The most common cause of deaths due to cancers nowadays is lung cancer. The objective of this study was to prepare erlotinib loaded chitosan nanoparticles for their anticancer potential. To study the effect of formulation variables on prepared nanoparticles using central composite design. Erlotinib loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation method using probe sonication technique. It was found that batch NP-7 has a maximum loading capacity and entrapment efficiency with a particle size (138.5 nm) which is ideal for targeting solid tumors. Analysis of variance was applied to the particle size, entrapment efficiency and percent cumulative drug release to study the fitting and the significance of the model. The batch NP-7 showed 91.57% and 39.78% drug release after 24 h in 0.1 N hydrochloric acid and Phosphate Buffer (PB) pH 6.8, respectively. The IC50 value of NP-7 evaluated on A549 Lung cancer cells was found to be 6.36 μM. The XRD of NP-7 displayed the existence of erlotinib in the amorphous pattern. The optimized batch released erlotinib slowly in comparison to the marketed tablet formulation. Erlotinib loaded chitosan nanoparticles were prepared successfully using sonication technique with suitable particle size, entrapment efficiency and drug release. The formulated nanoparticles can be utilized for the treatment of lung cancer.
Curdlan (CN)-doped montmorillonite/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide) [CN/MT/P(NIPA-co-MBA)] smart nanocomposites (NCs) were developed for efficient erlotinib HCl (ERL) delivery to lung cancer cells. The placebo NCs demonstrated excellent biodegradability, pH/thermo-responsive swelling profiles and declined molar mass (M¯c) between the crosslinks with increasing temperature. The XRD, FTIR, DSC, TGA, and SEM analyses revealed the architectural chemistry of these NC scaffolds. The NCs loaded with ERL (F-1-F-3) displayed acceptable diameter (734-1120 nm) and zeta potential (+1.16 to -11.17 mV), outstanding drug entrapping capability (DEE, 78-99%) and sustained biphasic ERL elution patterns (Q8h, 53-91%). The ERL release kinetics of the optimal matrices (F-3) obeyed Higuchi model and their transport occurred through anomalous diffusion. The mucin adsorption behaviour of these matrices followed Freudlich isotherms. As compared to pure ERL, the formulation (F-3) displayed an improved anti-proliferative potential and induced apoptosis more effectively on A549 cells. Thus, the CN-doped smart NCs could be utilized as promising drug-cargoes for lung cancer therapy.
Metastasized lung and liver cancers cause over 2 million deaths annually, and are amongst the top killer cancers worldwide. Morinda citrifolia (Noni) leaves are traditionally consumed as vegetables in the tropics. The macro and micro effects of M. citrifolia (Noni) leaves on metastasized lung cancer development in vitro and in vivo were compared with the FDA-approved anti-cancer drug Erlotinib. The extract inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis in A549 cells (IC50 = 23.47 μg/mL) and mouse Lewis (LL2) lung carcinoma cells (IC50 = 5.50 μg/mL) in vitro, arrested cancer cell cycle at G0/G1 phases and significantly increased caspase-3/-8 without changing caspase-9 levels. The extract showed no toxicity on normal MRC5 lung cells. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549-induced BALB/c mice were fed with 150 and 300 mg/kg M. citrifolia leaf extract and compared with Erlotinib (50 mg/kg body weight) for 21 days. It significantly increased the pro-apoptotic TRP53 genes, downregulated the pro-tumourigenesis genes (BIRC5, JAK2/STAT3/STAT5A) in the mice tumours, significantly increased the anti-inflammatory IL4, IL10 and NR3C1 expression in the metastasized lung and hepatic cancer tissues and enhanced the NFE2L2-dependent antioxidant responses against oxidative injuries. The extract elevated serum neutrophils and reduced the red blood cells, haemoglobin, corpuscular volume and cell haemoglobin concentration in the lung cancer-induced mammal. It suppressed inflammation and oedema, and upregulated the endogenous antioxidant responses and apoptotic genes to suppress the cancer. The 300 mg/kg extract was more effective than the 50 mg/kg Erlotinib for most of the parameters measured.