Based polymer nanoparticles from bee pollen attenuate non-small lung cancer through enhancement of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in vivo

Bee pollen extract (BPE)-based polymer nanoparticles (BPENP) were fabricated using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and targeted with folic acid and were further characterized. Mice groups are: Group 1 received saline, whereas Groups 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 received a single dose of urethane, followed by weekly injections of butylated hydroxy-toluene (BHT). After the BHT injection, the mice in Groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 received BPE, Avastin, BPENP, and BPENP + Avastin, respectively. The number and size of tumors were decreased in Group 6 compared to those in the other groups. The ratios of early and late apoptotic cells in Groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 (42.8%, 41.4%, 26.2%, and 45.4%, respectively) were higher than that in the untreated group. The PCNA-labeling indexes (LI)% in tissues and lesions from Group 6 were lower than those in the other groups; on the other hand, the Caspase-3 LI (%) was higher than those in the other groups. No significant differences in HRAS and MAPK levels were observed between Group 6 and the other groups. However, the level of Bax was significantly increased, whereas those of Bcl2 and P21 were decreased in Group 6 compared to those in Groups 4 and 5. According to the results of the current study's in vivo lung cancer mouse model, adjuvant chemotherapy given in conjunction with a polyphenolic substance derived from bee pollen significantly activates the apoptotic pathways as measured by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and apoptotic genes. It also significantly reduces tumor volume and growth as measured by histopathology. Graphical Abstract