Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Quercetin-Loaded Alginate Nanoparticles for Enhanced In Vitro Anticancer Effect Against Human Leukemic Cancer U937 Cells

Nanoparticles synthesized from biopolymers have received attention for their use as biological carriers in the delivery of hydrophobic drugs. Alginate, a marine biopolymer, is utilized to synthesize nanoparticles as a nanocarrier to overcome the limitations of quercetin solubility and its bioavailability. The present study aims at the synthesis of alginate nanoparticles (ALG NPs) by a simple approach for the delivery of a bioactive compound, quercetin. Quercetin entrapped alginate nanoparticles (QR-ALG NPs) with a size of 180 nm and negative zeta potential of − 21.4 mV were synthesized following a cold precipitation method. QR-ALG NPs were analyzed by UV, Fluorescence spectroscopy, AFM, SEM, XRD, and FTIR. The formulated QR-ALG NPs achieved a drug entrapment efficiency of 68% along with a shelf life of 35 days at room temperature. In vitro drug release assay showed a sustainable quercetin release up to 6 days. DPPH assay showed that QR-ALG NPs retained its antioxidant activity. MTT results demonstrated that QR-ALG NPs enhanced anticancer efficacy on the U937 cell line. This novel method to synthesize ALG NP is simple, efficient, and less laborious, could be a promising application for encapsulating drugs in nanomedicine. Graphic abstract