From beverage to anticancer agent: The repurposing of green coffee bean extract loaded in solid lipid nanoparticles

Green coffee bean extract (GCBE) captivated the world with its various health benefits. However, its topical use was limited by the hampered penetration of hydrophilic GCBE through the skin. So, this study aimed to incorporate GCBE-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) into water-in-oil (W/O) cream, to explore its repurposed application as an anticancer drug. The anticancer activity was assessed in vitro using MTT assay against human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) and in vivo using the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) model in mice compared to free GCBE followed by immunohistochemical analysis of caspase-3 and estrogen receptor. The optimized GCBESLNs results of the MTT assay exhibited a concentration-dependent reduction in the viability of MCF-7 with approximately 36 times more toxic effect against MCF-7 compared to free GCBE. The results of the in vivo Ehrlich ascites carcinoma model revealed that GCBE-SLNs cream exhibited statistically significant higher expression of caspase-3, lower expression of estrogen receptor, and increased necrotic index compared to the control group. Conclusively, GCBE-SLNs cream seems to have reassuring promises as anticancer remediation in both in vivo and in vitro studies. The present work is considered the first pre-clinical evidence for the potential merits of GCBESLNs in cancer management.