Papain grafted into the silica coated iron-based magnetic nanoparticles 'IONPs@SiO2-PPN' as a new delivery vehicle to the HeLa cells

Nanotechnology. 2020 May 8;31(19):195603. doi: 10.1088/1361-6528/ab6fd4. Epub 2020 Jan 24.

Abstract

The present study aims at engineering, fabrication, characterization, and qualifications of papain (PPN) conjugated SiO2-coated iron oxide nanoparticles 'IONPs@SiO2-PPN'. Initially fabricated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were coated with silica (SiO2) using sol-gel method to hinder the aggregation and to enhance biocompatibility. Next, PPN was loaded as an anticancer agent into the silica coated IONPs (IONPs@SiO2) for the delivery of papain to the HeLa cancer cells. This fabricated silica-coated based magnetic nanoparticle is introduced as a new physiologically-compatible and stable drug delivery vehicle for delivering of PPN to the HeLa cancer cell line. The IONPs@SiO2-PPN were characterized using FT-IR, AAS, FESEM, XRD, DLS, and VSM equipment. Silica was amended on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs, γ-Fe2O3) to modify its biocompatibility and stability. The solvent evaporation method was used to activate PPN vectorization. The following tests were performed to highlight the compatibility of our proposed delivery vehicle: in vitro toxicity assay, in vivo acute systemic toxicity test, and the histology examination. The results demonstrated that IONPs@SiO2-PPN successfully reduced the IC50 values compared with the native PPN. Also, the structural alternations of HeLa cells exposed to IONPs@SiO2-PPN exhibited higher typical hallmarks of apoptosis compared to the cells treated with the native PPN. The in vivo acute toxicity test indicated no clinical signs of distress/discomfort or weight loss in Balb/C mice a week after the intravenous injection of IONPs@SiO2 (10 mg kg-1). Besides, the tissues architectures were not affected and the pathological inflammatory alternations detection failed. In conclusion, IONPs@SiO2-PPN can be chosen as a potent candidate for further medical applications in the future, for instance as a drug delivery vehicle or hyperthermia agent.

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Intravenous
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / administration & dosage*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Iron / chemistry*
  • Magnetite Nanoparticles
  • Mice
  • Papain / administration & dosage*
  • Papain / chemistry
  • Papain / pharmacology
  • Particle Size
  • Silicon Dioxide / chemistry*
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • Magnetite Nanoparticles
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • Iron
  • Papain