The folate-linked chitosan-coated Kaempferol/HSA nano-transporters (FCKH-NTs) as the selective apoptotic inducer in human MCF-7 breast cancer cell line

Abstract

Background Kaempferol, the natural bioactive flavonoid, has been utilized as an efficient anti-breast cancer compound. In the current study, the Kaempferol’s cellular uptake and its aqueous solubility were improved by using human serum albumin (HSA) as the Kaempferol adjuvant and encapsulating it with the folate-linked chitosan polymer to evaluate the apoptotic, activity of the novel-formulated Kaempferol in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Methods The folate-linked chitosan-coated Kaempferol/HSA nano-transporters (FCKH-NTs) were synthesized and characterized using FTIR, FESEM, DLS, and Zeta potential analysis. The nano-transporters’ selective cytotoxicity was studied by applying an MTT assay on the cancerous MCF-7 cells compared with normal HFF cell lines. Cell death type determination was determined by analyzing the expression of apoptotic (BAX and Cas-8) and anti-apoptotic genes (BCL2 and NF-κB). The FCKH-NTs apoptotic activity was verified by studying the flow cytometry and AO/PI staining results. Result The 126-nm FCKH-NTs (PDI = 0.282) selectively induced apoptotic death in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells by up-regulating the BAX, Nf- κB, and Cas-8 gene expression. The apoptotic activity of FCKH-NTs was verified by detecting the SubG1-arrested cancer cells and increased apoptotic bodies in AO/PI staining images. Conclusion The FCKH-NTs exhibited a selective-cytotoxic impact on human MCF-7 breast cancer cells compared with normal HFF cells, which can be due to the folate receptor-mediated endocytosis mechanism of the nano-transporters. Therefore, the FCKH-NTs have the potential to be used as a selective anti-breast cancer compound.