Madalina-Anca UJICA1, Cristina-Teodora DOBROTĂ1,2,3, Gheorghe TOMOAIA3,4, Olga SORITAU5, Cristina-Lavinia ROȘOIU2, Aurora MOCANU1, Maria TOMOAIA-COTISEL1,3*
Abstract. The purpose of this study was to develop various combinations of natural compounds and create new drug delivery systems using gold nanoparticles and biomolecules in order to potentiate the anticancer capacity of doxorubicin used at its low dose, thus assuring its minimal negative effects on healthy cells. Resveratrol was used for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles, which were then multi-functionalized. The compounds containing low doses of doxorubicin, D, (2 µg/mL), piperine, P, resveratrol, R, and icariin, Ic, were tested on two cervical cancer lines: HeLa and CaSki cells. The determination of the cytotoxic activity of these compounds (carriers) on the cell lines was done using the MTT method. Our results are of major importance because the synthesized nanostructured carriers showed promising capabilities for the treatment of cervical cancer. Among the analyzed compounds, two of them are strongly evidenced. Thus, GNP_R1@DRPIc has a 3-fold higher activity on HeLa cancer cells compared to doxorubicin alone, at the same low dose, and GNP_R1@DIc manages to decrease the doxorubicin resistance of the CaSki cancer line. This research study displays the benefits of natural biomolecules in the functionalization of gold nanoparticles through the development of new nanocarriers and their possible applicability as anticancer agents against the two cell lines of cervical cancer. These results strengthen our idea that gold nanoparticles functionalized with natural compounds can enhance the therapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin against cervical cancer, being a safer alternative to classical doxorubicin therapy.
Keywords: gold nanoparticles, multi-functionalized gold nanoparticles, drug delivery nanoparticles, doxorubicin, cervical cancer, HeLa cells, CaSki cells, cellular cytotoxicity
DOI 10.56082/annalsarscibio.2025.2.95
1 Research Center of Excellence in Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, 11 Arany Janos St., RO-400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2 Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 44 Republicii St., 400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
3 Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3 Ilfov St., RO-050044 Bucharest, Romania
4 Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 47 General Traian Mosoiu St., RO-400132 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
5Ion Chiricuta Oncologic Institute of Cluj-Napoca, 34-36 Republicii St., RO-400015 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
*Corresponding author e-mail: mcotisel@gmail.com, maria.tomoaia@ubbcluj.ro
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Biological Sciences, Volume 14 no 2, 2025