Effect of hesperidin loaded pH and temperature sensitive smart nanoparticles on breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer encountered by women worldwide. Although hesperidin (Hesp) is a promising anticancer agent for breast cancer, its poor water solubility and bioavailability limit its use as a therapeutic agent. In this study, it was aimed to improve bioavailability and increase therapeutic efficacy against breast cancer by experimentally preparing pH and temperature sensitive smart polymeric nanoparticles carrying hesperidin.2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was used to synthesize temperature-sensitive nanoparticles, and vinyl imidazole was used for pH-sensitive nanoparticles. Particle size and size distribution of hesperidinloaded nanoparticles were determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to determine morphological characterization. Additionally, the effects of hesperidin-loaded smart nanoparticles on cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle in breast cancer were also examined. MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of hesperidin-loaded smart nanoparticles on MCF-7 cells at different concentrations (10–20 µM) for 24 h. It was found that MCF7 cell proliferation in Group I, Group II, Group III and free hesperidin group decreased statistically significantly compared to the control group, depending on the dose (p<0.05). The apoptotic effect was examined with the Annexin V-PI Staining Method in flow cytometry. The increase in the rate of apoptosis cells in the experimental groups was found to be statistically significant compared to the control group. Keywords: Hesperidin; Smart Nanoparticles; Breast cancer; pH sensitive polymer; Thermo sensitive polymer