Development, Characterization, and In Vitro Evaluation of Cytotoxic Activity of Rutin Loaded PCL-PEG Nanoparticles Against Skov3 Ovarian Cancer Cell

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Rutin (RUT) is one of the phenolic compounds found in the invasive plant species, Carpobrotus edulis. Several studies have confirmed numerous pharmacological properties of RUT, including antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticancer activities. As a result, the goal of this work was to make RUT-loaded PCL-PEG and test its anti-cancer effects against the Skov3 human ovarian cancer cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The NPs were made using the W1/O/W2 process, and their physicochemical properties were assessed by FE-SEM, FTIR, and DLS. MTT assay were used to investigate the anti-proliferative characteristics of drug-loaded NPs. Real-time PCR was also utilized to examine the expression levels of apoptotic genes including caspase-8, -9, -3, and Bax, as well as anti-apoptotic genes like Bcl-2. RESULTS: Cytotoxicity testing revealed that RUT-loaded PCL-PEG improved cytotoxicity in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In treated MDA-MB-231 cells with RUT-loaded PCL-PEG, there was a significant up-regulation of caspase-8, -9, -3, and Bax genes compared to treated cells with free RUT. CONCLUSION: Finally, RUT-loaded PCL-PEG NPs are recommended as ideal delivery nanocarriers for enhancing RUT’s anticancer characteristics for ovarian cancer treatment.