and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. The morphological characterization of nanofibers was done using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface roughness of PLGA and PLGA + ADE nanofibers increased by incorporation of 5FU. PLGA + ADE nanofibers were in hydrophilic range (<90°) while nanofibers prepared from both PLGA + 5FU and PLGA + 5FU + ADE combinations were in hydrophobic range (∼112°). The percentage inhibition of MCF-7 proliferation at 72 hrs showed an enhanced combinatorial anti-cancer effect of 5FU and ADE on the cells seeded on PLGA + 5FU + ADE mat (47% decrease) while PLGA + 5FU and PLGA + ADE demonstrated only 23% and 16% decrease respectively as compared to controls. The hydrophobicity induced by 5FU can further be investigated to get improved cellular adherence and efficient controlled-drug-release.

Sustainable drug release from polycaprolactone coated chitin-lignin gel fibrous scaffolds

“…In addition, growth factors and drugs can be encapsulated due to high surface area and porosity of the electrospun meshes [12][13][14] . In electrospinning, the drugs can be uniformly dispersed into the nano/micro sized fibrous polymer mesh without aggregation and quantitative loss 11,15 . Moreover, adaptability of the electrospinning facilitates desirable drug loading/release by providing different drug loading approaches 13,[16][17][18] .…”

Phytochemicals from Ajwa dates pulp extract induce apoptosis in human triple-negative breast cancer by inhibiting AKT/mTOR pathway and modulating Bcl-2 family proteins

“…Date fruits have been consumed in Arab and its neighboring areas since time immemorial as part of the essential diet. Recent research has shown the anticancer potential of Ajwa dates extract in combination with 5-fluorouracil against human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7 9 and apoptosis-inducing effect and cell cycle arrest in prostate cancer cells PC3 10 . The ethnopharmacological significance of date palm is well- described in terms of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumoral activities against breast carcinoma cells 11 .…”

Identification of Phytochemicals of Phoenix dactylifera L. Cv Ajwa with UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS

“…Evidence is emerging for the cardioprotective effects of Ajwa date (Al-Yahya et al, 2016;Khan and Siddiqui, 2017). Anticancer effects of Ajwa date have been demonstrated in rodent models (Khan et al, 2018) and cancer cell lines for breast (Khan et al, 2016), prostate (Mirza et al, 2018) and colon (Eid et al, 2014) cancers. Other effects include liver (Sheikh et al, 2014), gut (Eid et al, 2014), tissue (Ragab et al, 2013) and kidney (Ali et al, 2011) protection.…”