Evaluating The Potential Of Cinnamaldehyde Loaded Iron Oxide Nanoparticles For Targeted Delivery In Breast Cancer

Abstract

In the present study, cinnamaldehyde (CNAD) was loaded onto magnetic (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) that were functionalized with FITC and folic acid (FiCF NPs) for imaging and active drug targeting in breast cancer cells. The particle size of the NPs was around10nm while TGA analysis revealed 20% loading of CNAD onto the NPs. Folic acid conjugation resulted in an increased uptake of NPs in breast cancer cells with their localization in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus. FiCF NPs induced apoptosis in the cells and increased the expression of generic caspases. FiCF NPs increased the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to Dox and didn t significantly affect the viability of non-cancerous cells. Acute toxicity study demonstrated safety of the NPs in Swiss albino mice. Interestingly, FiCF NPs reduced the tumor burden in the mouse breast cancer model compared to those treated with free CNAD and FiC functionalized NPs. Furthermore, a simple, specific, sensitive and rapid High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed and validated for simultaneous detection of cinnamaldehyde (CNAD) and its metabolite, cinnamic acid (CA), in small volumes of rat plasma. The method was successfully applied to evaluate pharmacokinetic parameters of CNAD and CA in Wistar albino rats. Pharmacokinetic studies in Wistar rats revealed prolonged circulation time and slower plasma elimination of CNAD in animals treated with FiCF NPs. newline