Shikimic Acid Nanoformulations: a Comprehensive Inquiry into Anticancer Potential and Apoptotic Induction on A2058 Skin Cancer Cells

Addressing the global challenge of cancer requires ongoing exploration of innovative therapeutic approaches. Nanotechnology has emerged as a particularly promising avenue for its unparalleled precision in drug delivery and therapeutic intervention. This study focuses on the efficacy of synthesized and characterized nanocapsule-loaded shikimic acid (Na-ShA) in enhancing anticancer properties and evaluating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of apoptosis. To this end, the sol–gel method was utilized to synthesize the nanocapsule, with several techniques such as DLS, FESEM, TEM, Edax, Zeta potential, and FTIR used to analyze its physicochemical characteristics. MTT assay was employed to evaluate toxicity impacts on three cancer cell lines (HepG2, SW480, and A2058), and apoptosis mechanisms were examined using qPCR, DAPI staining, and flow cytometry. The study’s findings revealed that Na-ShA possesses an optimal size of 179.15 nm, displays monodispersity with a low polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.18, and exhibits high stability with a zeta potential of 41.7 mV. Moreover, Na-ShA demonstrated selective cytotoxicity against cancerous cells without any harmful effects on normal cells. The inhibition concentrations (IC 50 ) of Na-ShA against HepG2, SW480, and A2058 cells were discovered to be 76.08, 62.5, and 31.7 μg/ml, respectively. Molecular analysis illustrated a significant increase in caspase 3 and 9 and down-regulation of MMP9 gene expressions notably. Fluorescent staining and flow cytometry results confirmed programmed cell death in treated cancer cells. The study concluded that Na-ShA exhibits a strong therapeutic effect against cancer.