Formulation, nanonisation, and characterization of Polyrhachis sp. for enhanced anticancer potential: In vitro studies

Abstract

AbstractNanotechnology is a practical and exquisite method for enhancing the bioavailability of insect medicines. The present work deals with nano‐encapsulation of freeze‐dried Polyrhachis sp. (Pol) to increase its aqueous solubility and bioactivity. In the current study, Polyrhachis sp. was encapsulated into carbonate calcium (CaCO3) through a one‐step co‐precipitation method to produce CaCO3@Pol nanoparticles (NPs). It was characterized accordingly by FTIR, FESEM, DLS, and zeta potential analysis methods. Null CaCO3 and CaCO3@Pol particle sizes were observed in the nano range, and most of the nanoparticles had spherical shapes. The cytotoxicity evaluation of neat Pol and CaCO3@Pol was performed in vitro on human breast cancer cells (MCF7) and human gastric cancer cells (AGS) through an MTT assay. Morphological alternation studies disclosed that CaCO3@Pol‐treated cells had undergone apoptosis since shrinkage and apoptotic bodies were observed. The half‐maximal inhibitory and 50% lethal dose of neat Pol and CaCO3@Pol were calculated. Besides, the RT‐PCR technique analyzed the status of apoptosis genes such as caspase‐3, caspase‐8, caspase‐9, Bcl‐2, and Bax expressions. The molecular mechanisms provoked apoptosis through modulating pro (caspase‐8, caspase‐9, Bax) and anti‐apoptotic (Bcl‐2) mediator genes expression in AGS cells. The findings conveyed that the CaCO3@Pol is a promising biomaterial for future biomedical applications.