Nanocochleates as the delivery vehicle for quercetin in the treatment of breast cancer

Abstract

Quercetin is an ancient flavonoid applied immensely as a therapeutic active for broad activity. Though efficacious, its physicochemical properties are not favorable for formulating it into a suitable dosage form, which reduces its therapeutic utility. In this research article, we developed quercetin-loaded nanocochleates by using liposomes as a precursor for nanocochleates. Liposomes were formulated by ethanol injection method and optimized using Box Behnken design with three independent variables: the amount of lipid, amount of cholesterol, and stirring speed and three dependent variables such as particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release. The optimized formulation showed particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release of 160.5 ± 1.970 nm, −27.4 mV, 76.69 ± 0.944%, and 85.83 ± 1.745%, respectively. These optimized liposomes were further converted to nanocochleates by using the trapping method. The nanocochleates were analyzed for various parameters such as particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release studies and found to be 327 ± 3.681 nm, −16.8 mV, 83.28 ± 0.90%, and 80.12 ± 1.30% up to 24 h. Hence, this novel approach can be utilized as a better therapeutic option for quercetin and a novel carrier for encapsulating quercetin.