Nanoencapsulation of green tea catechin (−)-Epigallocatechin-3- Gallate (EGCG) in niosomes and assessment of its anticancer activity against lung cancer

Abstract

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In chemotherapy, the use of strong cytotoxic drugs and the specificity problems of these drugs also affect healthy cells and tissues. For this reason, the purpose of cancer treatment is to ensure that a suitable drug directly affects cancer cells at the appropriate dose. With nanotechnology, steps have been taken for an effective treatment that develops nano-transporters to deliver the drug molecule to the target cell in a specific, controlled manner. Another development is the discovery of theranostic agents used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In this study, a smart molecule was developed using the anticancer and antioxidant Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) molecule found in green tea, which is commonly consumed in our society. This molecule was encapsulated with niosomes to increase its stability and specificity. In this study, niosomes with an average size of 150 nm were synthesized using the thin film hydration technique. The zeta potential value of niosomes varied between −25 mV and −30 mV. Niosomes have been functionalized with indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent dye and made suitable for optical imaging. The encapsulation efficiencies of the EGCG molecule and the ICG fluorescent dye were 10.1 % and 34.4 %, respectively. The release of EGCG from niosomes was an initial fast and then a slower release. 32 % of EGCG was released from niosomes within the first 3 h. Also, Cetuximab molecule was conjugated to niosomes with 75.8 % efficiency in order to provide lung cancer specificity and increase the anticancer effect. DLS, FTIR, XPS and TEM were used in the characterization phase of nanoparticles. While DLS and TEM provide information about dimensional analysis, FTIR and XPS were performed to verify the conjugations. Cytotoxicity, apoptosis, fluorescence imaging and incorporation studies of the molecule design created for theranostic purposes in A549 lung carcinoma and BEAS-2B normal bronchial epithelial cells were examined in vitro. As a result of these studies, it was determined that the synthesized molecule design has more involvement, toxic and apoptotic effects on A549 lung carcinoma cells. In this study, the therapeutic efficacy of the synthesized niosomal molecule design on the target cell and its potential to be used in cancer treatment were revealed and it is thought that it will contribute to the field of biotechnology.