Hamideh Gharnas-Ghamesh, Mojtaba Masoumi, Vahid Erfani-Moghadam,
Volume 9, Issue 3 (10-2021)
Abstract
Background and Objective: Cancer is one of the most serious diseases. Doxorubicin is a type of chemotherapy drug used to treat a variety of cancers. Doxorubicin is a type of chemotherapy drug used to treat a variety of cancers. However, its side effects have limited its use. The aim of this study was to synthesize and evaluate polymer micelles containing doxorubicin and evaluate its toxicity on MCF7 breast cancer cells and HepG2 liver cancer cells.
Material and Methods: For this purpose, PBMA-b-POEGMA diblock copolymer was first synthesized using the RAFT method and confirmed by GPC. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to observe the morphology, size, and polydispersity of the micelles. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity of DOX-loaded polymeric micelles against MCF7 cells and HepG2 cells were assessed. Furthermore, cell uptake and apoptosis assay of DOX-loaded polymeric micelles against MCF7 cells were evaluated.
Results: The TEM image revealed that the nanoparticles were spherical and uniform. The particle size and polydispersity measured by DLS were 35 nm and 0.13, respectively. The drug encapsulation efficiency and drug loading contents were 50±3.46 % and 4.53±0.29 %, respectively. The drug release rate was reported 69% in saline phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) within 24 hours. The results showed that micelles containing doxorubicin had a greater effect on MCF7 cell viability than the free drug. The MTT assay demonstrated that micelles were biocompatible to HepG2 cells while DOX-loaded micelles showed significant cytotoxicity. The IC50 of doxorubicin-loaded micelles against MCF7 cells were obtained to be 0.5 μg/ml. It was further shown that micelles containing doxorubicin had higher cell uptake and apoptosis than free drugs on MCF7 cells.
Conclusion: These polymeric micelles are an ideal candidate to deliver anticancer agents into breast cancer cells.
Amir Abbas Barzegari, Ahmad Aghaee, Kamran Shahabi,
Volume 11, Issue 2 (10-2023)
Abstract
Background: Promising results were obtained by using medicinal plants for the treatment and prevention of opioid withdrawal syndrome. A native Iranian plant, Echinophora platyloba, has shown analgesic effects that may be mediated through opioid receptors. Thus, the present research evaluated the effects of the ethanolic extract of E. platyloba on the acquisition of morphine dependence in mice.
Methods: Thirty-two male mice were randomly allocated into four groups of eight. Morphine dependence was induced in the mice by subcutaneous administration of morphine (50, 50, and 75 mg/kg)×3 days, plus a single dose of morphine (50 mg/kg) on the fourth day. Withdrawal syndrome was precipitated by intraperitoneal injection of naloxone (4 mg/kg) 2 hours after the last dose of morphine. On days of dependence induction and before each morphine dose, the mice received intraperitoneal injections of saline (10 ml/kg) or plant extract (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg). After the injection of naloxone, the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome in each animal were monitored for 30 minutes.
Results: Administering morphine with this method induced morphine dependence in mice that were treated with saline before morphine. However, the mice that received the plant extract showed a significant decrease in the withdrawal symptoms including the number of jumping (P<0.01), rearing (P<0.05), grooming (P<0.05), and diarrhea (P<0.01) compared with the saline-treated mice.
Conclusion: Administration of the hydro-ethanolic extract of E. platyloba before morphine may inhibit the induction of morphine dependence. Therefore, the plant extract may be considered a therapeutic agent for the prevention of morphine dependence in morphine users.
