Aspirin-Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles: A Breakthrough in Liver Cancer Therapy

Nanotechnology has opened promising avenues for enhancing liver cancer treatment through the repurposing of approved drugs. One such drug is aspirin, which, when loaded onto nano-chitosan, improves its therapeutic properties. This study explores the potential of aspirin-loaded nano-chitosan nanoparticles to activate the tumor suppressor gene TP53, increasing its expression and inducing cytotoxicity in liver cancer cells (HepG2). TP53 plays a critical role in halting the cell cycle in response to DNA damage, and this process is triggered by induced oxidative stress. Our findings demonstrate that the nano formulation effectively generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that trigger cell cycle arrest and promote apoptosis in cancer cells. These results suggest that aspirin-loaded nano-chitosan nanoparticles could serve as an effective targeted therapy for liver cancer, improving both bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy.