Dual-loaded niosome-dendrimer nanoplatform enhances Tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cells

Abstract Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in women, requiring comprehensive treatment strategies to reduce disease burden and costs. In this study, we developed an innovative dual nanoparticle system based on niosome containing PAMAM/Tirapazamine (N@P/T), and studied its efficacy...

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Main Authors: Masoumeh Kaveh Zenjanab, Aysan Salemi, Abolfazl Doustmihan, Sajjad Alimohammadvand, Rana Jahanban Esfahlan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14704-7
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author Masoumeh Kaveh Zenjanab
Aysan Salemi
Abolfazl Doustmihan
Sajjad Alimohammadvand
Rana Jahanban Esfahlan
author_facet Masoumeh Kaveh Zenjanab
Aysan Salemi
Abolfazl Doustmihan
Sajjad Alimohammadvand
Rana Jahanban Esfahlan
author_sort Masoumeh Kaveh Zenjanab
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in women, requiring comprehensive treatment strategies to reduce disease burden and costs. In this study, we developed an innovative dual nanoparticle system based on niosome containing PAMAM/Tirapazamine (N@P/T), and studied its efficacy combining in silico and experimental validation. Molecular docking and protein–protein interaction network analysis identified HIF1A as a central target for Tirapazamine (TPZ), revealing multiple high-confidence binding sites and interactions with key cancer-related pathways. Our synthesized N@P/T system using the thin film hydration method showed a size of ~ 200 nm, a zeta potential of − 4 mV, and a spherical morphology. Further, MTT results demonstrated that N@P/T significantly enhances anti-cancer effects compared to P/T and free TPZ, exhibiting the lowest IC50 value of 14.14 μM, which indicates superior cytotoxic efficiency compared to P/T (IC50 = 71.37 μM) and free TPZ (IC50 = 143.3 μM). Annexin-V FITC/Pi double staining showed enhanced apoptosis-promoting effects of P/T (44.28%) and N@P/T (65.33%), partially via affecting expression levels of BCL2, caspase3 and BAX. The uptake assay revealed substantial internalization of N@P/T over 90% by 4h, while real-time PCR validated the HIF1A as a target for TPZ under hypoxia-stimulated condition. Furthermore, the spheroid size test demonstrates the superior penetration capability of N@P/T, leading to significant alterations in tumor spheroid size and morphology. Our integrated computational and experimental approach demonstrates that N@P/T effectively targets hypoxic cancer cells through specific molecular interactions, offering a promising strategy for BC treatment.
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spelling doaj-art-122c484a3d2a400784ee8b4f6e860a742025-08-20T03:46:01ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111810.1038/s41598-025-14704-7Dual-loaded niosome-dendrimer nanoplatform enhances Tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cellsMasoumeh Kaveh Zenjanab0Aysan Salemi1Abolfazl Doustmihan2Sajjad Alimohammadvand3Rana Jahanban Esfahlan4Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesAbstract Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in women, requiring comprehensive treatment strategies to reduce disease burden and costs. In this study, we developed an innovative dual nanoparticle system based on niosome containing PAMAM/Tirapazamine (N@P/T), and studied its efficacy combining in silico and experimental validation. Molecular docking and protein–protein interaction network analysis identified HIF1A as a central target for Tirapazamine (TPZ), revealing multiple high-confidence binding sites and interactions with key cancer-related pathways. Our synthesized N@P/T system using the thin film hydration method showed a size of ~ 200 nm, a zeta potential of − 4 mV, and a spherical morphology. Further, MTT results demonstrated that N@P/T significantly enhances anti-cancer effects compared to P/T and free TPZ, exhibiting the lowest IC50 value of 14.14 μM, which indicates superior cytotoxic efficiency compared to P/T (IC50 = 71.37 μM) and free TPZ (IC50 = 143.3 μM). Annexin-V FITC/Pi double staining showed enhanced apoptosis-promoting effects of P/T (44.28%) and N@P/T (65.33%), partially via affecting expression levels of BCL2, caspase3 and BAX. The uptake assay revealed substantial internalization of N@P/T over 90% by 4h, while real-time PCR validated the HIF1A as a target for TPZ under hypoxia-stimulated condition. Furthermore, the spheroid size test demonstrates the superior penetration capability of N@P/T, leading to significant alterations in tumor spheroid size and morphology. Our integrated computational and experimental approach demonstrates that N@P/T effectively targets hypoxic cancer cells through specific molecular interactions, offering a promising strategy for BC treatment.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14704-7NiosomeTirapazaminPAMAM G5Drug deliveryCancer therapy
spellingShingle Masoumeh Kaveh Zenjanab
Aysan Salemi
Abolfazl Doustmihan
Sajjad Alimohammadvand
Rana Jahanban Esfahlan
Dual-loaded niosome-dendrimer nanoplatform enhances Tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cells
Scientific Reports
Niosome
Tirapazamin
PAMAM G5
Drug delivery
Cancer therapy
title Dual-loaded niosome-dendrimer nanoplatform enhances Tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cells
title_full Dual-loaded niosome-dendrimer nanoplatform enhances Tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cells
title_fullStr Dual-loaded niosome-dendrimer nanoplatform enhances Tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cells
title_full_unstemmed Dual-loaded niosome-dendrimer nanoplatform enhances Tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cells
title_short Dual-loaded niosome-dendrimer nanoplatform enhances Tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cells
title_sort dual loaded niosome dendrimer nanoplatform enhances tirapazamine delivery to hypoxic breast cancer cells
topic Niosome
Tirapazamin
PAMAM G5
Drug delivery
Cancer therapy
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14704-7
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