Nanocarriers have emerged as promising systems for improving drug-delivery efficiency and advancing diagnostic strategies in cancer treatment. l-asparaginase has well-established antitumor and anti-leukemic properties, but its therapeutic performance is often restricted due to its short biological half-life and poor instability in the unmodified form. The present study investigated the encapsulation of l-asparaginase on a green-synthesized nanocarrier to enhance its overall therapeutic efficacy. The nanocarrier was produced utilizing citrus orange peel extract, which served simultaneously as a reducing, stabilizing, and capping material during the formation of zinc oxide-doped selenium nanoparticles (ZnO-Se-NPs). This eco-friendly synthesis method not only stabilized the nanoparticles but also incorporated naturally occurring phytochemicals, including flavonoids, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and carotenoids-that may contribute to additional pharmacological benefits. The synthesized l-asparaginase encapsulated ZnO-Se-NPs (ZnO-Se-Asp) nanocomposite exhibited notable anticancer activity while maintaining low cytotoxicity. The detailed characterization of the nanoparticles was carried out utilizing UV-Vis spectroscopy to confirm the presence of ZnO-Se-Asp, energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) for morphological and elemental analysis. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was studied to identify the functional groups, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed to study the crystallinity of synthesized ZnO-Se-Asp nanocomposite. The cytotoxic potential of synthesized ZnO-Se-Asp nanocomposite was estimated using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay through the determined IC50 value, as well as its effects on the cell viability and proliferation were assessed. Finally, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and Caspase-3 activity were performed to determine oxidative stress generation and apoptotic induction. Overall, the results indicated that the green-synthesized ZnO-Se-Asp nanocomposite offers a promising platform capable of improving anticancer efficacy while offering better stability and bioavailability.
Baskar et al. (Wed,) studied this question.