Keratin nanoparticles and photodynamic therapy enhance the anticancer stem cells activity of salinomycin

The high rates of aggressiveness, drug resistance and relapse breast cancer (BC) are mainly attributed to the inability conventional therapies equally eradicate bulk differentiated cells stem (CSCs). To improve effectiveness BC treatments, we report in-water synthesis novel keratin-based nanoformulations, loaded with CSC-specific salinomycin (SAL), photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) vitamin E acetate (SAL/[email protected]), which combine capability releasing SAL production singlet oxygen upon light irradiation. In vitro experiments on cell lines CSC-enriched mammospheres exposed single or combined showed that SAL/[email protected] determine synergistic killing, limit their self-renewal capacity decrease stemness potential by eradication CSCs. vivo zebrafish embryos confirmed nanoformulations interfere Wnt/?-catenin signaling pathway, is dysregulated in BC, thus identifying a target for further translation into pre-clinical models.