Toxicity evaluation of cordycepin and its delivery system for sustained in vitro anti-lung cancer activity

Abstract

Cite as: Pornanong Aramwit, Supatra Porasuphatana, Teerapol Srichana, Titpawan Nakpheng. Toxicity evaluation of cordycepin and its delivery system for sustained in vitro anti-lung cancer activity, nano Online (2016). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nano.11671_2015.201Originally published in: Pornanong Aramwit, Supatra Porasuphatana, Teerapol Srichana, Titpawan Nakpheng. Toxicity evaluation of cordycepin and its delivery system for sustained in vitro anti-lung cancer activity, Nanoscale Research Letters. In the previous study, we have found that the cordycepin which was extracted from Cordyceps mycelia produced by growing Cordyceps militaris on the dead larva of Bombyx mori silkworms showed the anti-proliferative effect toward lung cancer cells without toxicity to non-cancer cells. In this work, the cordycepin was tested for its in vitro mutagenicity and in vivo toxicity. From the Ames test and subacute toxicity test using oral administration in a rat model, the cordycepin was proved to be a nonmutagenic and non-toxic compound. The hematology and blood chemistry as well as the microanatomical characteristic of the tissues of rats fed with cordycepin every day for consecutive 30 days were comparable to those of the normal ones. Then, the cordycepin was incorporated in gelatin type A (GA) and gelatin type B (GB) nanoparticles aimed to sustain its release and activity. The cordycepin incorporated in both GA and GB nanoparticles showed the sustained release profiles. GA nanoparticles could encapsulate cordycepin at higher encapsulation efficiency due to the attractive electrostatic interaction between the positive-charged GA and the negative-charged cordycepin. However, GA nanoparticles released cordycepin at the higher amount possibly because of the large surface area of small size nanoparticles. Comparing to GB nanoparticles, the higher amount of cordycepin released from GA nanoparticles showed the higher anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects on A549 lung cancer cells. In conclusion, GA nanoparticles were suggested as a suitable carrier for the sustained release of cordycepin. The GA nanoparticles releasing cordycepin could be an effective and non-invasive material for the treatment of lung cancer cells.

The effects of cordycepin on the cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis in human lung cancer cell lines A549 and NCI-H460

“…also verified that aberrant expression of vimentin and EMT markers E‐cadherin was correlated with the progression of various human cancers. Besides, cordycepin can be incorporated in gelatin type A (GA) for sustaining its release and activity, and higher amount of cordycepin released from GA nanoparticles is shown to have higher antiproliferative and antimigratory effects on A549 lung cancer cells . In the current study, aberrant expression of E‐cadherin, vimentin and MMP‐9 had been observed in both A549 cells and NCI‐H460 cells after being treated with cordycepin.…”