Targeted combined therapy in 2D and 3D cultured MCF-7 cells using metformin and erlotinib-loaded mesoporous silica magnetic nanoparticles

Aim This research aims to develop potential therapeutic nanostructures (NSs) encapsulating metformin (MET) and erlotinib (ER) for combinational therapy in breast cancer. Methods The ER and MET, both were loaded on mesoporous silica magnetic nanoparticles conjugated with polyethylene glycol and methotrexate to achieve targeted NSs. The developed NSs were characterised using SEM, DLS, and FTIR. Afterward, MTT, Trypan blue, and DNA extraction assays were operated for biological evaluations in the 2D and 3D MCF-7 cells. Results Physicochemical approaches indicated the mean diameter of 69.4 nm +/- 9.5 (PDI = 0.64), and neutral charge (2 mv) for the developed NSs. MET and ER-loaded NSs exhibited 62.56% +/- 4.41 and 67.73% +/- 3.03 drug release amount in pH = 5.4, respectively. MTT assay revealed that ER- and MET-loaded NSs had less metabolic activity (approximate to 20%) in comparison with non-targeted NSs. Conclusion Overall, our combined ER and MET-loaded targeted NSs result in a synergistic inhibitory impact on MCF-7 cells.