LEUKEMIA: TARGETED THERAPEUTIC FORMULATION CONTAINING MANNOSE-COATED CHITOSAN PHYTO-NANOPARTICLES

Abstract

Leukemia is a life-threatening blood cancer. It happens when abnormal white blood cells grow out of control. Chemotherapy is the usual treatment. But it has big limits. It is not selective, cause’s systemic toxicity, and tumors can become drug resistant. Plants may help. Phytochemicals from Moringa oleifera and Nyctanthes arbor-tristis show anticancer activity and tend to have fewer side effects. Tiny drug carriers help too. Nanoparticles let compounds get into cells better and aim them where needed. This study set out to make and test mannose-coated chitosan phyto-nanoparticles that hold hydroalcoholic extracts of Moringa oleifera and Nyctanthes arbor-tristis for targeted leukemia therapy in vitro using human chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells (ATCC® CCL-243™). We made the mannose-coated chitosan phyto-nanoparticles by ionic gelation using sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as the cross-linker. Then we measured particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential by dynamic light scattering. Encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release were checked. Cytotoxicity was tested on leukemia cell lines with the MTT assay. The particles averaged 180–250 nm. PDI was 0.21–0.28, so sizes were fairly uniform. Zeta potential ranged from +22 to +30 mV, which shows good colloidal stability. Encapsulation efficiency was 84.6 ± 3.2% for the combined extracts. Drug release in vitro followed a two-phase pattern: a mild burst first, then sustained release over 72 h at pH 7.4. The nanoformulation killed K562 cells in a dose-dependent way on the MTT assay, with an IC₅₀ of 58.3 ± 4.7 μg/mL, significantly lower than crude extracts (IC₅₀ ≈ 142 μg/mL) and uncoated nanoparticles (IC₅₀ > 200 μg/mL) (p < 0.001).ase-3 upregulation confirmed apoptosis induction. Overall, mannose-coated chitosan phyto-nanoparticles improved the therapeutic effect of these plant phytochemicals and could be a promising targeted delivery system for leukemia treatment.