Synthesis, characterization, and in-vitro evaluation of piperine-loaded silica/hydroxyapatite mesoporous nanoparticles

Piperine (PIP), the most pungent component of black pepper, is known to have several outstanding therapeutic properties. However, the biological applications of PIP are limited due to its low bioavailability, caused by its low water solubility. The objective of this study was to engineer a biocompatible nanocarrier for enhancing the bioavailability of PIP and investigate its anticancer activity in-vitro. Silica mesoporous nanoparticles (Si-MNP) and hybrid silica/hydroxyapatite mesoporous nanoparticles (Si-HAp-MNP) were synthesized and characterized using BET, TEM, TGA, XRD, FTIR, and DLS analyses. PIP loading and release behavior from the developed nanoparticles were investigated as well. The synthesized nanoparticles represented a sustained and controlled release, especially in an acidic environment. The results indicated that the incorporation of HAp into the Si-MNP structure enhanced the PIP loading efficiency by almost 50%, while the release of PIP from the nanocarrier was improved by 20% as compared to Si-MNP. The in-vitro cytotoxicity of PIP-loaded Si-HAp-MNP against MCF-7 breast cancer cells indicated that the viability and growth of cancer cells significantly reduced where the cell viability was below 20% at PIP concentration of 50 μg/ml after 48 and 72 h of incubation.