Novel greenly synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles compared to liposomes in drug delivery: in vivo investigation on Ehrlich solid tumor model

AIMS: In a previous work, a pure crystalline titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO(2)NPs) were synthesized by green synthesis technique using Aloe vera leaves extract as reducing agent. In this work, we are aiming to investigate the potential of the novel greenly synthesized TiO(2)NPs as a nano-drug delivery system for the anticancer drug, doxorubicin (Dox). MAIN METHODS: The cytotoxicity of the synthesized TiO(2)NPs was tested on two cell lines; normal human skin fibroblasts (HSF) and breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7). Then, Dox was loaded to both TiO(2)NPs (Dox- TiO(2)NPs) and liposomes (Dox-Lip). The loaded nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, FTIR, encapsulation efficiency, particle size and zeta potential measurement. Moreover, in vitro drug release was studied. Ehrlich tumor-bearing mice were used to study the anticancer activity of Dox- TiO(2)NPs, Dox-Lip, and aqueous Dox solution. Tumor volume, survival rate, and histopathological alterations were compared in all groups. KEY FINDINGS: Dox was successfully loaded to both liposomes and TiO(2)NPs with an encapsulation efficiency of 77% and 65%, respectively. The particle size of Dox-TiO(2)NPs, and Dox-Lip was 14.53 nm, and 103 nm, respectively. The cumulative Dox released from TiO(2)NPs and liposomes after 4 h was 18 and 46%, respectively. Dox-Lip and Dox-TiO(2)NPs resulted in the highest degree of tumor growth inhibition with 100% and 83% of treated animals remained alive, respectively. SIGNIFICANCE: The greenly synthesized TiO(2)NPs were proved to be as effective as liposomes in enhancing the anticancer activity of Dox.