preparation and characterization of baicalein-loaded nanoliposomes for antitumor therapy

Baicalein (BAI) is a major constituent of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Previous studies showed that BAI had obvious effects on U14 cervical tumor-bearing mice model and HeLa cells. However, the use of BAI is inconvenient and troublesome, due to its low oral bioavailability. The aim of this study was to develop baicalein-loaded nanoliposomes (BAI-LP) to improve its bioavailability. In this study, BAI-LP was prepared by thin film hydration method. The average size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of the BAI-LP were 194.6±2.08 nm, 0.17±0.025, -30.73±0.41 mV, and 44.3±2.98%, respectively. Drug storage stability study showed no significant changes in these values after 4 weeks of storing at 4°C. Additionally, Sulforhodamine B (SRB) experimental results indicated that the BAI-LP could achieve better anti-tumor effects than free BAI. The results of the experiment demonstrated that BAI-LP had a better antitumor effect with a higher inhibition rate of 66.34±15.33% than free BAI with a inhibition rate of 41.89±10.50% by using U14 cervical tumor-bearing mice model. In conclusion, the study suggested that BAI-LP would serve as a potent delivery vehicle for BAI in future cancer therapy.