Dendrosomal Nano-Curcumin Modulates P-Glycoprotein Activity and Induces Apoptosis in Wild Type and P53-Mutant Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Background: Dendrosomal nano-curcumin (DNC) represents an enormous potential to serve as a therapeutic anticancer agent. Here, we investigated the effect of DNC on wild type- and p53-mutant breast cancer cells. Methods: MCF-7 and T47D cells were treated with DNC and investigated for cell viability through MTT assay. The mode of death was analyzed using Annexin V/FITC staining and PARP cleavage assays. Flow cytometric efflux and cell swelling tests were employed to assess the p-glycoprotein (P-gp) transporter activity. Moreover, real-time PCR was employed to study the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 as well as survivin and its ΔEx3 splicing variant. Results: Our findings confirmed that DNC repressed cancer cell proliferation by induction of apoptosis. Additionally, DNC significantly modulated P-gp function that might lead to improved cellular permanence of curcumin. Malfunction of P-gp activity by DNC demonstrates its capability in reducing the drug resistance of p53-mutant cancer cells. Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that dendrosomal nano-curcumin could be considered an anti-tumor therapeutic for p53-mutant tumor malignancies.