Esnaashari Fatemeh, Zamani Hojjatolah, Zahmatkesh Hossein, Soleimani Mojtaba, Dashtaki Golnesa Amirian, Rasti Behnam
Department of Biology, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran.
Department of Biology, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 25;15(1):3185. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-87445-2.
Breast cancer ranks as the second leading reason of cancer mortality among females globally, emphasizing the critical need for novel anticancer treatments. In current work, berberine-zinc oxide conjugated chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized using various characterization techniques. The cytotoxic effects of CS-ZnO-Ber NPs on MCF-7 cells were assessed using the MTT assay. Also, annexin V-FITC/PI double staining, Hoechst 33,342 staining, caspases-8 and 9 activity assays, and cell cycle analysis were performed. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of Bax and Bcl-2 genes were quantified using qPCR. Additionally, cell migration was evaluated using a scratch assay. The IC value of NPs against MCF-7 cells measured 7.41 µg/mL. Apoptosis induction in NP-treated cells was confirmed by Annexin V/PI staining, accompanied by the observation of condensed chromatin and fragmented DNA. Moreover, the pro-apoptotic potential of NPs was evidenced by significant increases in caspases-8 and 9 activity and a decreased Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Furthermore, cell cycle arrest at the sub-G1 was noticed in the treated cells. Additionally, the NPs markedly inhibited the migration rate of MCF-7 cells. These findings suggest that CS-ZnO-Ber NPs induce cell-cycle arrest and activate the apoptotic pathways in MCF-7 cells, highlighting their potential as a hopeful therapeutic agent for breast cancer.
乳腺癌是全球女性癌症死亡的第二大主要原因,这凸显了对新型抗癌治疗方法的迫切需求。在当前的工作中,合成了黄连素-氧化锌共轭壳聚糖纳米颗粒,并使用各种表征技术对其进行了表征。使用MTT法评估了CS-ZnO-Ber纳米颗粒对MCF-7细胞的细胞毒性作用。此外,还进行了膜联蛋白V-FITC/PI双染色、Hoechst 33342染色、半胱天冬酶-8和9活性测定以及细胞周期分析。此外,使用qPCR对Bax和Bcl-2基因的mRNA水平进行了定量。另外,使用划痕试验评估了细胞迁移。纳米颗粒对MCF-7细胞的IC值为7.41μg/mL。膜联蛋白V/PI染色证实了纳米颗粒处理的细胞中存在凋亡诱导现象,同时观察到染色质浓缩和DNA片段化。此外,半胱天冬酶-8和9活性的显著增加以及Bcl-2/Bax比值的降低证明了纳米颗粒的促凋亡潜力。此外,在处理的细胞中观察到亚G1期的细胞周期停滞。另外,纳米颗粒显著抑制了MCF-7细胞的迁移率。这些发现表明,CS-ZnO-Ber纳米颗粒诱导MCF-7细胞的细胞周期停滞并激活凋亡途径,突出了它们作为乳腺癌有希望的治疗剂的潜力。