title: Silybin nanoparticles for liver cancer: development, optimization and in vitro - in vivo evaluation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a most common liver malignancy. The objective of this study was to prepare silybin nanoparticles (NPs) and optimize the prepared nanoparticles using central composite rotatable design-response surface methodology.
  
  
  METHODS
  HCC was induced in rats by supplementing 100 mg/L of diethylnitrosamine (DENA) in drinking water for 8 weeks. Saline, silybin 30 mg/kg body weight and nanoformulation of silybin equivalent to silybin dose were administered orally to 3 groups of 6 animals each. Anticancer activity was evaluated by counting the liver nodules, and H & E staining analysis of tissue sections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that silybin NPs under optimized conditions gave rise to the entrapment efficiency (EE) of 88%, drug loading (DL) of 15%, mean diameter of 216 nm of the NPs prepared and zeta potential value of -15 mV. In rats treated with silybin NPs, the number of neoplastic nodules was significantly lower, the animals did not exhibit decrease in mean body weight, the number of liver nodules was reduced by >93% with significantly high localization in the liver.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Orally administered silybin NPs showed improved efficacy and safety compared to silybin for the treatment of HCC in rats.
authors: Department of Spleen and Stomach, Chinese Medicine Hospital in Linyi City, Linyi 276000, China.
authors: Han
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Cheng-Bao
authors: CB
authors: Wang
authors: Jin-Ling
authors: JL
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D055808:Drug Discovery; D006801:Humans; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010316:Particle Size; D000077385:Silybin; D012838:Silymarin / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D012838:Silymarin; D000077385:Silybin