Effect of Nanoformulated Thymol, Nanoformulated Doxorubicin and Their Combination on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line: A Comparative Ex-Vivo Study

Abstract

Background: Nanoparticles are a promising technology in drug delivery mechanisms as they are considered the upcoming technological revolution in the 21st century.  Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common kind of cancer in the head and neck, with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounting for the majority of cases and an expanding number of scientific research on this subject supports the need to emphasize that there is still much room for improvement. Recently, there has been a noticeable rise in interest in dietary phytochemical consumption for possible cancer chemoprevention. Our study is pioneer in applying nanoformulated thymol as antineoplastic drug to overcome drawbacks of chemotherapeutic drugs. Although Doxorubicin (DOX) is the most preferrable chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of OSCC, its application is limited due to its various side effects. Accordingly, it is mandatory to explore the outstanding properties of nanoformulated form on HNO-97 cell line. Aim: Investigate the possible synergy between nanoformulated thymol and nanoformulated DOX on the oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line. Material and Method: Lingual cell line (HNO-97) cells were cultured. Serial concentrations of nanoformulated thymol and nanoformulated DOX were prepared. Calculation of minimum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of thymol, DOX, nano-thymol and nano-DOX, followed by investigation of cell proliferation by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) through the measurement of C-MYC gene expression was performed. Results: HNO-97 cells treated with combined therapy of nano-thymol and nano-DOX, drastically reduced C-MYC gene expression. Conclusion: Based on current findings, combination of nano-DOX and nano-thymol may be a viable supplementary anticancer therapy for OSCC by reducing proliferation of the cells.