Thymoquinone nanoparticle formulation and in vitro efficacy

Thymoquinone (TQ) is a natural product with promising anticancer activity, but its development is hindered by its limited bioavailability. In this project, a nanoparticle formulation of TQ (TQ-NP) was formulated into nanoparticles using poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) (MW: 1500-2400 g/mole) with a TQ/polymer weight ratio of 1/1. The particle size determined by dynamic light scattering was 78 nm. The effects of TQ-NP versus free TQ were determined by MTT assay for MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Treatment of both cell lines with 50-100 μM TQNP was significantly more potent in killing cells than treatment with the same concentrations of free TQ after 72 hours. These results suggest that a high TQ loading nanoparticle formulation provides enhanced antitumor activity in vitro when compared with free TQ.