Pitavastatin-loaded bilosomes for oral treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: a repurposing approach
Maged Kharouba, Amal H. El‐Kamel, Radwa A. Mehanna, Eman H Thabet, Lamia Heikal
Abstract
nm ± 6.35, 0.229 ± 0.06, 90.56% ± 3.22, and -7.86 mV ± 1.13, respectively. LF-coated bilosomes also increased permeation of PIT when tested on Caco-2 cells by 3.1-folds (compared to uncoated ones or free PIT solution). It also improved the cytotoxicity of HepG2 spheroids 44-folds more than PIT-free solution. RT-PCR analysis showed that LF-coated PIT-loaded bilosomes caused an improvement (2-fold increase) in the apoptotic potential of PIT mediated by caspase-3. In conclusion, the optimized LF-coated PIT-loaded bilosomes were cytotoxic to HCC with improved hepatocytes permeation and cellular uptake. Thus, the proposed formula could be a promising treatment for HCC.