Cervical Cancer Treatment via Folic Acid Functionalized Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: A Prodrug Approach

Abstract

Cervical cancer is a leading cause of mortality among women worldwide, primarily due to its high recurrence rates and the side effects associated with conventional chemotherapy. Cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, is limited by severe toxicity and drug resistance. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) functionalized with Folic acid offer a targeted drug delivery approach that addresses these limitations by selectively binding to overexpressed folate receptors in cervical cancer cells. But when MSNs are used for medication delivery, systemic toxicity is decreased and drug accumulation at tumor locations is enhanced. In silico analysis confirmed the overexpression of folate receptors in cervical cancer tissues using data from GEPIA and STRING. Molecular docking studies demonstrated strong binding affinities between folic acid and the folate receptor, facilitating targeted drug delivery. In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles were synthesized and functionalized with folic acid for targeted delivery of a Pt(IV) prodrug derived from cisplatin. Nanoparticle characterization was performed using SEM, FTIR, XRD, and zeta potential analysis. The prodrug-loaded MSNs that were optimized showed a zeta potential of -20.2 mV and an average particle size of 307.7 nm and demonstrated efficient drug encapsulation and drug loading efficiencies of 45% and 89% respectively. The in vitro cytotoxic analysis of the optimized prodrug loaded MSN-FA demonstrated significantly improved biological activities and increased cytopathic effect in Cervical Cancer (Hela). These results imply that optimized prodrug loaded NFs can prove to be an effective treatment against CC.