Augmented anticancer efficacy of Ailanthus Excelsa-loaded lipidic nanocarriers for breast cancer treatment: in-vitro and in-vivo evaluation.

Background: One of the most lethal forms of cancer that impacts women worldwide is breast cancer (BC). The treatment results are influenced by multiple factors, such as the phase of diagnosis, hereditary and hormonal influences, medication resistance, and metastases. Ailanthus Excelsa (AE) crude extract is rich in antioxidants and possesses potent anticancer properties, as demonstrated in tests on MCF-7 cells. Additionally, both lavender oil (LO) and tea tree oil (TTO) have potential cytotoxicity against cancer.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to boost the potency and solubility of AE against breast cancer via its loading in lipidic nanocarriers (LNPs) whose structure is based on a mixture of LO and TTO.

Methods: The particle size, stability, and zeta potential of AE-loaded LNPs were examined over 6 months, and the measurements confirmed the good stability of the newly developed AE-LNPs.

Results: The AE-LNPs have demonstrated a stronger anticancer impact compared to free AE and plain LNPs, where IC₅₀ values were found to be 36.88 ± 3.09, 22.09 ± 2.13, and 7.49 ± 0.67 µg/ml for plain NPs, free AE, and AE-LNPs, respectively. Furthermore, the AE-LNPs exhibited more pronounced anticancer effects in the Ehrlich ascites in-vivo tumor model, accompanied by significant antiproliferative and antioxidant properties. The immunohistochemical analysis of BCL-2 in tumor tissue validated the apoptotic activity of AE-LNPs.

Conclusion: This study is the first to examine the formulation of the newly developed AE-loaded LNPs, demonstrating their efficacy in producing anti-proliferative effects and their considerable promise for BC treatment.