Silica Nanoparticles Encapsulated Cichorium Pumilum as a Promising Photosensitizer for Osteosarcoma Photodynamic Therapy: In-vitro study

Background/aims: Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have been promising vehicles for drug delivery. Cichorium Pumilum (CP), a natural photosensitizer (PS), has been reported to have many useful effects in cancer treatment. However, the poor water solubility and its low bioavailability have confined its use as a suitable photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. Therefore, a subtle approach is required to overcome these drawbacks.

Materials and methods: We have synthesized a silica nanoparticles loaded with Cichorium Pumilum. The nanoparticles structural morphologies have been charectrized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The cytotoxicity for different concentrations of naked and encapsulated CP was evaluated. Moreover, the optimal concentration of naked and encapsulated CP with exposure time to a light (Maximum intensity at 350nm ∼0.27mW/cm²) required to eliminate the used cells (Osteosarcoma cells) were also measured.

Results: The results showed that encapsulated CP in SiNPs exhibited relatively higher efficacy than the naked CP by + 157.14 % of exposure time efficacy and + 49.45% of concentration efficacy, and encapsulated CP was also confirmed to be effective in eradicating osteosarcoma cells.

Conclusion: The engineered silica nanoparticles loaded with CP enhanced the photodynamic therapy by increasing the CP bioavailability.