Chitosan-graft-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) Nanoparticles Containing Crotalus atrox Snake Venom: Biological and Physicochemical Characterization

The development of snake venom-loaded nanobiosystems based on smart biopolymers represents a promising therapeutic approach in several biomedical research fields. Specifically, the western diamondback rattlesnake (<i>Crotalus atrox</i>) contains various bioactive peptides and proteins with reported antitumor activity. This research aimed to establish a simplistic, facile and straightforward protocol for preparing chitosan-<i>g</i>-poly(<i>N</i>-vinylcaprolactam) nanoparticles containing <i>C. atrox</i> venom for potential use as a therapeutic nanocarrier against breast carcinoma cell lines. Herein, the physicochemical properties of venom-loaded nanoparticles were evaluated by FTIR, DLS, and SDS-PAGE. Also, the biological properties of both <i>C. atrox</i> venom and Cs-Venom NPs such as hemagglutination and hemolysis activity were evaluated in vitro. Finally, we evaluated their cytotoxic activity against two breast carcinoma cell lines (T-47D and MDA-MB-231). The most suitable formulation exhibited a hydrodynamic size of 222 nm, a ζ-potential of 42.0 mV and an encapsulation efficiency of 88.6%. <i>C. atrox</i> venom exhibited hemagglutination at concentrations >15 µg/mL but, no hemagglutination or hemolysis was observed for the CS-Venom NPs. Lastly, the IC50 of Cs-Venom NPs was determined for the T-47D and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, at 61.7 and 59.0 µg/mL, respectively. Thus, Cs-Venom NPs exhibit promising properties that can be considered a feasible alternative for developing controlled-release therapeutic systems.