Several
copper compounds have proven anti-
cancer activity. Similarly,
curcumin a derivative of 1,3 diketone, which is not plenty in nature, has comparable anti-
cancer activity. In this work, we have explored the synergistic anti-
cancer activity of
copper ion and
acetylacetone complex containing 1,3 diketone group. The cytotoxicity of the
copper acetylacetonate (CuAA) complex was evaluated on various
cancer cells and LD50 doses were determined. To investigate the mechanism, various biochemical assays were performed and
reactive oxygen species as well as the
glutathione level in the cell were found to be increased after the treatment with the above-mentioned complex. Further this
reagent induced apoptosis and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential of the cells. Because of the poor solubility and reasonable cytotoxicity of CuAA,
polymer nanoparticles (NPs) of
chitosan derivatives were used for delivery in
cancer cells. For the targeted delivery,
folic acid-tagged hydrophobic-modified
chitosan NPs were developed and the CuAA was encapsulated. Finally, these
drug-encapsulated NPs were successfully delivered to
folate receptor over-expressed
cancer cells. Thus using nanotechnology, we developed an anti-
cancer agent suitable for targeted delivery.