Berberine-Loaded Liquid Crystalline Nanoparticles Inhibit Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Proliferation and Migration in Vitro

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is reported to have a high incidence rate and is one of the most prevalent types of lung cancer contributing towards 85 percent of all incidences of lung cancer. Berberine is a potent isoquinoline alkaloid which offers a broad range of therapeutical and pharmacological actions against cancer. However, extremely low water solubility and poor oral bioavailability have largely restricted its therapeutic applications. To overcome these limitations, we synthesized Berberine-loaded liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LCNs) and investigated them in vitro for their antiproliferative and antimigratory properties in human lung epithelial cancer cell line (A549). 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT), Trypan blue staining, and colony forming assays were used to evaluate the anti-proliferative activity, while scratch wound healing assay and a modified Boyden chamber assay were employed to determine the anti-migratory activity. We also investigated critical proteins associated with lung cancer. The developed nanoparticles (NPs) were found to have an average particle size of 181.3 nm with spherical shape, high entrapment efficiency (75.35 %) and have shown sustained release behaviour. The most remarkable findings reported with Berberine-loaded LCNs were significant suppression of proliferation, inhibition of colony formation, inhibition of invasion or migration via Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) related proteins associated with cancer progression. Further in-depth investigations into anti-cancer mechanistic research will expand and strengthen the current findings of Berberine-LCNs as a potential NSCLC treatment option.