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Honokiol, a plant bioactive compound, is derived from the Magnolia genus and has several pharmacological advantages including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, neuromodulatory and anti-tumour activities. However, honokiol’s pharmaceutical utility is constrained by its poor solubility in water. Nanotechnology has been widely used to address this issue to make anticancer medications more effective by increasing their water solubility. Furthermore, the stability of the nanoparticles is one of the most important factors affecting the safety and efficacy of the drug. In this study, honokiol-loaded PLGA − PEG nanoparticles were synthesised and the stability of this nanosystem was evaluated in two conditions that are normal condition and accelerated-aging condition. The parameters used to evaluate the stability of the nanocarrier system include particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, and loading capacity. All of the samples were stored at three temperatures of 4 °C, 27 °C and 40 °C, and assessed at four times of 0 month, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months. The physicochemical parameters of nanoparticles after three months of storage showed greater stability at 4 °C compared to 27 °C and 40 °C. There were no significant differences in the parameters of samples stored in three months at 4 °C, meanwhile, the parameters of those stored at 27 °C and 40 °C fluctuated considerably. Therefore, the results show that storing samples at 4 °C allows maintaining the stability of the nanosystem for a long time.

Polymeric nanoparticles prepared from poly(lactide)-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (PLA-TPGS) were used as potential drug carries with many advantages to overcome the disadvantages of insoluble anticancer drugs and enhance blood circulation time and tissues. VX680 is an Aurora kinase inhibitor and is also the foremost Aurora kinase inhibitor to be studied in clinical trials. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether VX680-loaded PLA-TPGS nanoparticles (VX680-NPs) are able to effectively increase the toxicity of chemotherapy. Accordingly, we first synthesized VX680-loaded nanoparticles and NP characterizations of morphology, mean size, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency were spherical shape, 63 nm, ?30 mV and 76%, respectively. Then, we investigated the effects on HeLa cells. The cell cytotoxicity was evaluated by the xCELLigence real-time cell analyzer allowing measurement of changes in electrical impedance on the surface of the E-plate. Analysis of nucleus morphology and level of histone H3 phosphorylation was observed by confocal fluorescence scanning microscopy. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. Our results showed that VX680-NPs reduced cell viability with IC50value lower 3.4 times compared to free VX680. Cell proliferation was inhibited by VX680-NPs accompanied by other effects such as high abnormal changes of nucleus, a decrease of phospho-histone H3 at Ser10 level, an increase of polyploid cells and resulted in higher apoptotic cells. These results demonstrated that VX680-NPs had more cytotoxicity than as treated with VX680 alone. Thus, VX680-NPs may be considered as promising drug delivery system for cancer treatment.

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) prepared from poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly (?-caprolactone) (PEG-PCL) were fabricated by the modified nanoprecipitation method with and without sonication to entrap docetaxel (Doc) and curcumin (Cur). NPs were characterized in terms of morphology, size distribution, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency and cytotoxicity. The particles have a ?45-80 nm mean diameter with a spherical shape. The cellular uptake of the NPs was observed after 2 and 4 h of incubation by fluorescence of curcumin loaded with docetaxel. The cell viability was evaluated by an [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay on the Hela cell line. Doc and Doc-Cur NPs had higher cytotoxicity and a much lower IC50value compared with free Doc or Cur after 24 and 48 h of incubation. Doc and Cur incorporated into the PEG-PCL NPs had the highest cytotoxicity in comparison with all other NPs and may be considered as an attractive and promising drug delivery system for cancer treatment.