FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF ACETOGENIN POLYMERIC NANOPARTICLE FOR MANAGEMENT OF ANTI-COLORECTAL CANCER

Abstract

Annonaceous acetogenins obtained from Annona muricata L. have attracted considerable interest because of their reported biological and anticancer potential; however, their pharmaceutical application may be limited by physicochemical and drug-delivery-related challenges. The present study aimed to extract and characterize an acetogenin-containing fraction from A. muricata leaves and formulate it into gellan gum polymeric nanoparticles for potential application in colorectal cancer research. The dried leaves were extracted with ethanol using Soxhlet extraction, and the acetogenin-containing fraction was preliminarily characterized using Kedde's reagent test, thin-layer chromatography (TLC), silica-gel column chromatography, UV–Visible spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The selected fraction was incorporated into gellan gum polymeric nanoparticles using a cross-emulsion technique with Aerosol OT (AOT) as surfactant and calcium chloride as cross-linking agent. Ethanolic extraction produced a yield of 15.13% w/w, while Kedde's reagent produced a characteristic purple colour indicating the presence of acetogenin-type constituents. TLC using n-hexane:acetone (1:1) produced a selected band with an Rf value of 0.44. Among the 12 fractions obtained by column chromatography, F4 and F5 showed positive Kedde reactions. UV–Visible analysis showed a maximum absorption at 229.5 nm, while HPLC analysis demonstrated a prominent peak at a retention time of 8.070 min. The developed acetogenin-loaded gellan gum nanoparticles exhibited a mean particle size of 50.3 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.198 and a zeta potential of −15.0 mV. SEM analysis revealed irregular to near-spherical nanoparticles ranging from 36.4 to 86.0 nm, with an approximate mean size of 54.4 nm. These findings demonstrate the successful preliminary enrichment and characterization of acetogenin-type constituents from A. muricata leaves and their incorporation into a nanosized gellan gum polymeric carrier. The developed formulation provides a promising platform for further investigation, including encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, in-vitro release, stability and cytotoxicity studies against colorectal cancer cell lines, before its therapeutic potential can be established.