Chitosan nanoparticles containing limonene and limonene-rich essential oils: potential phytotherapy agents for the treatment of melanoma and breast cancers

BACKGROUND: Melanoma and breast cancers are two common cancers worldwide. Due to the side effects of chemotherapy drugs and the occurring resistance against them, the development of green drugs has been received more attention. METHODS: The anticancer effects of three essential oils from the Citrus family and their identified major constituents (limonene) were first investigated against melanoma and breast cancer cell lines (A-375 and MDA-MB-468). By preparing chitosan nanoparticles containing them, an attempt was then made to improve their effectiveness. RESULTS: Chitosan nanoparticles containing Citrus sinensis and Citrus limon essential oils with IC(50)s of 0.03 and 0.124 μg/mL on A-375 cells, and 23.65 and 40.32 μg/mL on MDA-MB-468 showed distinct anticancer efficacies. CONCLUSION: The prepared formulations could thus be considered as green anticancer agents in complementary medicine and therapies.