PEGylated cationic nano-niosomes formulation containing herbal medicine curcumin for drug delivery to MCF-7 breast cancer cells

This study aimed to PEGylated cationic nano-niosomes formulation containing curcumin (CUR) for drug delivery to MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines and slow release of encapsulated CUR to reduce drug side effects on other healthy cells and increase drug effect on cancer cells. In this applied/in vitro study, PEGylated cationic nano-niosomes containing curcumin as herbal anticancer drug  in MCF-7 cell line were prepared in laboratory through lipid phase mixing, phosphate buffer addition to a lipid thin film, and the production of nano-niosomes by sonication and dialysis process. Curcumin-containing niosomes were produced using the lipid phase by thin film fabrication method and reduced to a nanometer size by sonication. The average diameter (85.4 nm) of drug-carrying nano-niosomes was determined using a nano-sizer. Our results includes acquisition of technical knowledge of fabricating nano-niosomes containing a herbal bioactive ingredient as a nanosystem with the herbal medicine curcumin, proper loading of curcumin (with anticancer effect) at 95% inside nano-niosomes with a size of 100 nm to intensify the effectiveness of this medicine in cancer treatment, and preparation of PEGylated cationic nano-niosomes containing a body-compatible herbal bioactive substance with a slow release curve and good stability in terms of size and surface loading after 2 months of production. The produced curcumin-carrying liposomal nano-carrier has a slow-release curve and body biocompatibility that can be used in preparation of drug delivery systems containing similar hydrophobic drugs as an effective approach in treatment of various cancers, and agriculture, as well as in various pharmaceutical, medical, health, and environmental industries.