Effect of curcumin-cisplatin loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles on the expression of caspase 8 and 9 in oral cancer cells (HN5)

Abstract

Treatment with herbal medicines is very important for therapeutic purposes and prevention of diseases such as cancer. Curcumin is an active ingredient isolated from the root of the turmeric plant and has therapeutic effects, but due to its hydrophobicity, its bioavailability is low. Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug used to treat a variety of cancers. The synthesis of nanoparticles improves the bioavailability of hydrophobic materials. In recent years, combination therapy has achieved better results in oncology than monotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing cisplatin and curcumin on oral cancer cells (HN5) and to evaluate their ROS. Materials and Methods: In this study, the cytotoxicity effect of mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing cisplatin and curcumin on HN5 cells was evaluated by MTT method. To do this, first HN5 cells were cultured and then cells were treated with mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing cisplatin and curcumin and after 24, 48 and 72 hours toxicity was assessed. DCF-DA and DAPI were used to evaluate the antioxidant effect. For statistical analysis of data, t-test was performed by SPSS software version 17 and a significance level of p≤0.05 was considered. Results: The results of the MTT assay to evaluate the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles at different concentrations showed that in all concentrations had a toxic effect on HN5 cells. The effective concentration of cisplatin and curcumin in SI-CUR-CIS in HN5 cells showed a significant decrease compared to the single effects of SI-CUR or SI-CIS, indicating that the combination of cisplatin and curcumin at lower concentrations, it has a better effect than the single effect of cisplatin or curcumin, and combination therapy has significantly increased the effect of these two drugs. Conclusion: Due to the cytotoxic effect of this compound on oral cancer cells, this substance can be a suitable option in the design of anti-cancer drugs, especially in combination with chemical anti-cancer drugs.