Work

Exploring the effects of paclitaxel-loaded zein nanoparticles on human ovarian carcinoma cells

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The development of innovative antitumor formulations that are able to increase the mortality of cancer cells while decreasing the efficacious pharmacological dosage is a fundamental goal of modern oncological research. In this study a paclitaxel (PTX)-nanomedicine was tested on two lines of human high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (hHGS-OC). Zein, a vegetal protein, was employed to obtain nanoparticles containing the lipophilic compound (NanoPTX) characterized by a mean diameter of 160 nm, a narrow size distribution, a negative zeta potential and a prolonged release of the drug over time. NanoPTX was tested on HEY and COV362 cells demonstrating an increase of apoptosis, particularly on the papillary cystadenocarcinoma cells (55.2% p value 0.037 for NanoPTX vs 70.25%, p value 0.08 for PTX) with respect to the free form of the drug. The fluorescent nanosystems were characterized by a significant cell uptake after a few hours of incubation and they promoted a reduction in the intracellular reactive oxygen species. The results need to be validated on different hHGS-OC cells and the real efficacy of the proposed nanomedicine needs to be investigated using in vivo models of ovarian carcinoma.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-90840-4