The Design and Assessment of Eudragit Gum Nanoparticles Containing Moronic Acid for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

The employment of therapeutic techniques in the treatment of cancer is frequently associated with multidrug resistance or drug tolerance. The effectiveness of plant secondary metabolites in the fight against cancer can be significantly increased by synthesizing them at the nanometric scale. Moronic acid (MA) is one type of pentacyclic triterpenoid that inhibits the growth of cancer cells by blocking the regulation of cell growth. In this work, we used the oil-in-oil (O/O) emulsion solvent evaporation method to synthesize Eudragit nanoparticles (MENPs) loaded with MA. Enhancing the synergy and bioavailability of the nanoparticles was the aim of this intervention. The zeta potential of +28 mV observed in MENPs indicates the relative stability of the nanoformulations. MA was discovered to have 71.8% encapsulation efficiency. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the MENPs' particle sizes ranged from 42 to 58 nm. The antioxidant and anticancer capabilities of the MENPs were significantly stronger and they showed a continuous release pattern when compared to the individual MA particles in their free state. The in vitro investigations showed that the combination of MA encapsulated in Eudragit had a greater inhibitory effect on the growth of A-549, MCF-7, and Hela cell lines as compared to the solo administration of MA. This finding confirms the potent anticancer properties of the encapsulated compounds.