The silibinin-loaded Zein-β cyclodextrin nano-carriers (SZBC-NCs) as a novel selective cancer cell drug delivery system in HT-29 cell line

Entrapping phytochemical bioactive compounds into nano-structured biocompatible polymers has been successfully utilized for improving cancer treatment efficiency. Silibinin is a potent compound that shows promising anticancer properties. In the present study, the Zein-β-cyclodextrin complex was used to encapsulate silibinin and evaluate the induced cell death type and cytotoxic impacts on human cancer cells. The silibinin-loaded Zein-β cyclodextrin nano-carriers (SZBC-NCs) were synthesized utilizing a gradual ultrasound-mediated homogenization technique and characterized by Zeta potential, DLS, FESEM, and FTIR analysis. The SZBC-NCs’ antioxidant activity was studied by conducting ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays. Finally, the SZBC-NCs selective toxicity and cellular death induction mechanism were studied on the HT-29 and AGS cancer cells by measuring the cell survival and apoptotic gene (Caspase 3, 9), respectively, which were verified by conducting the DAPI staining analysis. The negatively charged (− 27.47 mV) nanoparticles (286.55 nm) showed significant ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Moreover, the remarkable decrease in the IC50 concentrations of the SZBC-NCs among the HT-29 and AGS cancer cell lines exhibited their selective cytotoxic potential. Also, the overexpressed apoptotic (Caspases 3 and 9) and down-regulated necrotic (NFKB) gene expressions following the SZBC-NCs treatment doses indicated the apoptotic activity of SZBC-NCs, which were verified by the increased apoptotic morphology of the DAPI-stained HT-29 cancer cells. The antioxidant and colon cancer cell-related apoptotic activity of the SZBC-NCs make it an appropriate anti-colon cancer nano delivery system. Therefore, they can potentially be used as a safe efficient colon cancer treatment strategy. However, further in vivo experiments including animal cancer models have to be studied.