Targeted colorectal cancer treatment: In vitro anti-cancer effects of carnosine nanoparticles supported by agar and magnetic iron oxide

[Display omitted] •Agar successfully encapsulated carnosine nanoparticles and magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, resulting in the formation of AgCa-NPs and AgCaN-MNPs as drug carriers.•AgCa-NPs and AgCaN-MNPs reduce the viability of HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells.•AgCa-NPs and AgCaN-MNPs induce cell cycle arrest, trigger programmed cell death, and inhibit angiogenesis in HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells.•AgCa-NPs and AgCaN-MNPs could potentially be utilized as a dietary supplement or as functional food with anti-cancer properties. The usage of peptides in the colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment promises to be a new anti-cancer therapy with improved treatment efficacy. Carnosine, a natural dipeptide molecule, has been demonstrated to be a potential anti-cancer drug. Nonetheless, it shows an exhibition of high-water solubility and is quickly degraded by carnosinase. Meanwhile, agar and magnetic iron oxide are the most used materials for drug delivery due to some of their advantages such as the low cost and the larger biocompatibility feature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-cancer ability of agar-encapsulated carnosine nanoparticles (AgCa-NPs) and agar-encapsulated carnosine nanoparticles-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (AgCaN-MNPs) in human CRC cells, HCT-116. We evaluated the effects of AgCa-NPs and AgCaN-MNPs with a variety of concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 40, or 50 mM) on HCT-116 cells after 72 h and 96 h by using MTT assay and observation cell morphology. We then analyzed the cell cycle progression and assessed the expression changes of genes related to apoptosis, autophagy, necroptosis, and angiogenesis after treatment for 96 h. The results showed that AgCa-NPs and AgCaN-MNPs in vitro study decreased HCT-116 cells viability. This effect was attributed to arrest of cell cycle, induction of programmed cell death, and suppression of angiogenesis by AgCa-NPs and AgCaN-MNPs. These findings revealed the antitumor efficacy of AgCa-NPs or AgCaN-MNPs for CRC treatment.