RESUMO
Natural compounds such as (-)-epicatechin show a variety of biological properties including anticancer activity. Nonetheless, (-)-epicatechin's therapeutic application is limited due to its low water solubility and sensitivity to oxygen and light. Additionally, previous studies have reported that the encapsulation of flavonoids in nanoparticles might generate stable deliverable forms, which improves the availability and solubility of the bioactive compounds. The aims of this study were to generate (-)-epicatechin-loaded lecithin-chitosan nanoparticles (EC-LCT-NPs) by molecular self-assembly and to assess their cytotoxic potential against breast cancer cells. Various parameters were measured to characterize the EC-LCT-NPs including size, polydispersity index (PdI), zeta potential, morphology and entrapment efficiency. The results showed that the mean particle size of the EC-CLT-NPs was 159 ± 2.23 nm (PdI, 0.189), and the loading and entrapment efficiencies of (-)-epicatechin were 3.42 ± 0.85% and 56.1 ± 3.9%, respectively. The cytotoxic effect of the EC-CLT-NPs was greater than that of free (-)-epicatechin on breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-436 and SK-Br3). Indeed, EC-LCT-NPs showed an IC50 that was four-fold lower (85 µM) than free (-)-epicatechin (350 µM) and showed selectivity to cancerous cells. This study demonstrated that encapsulating (-)-epicatechin into lecithin-chitosan nanoparticles opens new options for breast cancer treatment.
RESUMO
The influence of ß-cyclodextrin on the interaction and internalization of PLGA nanoparticles into intestine epithelial cells was assessed. For this purpose ß-cyclodextrin was adsorbed on PLGA nanoparticles. Interaction of nanoparticles with Caco-2 cells, determined by fluorescence, was expressed as the number of particles per cell. Confocal microscopy confirmed the localization of the particles in the cell monolayer. The results showed that adsorption of ß-cyclodextrin on the surface of PLGA nanoparticles reduces interaction with mucin, enhancing in this way the internalization into the Caco-2 cells.