Targeted delivery of rutin into breast cancer cells via using phenylboronic acid functionalized MgO nanoparticles

•A novel PBA-tagged MgO NPs were synthesized for targeting human breast cancer cells.•The NPs were loaded with Rutin, a natural flavonoid to form MgO-NH-PBA-Rutinnanohybrids.•MgO-NH-PBA-Rutin nanohybrids exhibited pH-dependent drug release property.•MgO-NH-PBA-Rutin nanohybrids showed significant anticancer effect both in vitro and in vivo.•MgO-NH-PBA-Rutin nanohybrids did not exhibit any systemic toxicity. Here, we constructed 4-carboxy phenylboronic acid (PBA) linked and amine functionalized MgO NPs (MgO-NH-PBA) loaded with rutin and investigated their in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities. The MgO-NH-PBA-Rutin nanohybrids exhibited ∼10 % drug loading capacity and a pH-responsive drug release pattern. MgO-NH-PBA-Rutin nanohybrid showed significant anticancer activity towards MDA-MB-231 cells via intracellular reactive oxygen species generation and apoptosis, and inhibited the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. Further, in vivo studies also supported the superior anticancer potential of the nanohybrid in tumor-bearing mice. However, under both the conditions, MgO-NH-PBA-Rutin displayed the highest anticancer activity as compared with free rutin and MgO-NH-PBA. Molecular docking of rutin with BCl2 showed that rutin can bind to BCl2 with binding affinity −8.6 kcal/mol. The nanohybrid also did not exert any notable systemic toxicity towards other vital body organs. These findings suggested the use of MgO-NH-PBA as a potential nanocarrier for cancer treatment.