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Mesoporous silica coated SPIONs containing curcumin and silymarin intended for breast cancer therapy

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Abstract

Introduction

Super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are known as promising theranostic nano-drug carriers with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) properties. Applying the herbaceous components with cytotoxic effects as cargos can suggest a new approach in the field of cancer-therapy. In this study mesoporous silica coated SPIONs (mSiO2@SPIONs) containing curcumin (CUR) and silymarin (SIL) were prepared and evaluated on breast cancer cell line, MCF-7.

Methods

Nanoparticles (NPs) were formulated by reverse microemulsion method and characterized by DLS, SEM and VSM. The in vitro drug release, cellular cytotoxicity, and MRI properties of NPs were determined as well. The cellular uptake of NPs by MCF-7 cells was investigated through LysoTracker Red staining using confocal microscopy.

Results

The MTT results showed that the IC50 of CUR + SIL loaded mSiO2@SPIONs was reduced about 50% in comparison with that of the free drug mixture. The NPs indicated proper MRI features and cellular uptake through endocytosis.

Conclusion

In conclusion the prepared formulation may offer a novel theranostic system for breast cancer researches.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Imaging Center of Imam Khomeini Hospital (Tehran, Iran).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Soosan Sadegha, Hosniyeh Hosseinzadeh, Ramin Sakhtianchi, Akram Shafiee, Fatemeh Atyabi & Rassoul Dinarvand

  2. Nanotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Reyhaneh Varshochian, Zahra Hadavand Mirzaie, Fatemeh Atyabi & Rassoul Dinarvand

  3. Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Reyhaneh Varshochian

  4. Trita Nanomedicine Research Center (TNRC), Trita Third Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Zanjan, Iran

    Pegah Dadras

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  1. Soosan Sadegha
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Correspondence to Rassoul Dinarvand.

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Sadegha, S., Varshochian, R., Dadras, P. et al. Mesoporous silica coated SPIONs containing curcumin and silymarin intended for breast cancer therapy. DARU J Pharm Sci 30, 331–341 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40199-022-00453-9

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