Objective: Despite the anticancer effect of Berberine (BBR), low aqueous solubility and poor gastrointestinal absorption can make its therapeutic usage difficult. However, chitosan/polyethylene oxide (CH/PEO) nanofibers scaffold eliminate this problem. This study has been conducted to recognize CH/PEO/BBR nanofibers effect on cancer cell lines.

Material and Methods: CH/PEO solution was prepared at different ratios for achieving optimal nanofibers. CH/PEO/BBR nanofibers were provided via electrospinning. Internal structure and 3-D morphology of fibers were studied using TEM and AFM, respectively. Functional groups were analyzed by a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic device. The characterization of electrospun nanofibers was done by SEM. BBR released from nanoscaffolds was detected within 2 weeks by a UV-Visible device.

The growth and proliferation of human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-468, BT474 and MCF7), human HeLa cervical cancer cells and fibroblast cells in cultured medium were investigated by an inverted microscope. The cytotoxic effect of CH/PEO/BBR nanofibers against mentioned cell lines was characterized by MTT assay. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS-18 software. p<0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: Nanoscaffolds containing 0.5-20 wt.% BBR concentrations inhibited cell growth compared to the control group in HeLa, BT474, MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 cell lines. The cell viability of cancer cell lines was significantly decreased after exposure with CH/PEO/BBR in a time dependent manner (HeLa, BT474, MCF7 (p=0.000) and MDA-MB-468 (p=0.001)).

Conclusions: Our results suggested that CH/PEO/BBR nanofiber has the potential to be developed as co-chemotherapeutic agent for human breast and cervical cancer therapy. However, its molecular mechanisms need to be further explored.