Improvement of in vitro Cytotoxic Activity of Cantigi Extract on T47D Breast Cancer Cells Using Gelatin Nanoparticles

Aims: Many methods can improve the cytotoxic activity of a plant extract. A previous study reported that a plant extract having antibacterial activity and loaded into gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) was able to be improved the antibacterial activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether Cantigi (Vaccinium varingiaefolium Blume Miq.) leaf extract loaded into GNPs was able to provide cytotoxic activity (CA) improvement on T47D cells compared to the crude extract. Methodology: The extraction of Cantigi leaf powder used hexane (HX) and then ethyl acetate (EA). The EA extract was then prepared into GNPs using the desolvation method and optimized at two process parameters (mixing speed and temperature) and three material concentrations (poloxamer 188, gelatin, and glutaraldehyde). The EA extract-loaded GNPs formed were characterized for particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PI), zeta potential (ZP), entrapment efficiency (EE), CA (IC50, using the MTT method on T47D cells), FTIR profile, and morphology. Results: Compared to the EA extract (IC50 = 75.16 g/mL), the EA extract-loaded GNPs manufactured using the formulation processed at 500 rpm and 40oC provided the highest cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 16.88 g/mL). Conclusion: The results showed that EA extract-loaded GNPs improved the CA of the EA extract on T47D cells significantly.