Enhanced release of anticancer agents from nanoliposomes in response to diagnostic ultrasound energy levels.

The efficacy of diagnostic ultrasound is explored for the release of anticancer agents loaded inside liposomes. Diagnostic ultrasound energy levels employed in the study were at a frequency of 7.5 MHz and the highest power intensity which is a function of the pulse repetition time. Design of Experiments was used to formulate the Ultrasound sensitive nanoliposome (USNL) by varying the lipid ratios and the intensity settings of ultrasound energy. Doxorubicin was loaded into the USNL and the release was compared to conventional Doxil liposomes. The USNLs released increasing amounts of drug in response to increasing irradiation times while the drug release was not significant when the Non-USNLs (Doxil liposomes) were exposed to ultrasound energy levels. In vitro studies to test the cytotoxicity of the formulations showed that the USNLs significantly inhibited cell survival of SCC9, squamous oral cancer cells, as compared to the Non-USNLs. We hypothesize that the drug is released due to increased membrane permeability during exposure to ultrasound energy levels, where the lipid composition and energy levels play a key role in determining the efficacy of diagnostic ultrasound energy as a tool for drug delivery.

Effect of preparation techniques on the properties of curcumin liposomes: characterization of size, release and cytotoxicity on a squamous oral carcinoma cell line.

Curcumin, a chemopreventive agent, was incorporated into liposomes using different preparation techniques and characterized for parameters such as drug loading efficiency, size, in vitro release and in vitro cytotoxicity on a squamous carcinoma cell line. Liposomes were prepared with different methods - thin layer evaporation, ethanol injection and sonication methods, respectively, obtaining, multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) and small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs). The preparation techniques influenced the size, encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release and cytotoxicity profiles. Encapsulation efficiency increased with decrease in drug to lipid ratio in the following rank order - MLVs > SUVs > ethanol injection vesicles. In vitro release and in vitro cytotoxicity were a function of the size of vesicle, which varied depending on the preparation technique. Based on these results, it can be concluded that different liposomal formulations can be employed to achieve unique in vivo needs in cancer chemotherapy.

Cytotoxicity Effects of Amoora rohituka and chittagonga on Breast and Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

Chemotherapeutic agents for cancer are highly toxic to healthy tissues and hence alternative medicine avenues are widely researched. Majority of the recent studies on alternative medicine suggested that Amoora rohituka possesses considerable antitumor and antibacterial properties. In this work, rohituka and chittagonga, fractionated with petroleum ether, dichloromethane, and ethanol, were explored for their anticancer potential against two breast cancer (MCF-7 and HTB-126) and three pancreatic cancer (Panc-1, Mia-Paca2, and Capan1). The human foreskin fibroblast, Hs68, was also included. Cytotoxicity of each extract was analyzed using the MTT assay and label-free photonic crystal biosensor assay. A concentration series of each extract was performed on the six cell lines. For MCF-7 cancer cells, the chittagonga (Pet-Ether and CH(2)Cl(2)) and rohituka (Pet-Ether) extracts induced cytotoxicity; the chittagonga (EtoAC) and rohituka (MeOH) extracts did not induce cytotoxicity. For HTB126, Panc-1, Mia-Paca2, and Capan-1 cancer cells, only the chittagonga CH(2)Cl(2) extract showed a significant cytotoxic effect. The extracts were not cytotoxic to normal fibroblast Hs68 cells, which may be correlated to the specificity of Amoora extracts in targeting cancerous cells. Based on these results, further examination of the potential anticancer properties Amoora species and the identification of the active ingredients of these extracts is warranted.

A label-free photonic crystal biosensor imaging method for detection of cancer cell cytotoxicity and proliferation.

A label-free method for detecting the attachment of human cancer cells to a biosensor surface for rapid screening for biological activity is described, in which attachment of a cell results in highly localized increase of the resonant reflected wavelength of a photonic crystal narrowband reflectance filter incorporated into a standard 96-well microplate. An imaging detection instrument is used to determine the spatial distribution of attached cells by mapping the shift in reflected resonant wavelength as a function of position. The method enables monitoring of cancer cell attachment, cell proliferation, and cell detachment that is induced by exposure of the cells to drug compounds. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method as an early screening technique for the rapid quantification of the rate of cancer cell proliferation on the sensor surface, and subsequently as a means for quantifying cell detachment resulting from apoptosis that is induced by exposure of the cells to cytotoxic chemicals.