Preparation and in vitro anti-tumor properties of toad venom extract-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles

Abstract

In this study, we prepared solid lipid nanoparticles (TV-SLNs) loaded with toad venom extract and investigated their anti-tumor effects in vitro in HeLa and SKOV-3 cells. TV-SLNs were prepared using a cold homogenization technique, and the formulation was optimized by central composite design and response surface methods. The anti-tumor activities of TV-SLNs were evaluated by analyzing cell division and cell cycle distribution by using the MTT assay and flow cytometry. After incubation with TV-SLNs, the growth of both HeLa and SKOV-3 cells was inhibited significantly. The percentage of HeLa cells in G0/G1 phase decreased, whereas that in the S and G2/M phases increased. Thus, the S and G2/M phases were blocked after the incubation of HeLa cells with TV-SLNs for 24 h. In contrast, the percentage of SKOV-3 cells in G0/G1 phase increased and then decreased in S and G2/M phases, with the G0/G1 phase being blocked after incubation with TV-SLNs for 24 h. Our results demonstrate that TV-SLNs inhibited the fissiparism of HeLa and SKOV-3 cells in a time-and dose-dependent manner. TV-SLNs may be effective as a novel TV vaginal delivery system for the treatment of cervical and ovarian cancers.