DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A PHYTOCHEMICAL-BASED NANOCARRIER FOR BREAST CANCER TREATMENT

Breast cancer is among the most prevalent forms of cancer affecting women globally, and despite advances in chemotherapy, side effects from non-specific treatment remain a major concern.In this study, a nanocarrier formulation was developed using curcumin, a naturally derived compound with established anticancer activity.The curcumin was encapsulated within PLGA nanoparticles to address limitations like poor solubility and limited bioavailability.The resulting particles were evaluated for size, surface charge, drug-loading efficiency, and release kinetics.When tested against MCF-7 breast cancer cells, the nanoformulation showed enhanced cytotoxicity and uptake compared to free curcumin.These findings highlight the potential of phytochemical-based nanocarriers as a more focused and safer approach to breast cancer therapy.