Enhanced Drug Delivery, G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis Induced by Myricetin-Loaded Nanogels in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

As direct chemotherapy drugs are still unable to target the tumor, they frequently have systemic adverse effects and inadequate therapeutic efficacy if used to treat breast cancer. The excellent properties of nanogel make them good tools to provide more option for the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs. The objective of the present study was to build a unique nano-platform by combining a hydrogel and a cross-linked hydrophilic polymer (CA-Myr-NG), which has chitosan/alginate (CA) as the core to deliver the chemotherapeutic drug Myricetin (Myr), a naturally occurring flavonoid. The developed CA-Myr-NG was characterized using different approaches, including UV–vis, Zeta, DLS, FTIR, EDX, SEM and TEM analysis. The effects of CA-Myr-NG on MCF-7 cells were assessed using the cell viability, ROS generation, MMP levels and induced apoptosis. Apoptosis induction was measured using an Annexin V-florescien isothicyanate assay. Propidium iodide assay to evaluate the impact upon the cell cycle. Time dependent cell death was carried out by CA-Myr-NG. The maximum inhibitory effect was found to be 57 ± 2.7% when dosage of 6 µg/mL or higher were delivered after 24 h of treatment. Additionally, the CA-Myr-NG induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and the presence of apoptotic MCF-7 cells were both found in 30.92% of the treated cells at a concentration of 6 µg/mL. The percentage of MCF-7 cells that entered the G2/M phase increased from 37.55% (untreated) to 45.44% (CA-Myr-NG). According to these findings, the CA-Myr-NG may be a promising candidate for targeted therapy for breast cancer treatment.