Enhanced anti-cancer effect of artemisinin- and curcumin-loaded niosomal nanoparticles against human colon cancer cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third broadly identified cancer in the world. The ineffectiveness of colorectal cancer treatment is redundantly reported. Natural bioactive compounds have gained popularity in reducing the drawback of conventional anti-cancer agents. Curcumin (Cur) and Artemisinin (Art) are materials of a natural source that have been utilized to treat numerous kinds of cancers. Although the benefits of bioactive materials, their utilization is limited because of poor solubility, bioavailability, and low dispersion rate in aqueous media. Nano delivery system such as niosome can improve the bioavailability and stability of bioactive compounds within the drug. In current work, we used Cur–Art co-loaded niosomal nanoparticles (Cur–Art NioNPs) as an anti-tumor factor versus colorectal cancer cell line. The synthesized formulations were characterized using dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and FTIR. The proliferation ability of the cells and expression of apoptosis-associated gene were MTT assay and qRT-PCR, respectively. Cur–Art NioNPs exhibited well distributed with an encapsulation efficiency of 80.27% and 85.5% for Cur and Art. The NioNPs had good release and degradation properties, and had no negative effect on the survival and proliferation ability of SW480 cells. Importantly, nanoformulation form of Cur and Art significantly displayed higher toxicity effect against SW480 cells. Furthermore, Cur–Art NioNPs increased Bax, Fas, and p53 gene expressions and suppressed Bcl2, Rb, and Cyclin D 1 gene expressions. In summary, these results display the niosome NPs as a first report of nano-combinational application of the natural herbal substances with a one-step fabricated co-delivery system for effective colorectal cancer.