Effect of CeO2/spherical silica and halloysite nanotubes engineered for targeted drug delivery system to treat breast cancer cells

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO₂ NPs) and flavonoid curcumin that has been widely studied for treating diseases involving high reactive oxygen species (ROS). In nanotherapeutics, the particle size, shape, metal oxide dispersity and surface properties of nanocarriers are vital for drug delivery and therapeutic efficiency. Here, cisplatin release behavior on cerium impregnated two different shaped nanocarriers, CeO₂/monodispersed spherical silica (Sil) and CeO₂/halloysite (Hal) nanotube was studied for potential anti-cancer therapies. For comparison, CeO₂ impregnated mesoporous silica MCM-41, SBA-16, Hydroxyapatite and clay were prepared. Subsequently, the nanocomposites were coated with curcumin (25% wt/wt), and cisplatin (Cp) functionalization (5% wt/wt). 5wt%CeO₂/Hal/Cp and 5wt%CeO₂/Sil/Cp samples were pegylated using lyophilization technique. Physico-chemical analyses revealed the nanosized distribution of CeO₂ and functionalization of cisplatin and curcumin. Cp release was studied using automated Franz cell and dialysis membrane techniques. The different structured nanocarriers delivering mechanism was studied by determining the drug kinetic release using four different kinetic models (first order, second order, Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas). In vitro cytotoxicity assay of nano formulations along with free cisplatin and curcumin (Cur) were tested against the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) for multiple timepoints by MTT assay. The results reveled the efficacy of 5wt%CeO₂/Sil/Cp/Cur nanoparticles in delivering cisplatin. On the other hand, 5wt%CeO₂/Hal/Cur nanoparticles enhanced the uptake of curcumin in comparison to free curcumin. Overall, pegylated CeO₂/Silica nano formulation demonstrated an effective carrier to cisplatin for potential treatment of breast cancer.