Development of palmatine chloride-loaded chitosan nanoparticles for enhanced and safe cervical cancer therapy
1Citations
Cervical cancer remains a significant global health issue, highlighting the need for novel drug delivery strategies to improve the efficacy of anticancer agents against it. In this study, palmatine chloride-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (PC-CSNPs) were developed via ionic gelation as biocompatible nanocarriers for cervical cancer therapy. The physical properties of PCNPs were characterized using SEM, FTIR, XRD, and DLS, revealing a spherical morphology and average particle sizes of 55 nm (chitosan) and 58 nm (PCNPs).FTIR and XRD confirmed successful drug encapsulation and an amorphous structure of the nanoparticles. Drug loading and encapsulation efficiencies increased in a dose-dependent manner, with maximum encapsulation (80.2 %) at 40 μg and enhanced retention at acidic pH. PCNPs exhibited notable antioxidant activity, with peak efficacy at 100 μg/mL. Antimicrobial activity was most pronounced against Streptococcus pneumoniae (1.9 mm zone at 75 μg/mL concentration).In vitro anticancer studies on HeLa cells revealed strong cytotoxicity, with an IC