Green synthesis, formulation and biological evaluation of a novel ZnO nanocarrier loaded with paclitaxel as drug delivery system on MCF-7 cell line.

In this study we design green synthesis of a novel ZnO nanocarrier loaded with paclitaxel as a drug delivery system with high cytotoxicity against breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and low side effects on the normal cell line (fibroblast). Paclitaxel is formulated in high concentration in Cremophor EL because of its low solubility. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were prepared by the ethanolic extract of Camellia sinensis L., then coated with chitosan (Ch) and loaded with paclitaxel (PTX) to improve drug delivery. The physicochemical properties were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Drug loading on ZnO-Ch NPs was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In vitro apoptosis assay was assessed by flow cytometry. The cytotoxic effect of the nanocarrier drug was investigated using MTT assay in cancerous and normal cell lines. The PTX-loaded ZnO-Ch NPs showed cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cells, with minimal detrimental effects on normal fibroblasts. The results of apoptosis assay were compliant with MTT findings. Generally, ZnO-Ch NPs could be used as a promising drug delivery platform for PTX with low side effect on normal cell line and high cytotoxic effect on breast cancer cell line.