Use of Baicalin-Conjugated Gold Nanoparticles for Apoptotic Induction of Breast Cancer Cells

Baicalin (BC) has been used for cancer therapy due to its multiple effects as an anti-cancer drug. However, the effective delivery of this molecule to targeted cells is difficult. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with thiolated beta cyclodextrin (AuNP-S-β-CD) were used as a delivery vector in this study. Cell viability tests were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK) and live/dead cell assay. To demonstrate the proliferation inhibition effect on Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cells by BC, we analyzed using Hoechst 33342 staining assay and gel electrophoresis. The S-β-CD conjugated AuNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), and ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. AuNP-S-β-CD with approximately 40 μM of BC loaded by inclusion complex showed an inhibition effect on MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis. Apoptosis test results were evaluated by analyzing the expression of typical apoptic markers such as cleaved caspase-3, full length caspase-3, and apaf-1 in western blot assay. These results demonstrated that AuNP-S-β-CD-BC inhibited the proliferation of cancerous MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis. These findings suggested that AuNP-S-β-CD-BC could be a promising agent for chemotherapeutic usage.