In vitro and in vivo combinatorial anticancer effects of oxaliplatin- and resveratrol-loaded N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles against colorectal cancer

Background Oxaliplatin (OXE) combined with other chemotherapy drugs against colorectal cancer had been reported in the literature before, however, the efficacy of oxaliplatin combined with natural compounds was elusive. In addition, the clinical bioactivity and therapeutic dose of antitumor drugs are severely limited due to poor targeting and side effects. NDDSs offers an excellent strategy to overcome the disadvantages of small molecule anticancer drugs. Methods Here, we have prepared N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan Oxaliplatin nanoparticles (CMCS-OXE NPs) and N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan Resveratrol nanoparticles (CMCS-Res NPs) were prepared by ion crosslinking and emulsification crosslinking, respectively. Results The results revealed that the CMCS-OXE NPs exhibited a high encapsulation efficiency (60%) with a size of approximately 190.0  nm , and the CMCS-Res NPs exhibited a high encapsulation efficiency (65%) with a size of approximately 164.2 nm. The treatment with both types of nanoparticles combined exhibited more significant anti-colon cancer activity than the free drugs or either type of nanoparticle alone. In the in vivo experiments, the inhibition efficiency of the combined nanoparticle treatment was much stronger than the free drugs or either type of nanoparticle alone. Conclusions Overall, combination of oxaliplatin and resveratrol into a nanoparticle-drug delivery systems (NDDSs) appears to be a promising strategy for colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy.