Comparison of Anticancer Effects of Carvone, Carvone-Rich Essential Oils, and Chitosan Nanoparticles Containing Each of Them

Abstract

Cancers were the first cause of death in 2020; breast and skin are two common cancers worldwide. The most common cancer treatment approach is still chemotherapy; however, as side effects and multidrug resistance, the development of green nano drugs has received much attention. In this study, the chemical composition of Mentha spicata and Tanacetum balsamita essential oils was first investigated. The anticancer effects of them and carvone (as their major ingredients) were then evaluated on human melanoma (A375) and breast cancer (MDA-MB468) cells. After that, an attempt was made to improve their efficacies by preparing chitosan nanoparticles containing each of them. The efficacies of nanoformulations showed a significant improvement (p < 0.05) compared to their non-formulated states. The best-observed potency was related to chitosan nanoparticles containing T. balsamita essential oil with a particle size of 195 ± 7 nm; IC50 values against A375 and MDA-MB468 were observed at 85.3 and 240.1 µg/mL. Thus, the nanoformulation with green ingredients could be considered a proper candidate for further consideration in vivo studies.