Anticancer Activity of Curcumin-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles on PC3 Prostate Cancer Cells

Curcumin (Cur) has been found to be very efficacious against many different types of cancer cells. However, the major disadvantage associated with the use of Cur is its low systemic bioavailability. Our present work investigated the toxic effect of encapsulation of Cur in PLGA (poly lactic-coglycolic acid) nanospheres (NCur) on PC3 human cancer prostate cell. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of NCur on growth, autophagia, and apoptosis in PC3 cells, respectively, by MTT assay, fluorescence microscopy, and Flow cytometry. MTT assays revealed that the NCur at the concentration of 25 μg/mL for 48 h were able to exert a more pronounced effect on the PC3 cells as compared to free Cur. Apoptotic index was significantly increased in NCur-treated cells compared to free Cur. The percentage of autophagic cells (LC3- II positive cells) was also significantly increased in NCur treatment in comparison to free Cur. These data indicate that the NCur has considerable cytotoxic activity more than Cur on PC3 cell lines, which is mediated by induction of both apoptotic and autophagic processes. Thus, NCur has high potential as an adjuvant therapy for clinical application in prostate cancer.