A Resveratrol-Loaded Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-Chitosan Based Nanotherapeutic: Characterization and In Vitro Cytotoxicity Against Prostate Cancer

Abstract

The delivery of therapeutic molecules such as drugs, nucleic acids, or other active molecules into the target tissue and cells is limited because of biological and cellular barriers. Recently, many efforts are being made to bypass these barriers using nanosized drug delivery vehicles. For the targeted transfer of anticancer agents into the cancer tissue with higher efficiency and lower cellular toxicity, synthesis of nano-scale smart materials hold great promise due to the enhanced permeability and retention capability. Encapsulation of natural anticancer compounds such as resveratrol displaying low water-solubility and poor chemical stability into nanomaterials are intensely being studied to achieve the enhanced anticancer activity. The aim of this study is to investigate the drug delivery efficiency of the poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA)-chitosan nanoparticles (PCNPs) against PC-3 human prostate cancer cells In Vitro. To achieve this aim, resveratrol (RES), one of the widely known natural anticancer agent, is encapsulated into pHEMA core and pHEMARES nanospheres were coated with a cationic polymer, chitosan. Then, developed PCNPs-RES complexes were characterized using fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet (UV) visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses. The characterization studies revealed the synthesis of PCNPs nanoparticles and the entrapment of RES into PCNPs. Also, the cytotoxicity and drug delivery efficiency of PCNPs-RES complexes were tested in human prostate cancer cells, PC-3, In Vitro. As a consequence, PCNPs was shown to be a promising candidate as a new generation nanotherapeutic against prostate cancer In Vitro.