Paclitaxel-Loaded Nanoarchaeosomes: An Innovative Strategy for Targeted Breast Cancer Treatment

Breast cancer remains the most common cause of mortality among women globally. Although improvements in early detection and systemic therapies have enhanced patient outcomes, conventional treatment strategies, including free drug administration, are often plagued by significant limitations such as poor selectivity, systemic toxicity, rapid drug degradation, and low therapeutic indices. Paclitaxel (PTX), a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug, suffers from poor aqueous solubility and nonspecific distribution, resulting in severe off-target effects and reduced clinical efficacy. The present study investigates the potential of PTX-loaded nanoarchaeosomes (NAs) as a novel therapeutic for breast cancer rehabilitation. Paclitaxel-loaded nanoarchaeosomes (PTX-NAs) were synthesized and then characterized through various techniques, including Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta (ζ) potential analysis, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The DLS study defined the size of the PTX-NAs as ∼50 nm, with a stable surface charge of -59.8 mV. The efficiency of the loading of PTX into NAs was quantified to be about 92 ± 1%, followed by a significant 82 ± 3% PTX release within 12 h. In vitro anticancer research on MCF-7 breast cancer cells revealed a significant increase in the level of cellular death with PTX-NAs at a concentration of 0.08 μM (IC₅₀), which was 3.5-fold lower than that of free paclitaxel (0.28 μM). This indicates a significant increase in the anticancer efficacy of PTX when delivered through NAs. Biocompatibility studies on NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells confirmed that NAs alone and PTX-NAs did not induce any significant toxicity, maintaining normal cellular morphology and viability, which ensures the potential safety of this nanoformulation for clinical use. These findings suggest that PTX-NAs offer a promising, targeted approach to breast cancer therapy, providing enhanced efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity.