title: Co-delivery with nano-quercetin enhances doxorubicin-mediated cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells.
abstract: Quercetin, the plant-derived phenolic compounds, plays a pivotal role in controlling hemostasis, by having potent antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties. This flavonoid in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs improves the efficacy of these agents in induction of apoptosis in cancer cells. This study investigated the role of nano-quercetin (phytosome) in doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. Nanoparticles were characterized for particle size, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetric assessments. Anti-proliferative effect of formulations was evaluated by MTT assay. mRNA expression levels of target genes were measured by real time RT-PCR. The mean size of nanoparticles was 85 ± 2 nm with nearly narrow size distribution which was confirmed by SEM analysis. Our results showed that co-treatment of MCF-7 breast cancer cells with nano-quercetin and doxorubicin increased the percentage of apoptosis from 40.11 ± 7.72-58 ± 7.13 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, mRNA expression levels for downstream genes including NQO1 and MRP1 showed a marked decrease (p < 0.05). Taken together, our results suggest that phytosome technology can elevate the efficacy of chemotherapeutics by increasing the permeability of tumor cells to chemical agents. Our findings introduce a novel phytosome-dependent strategy to improve delivery of doxorubicin to the breast cancerous tissues.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Center and Department of Biochemistry & Clinical Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Akbar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minaei
authors.affiliation: Students' Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabzichi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramezani
authors.affiliation: Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamishehkar
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Center and Department of Biochemistry & Clinical Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. drnsamadi@yahoo.com.|Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. drnsamadi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nasser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Samadi
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004337:Drug Carriers; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D027425:ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family C Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016660:NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase (Quinone) / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D011794:Quercetin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D004317:Doxorubicin; D004337:Drug Carriers; D027425:ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family C Proteins; D016660:NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase (Quinone); D011794:Quercetin; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C447479:NQO1 protein, human; C421109:multidrug resistance-associated protein 1
keywords: Chemoresistance; MCF-7; Phytosome; Quercetin