Effects of beta-cyclodextrin-Combretastatin A-4 nanoparticles containing selenium on apoptosis and metastasis of U-87MG glioblastoma cancer cells

Sep 30, 2026

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Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive primary brain tumor, remains difficult to treat due to drug resistance, blood–brain barrier constraints, and adverse effects of conventional therapies. This study develops selenium-loaded β-cyclodextrin–combretastatin A-4 nanoparticles (Se(B-CD-CA-4-NPs)) to improve anticancer efficacy. Nanoparticles were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated in vitro for viability, apoptosis, migration, invasion, MMP-2/MMP-9 activity, and apoptosis gene expression, showing pro-apoptotic and anti-metastatic effects in U-87MG cells.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

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Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Hosseini etal. Discover Oncology (2026) 17:35 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-04191-7](https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-04191-7) Discover Oncology RESEARCH Open Access Effects of beta-cyclodextrin-Combretastatin A-4 nanoparticles containing selenium on apoptosis and metastasis of U-87MG glioblastoma cancer cells Seyedeh Motahareh Hosseini 1, Fatemehsadat Hosseini2, Elaheh Gheybi3, El ham Einafshar4, Ebrahim Eftekhar 1, Mahmood Khayatian 1* and Mohammad Soukhtanloo4* *Correspondence: Mahmood Khayatian [Kayatian@yahoo.com](Kayatian@yahoo.com); m. [khayatian@hums.ac.ir](khayatian@hums.ac.ir)[ ](khayatian@hums.ac.ir)Mohammad Soukhtanloo[soukhtanloom@mums.ac.ir](soukhtanloom@mums.ac.ir)[ ](soukhtanloom@mums.ac.ir)1Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran 2Department of Medical Biotechnology and Nanotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad, Iran 3Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran 4Pharmacological Research Center of Medicinal Plants, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran Abstract Background Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive primary brain tumor, faces significant treatment challenges due to drug resistance, blood–brain barrier limitations, and severe side effects of conventional therapies. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a nanotechnology-based therapeutic approach using selenium-loaded β-cyclodextrin-combretastatin A-4 nanoparticles (Se(B-CD-CA-4-NPs)) to overcome these limitations and enhance treatment efficacy. Methods The Se(B-CD-CA-4-NPs) complex was synthesized and characterized for morphology, size, stability, and selenium loading capacity. In vitro studies included MTTassay, cell apoptosis, scratch assay, gelatin zymography, and qPCR were used to assess the effect of the newly synthesized complex on U-87MG glioblastoma cell viability, cell death, migration, MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity, and mRNA expression level of apoptosisrelated genes. Results The nanoparticles exhibited a spherical morphology (25 .78 ± 3.4 nm), negative surface charge, and high stability. The IC50 of the synthesized complex was 1.629 μM in U-87MG cancer cells. The Se(B-CD-CA-4-NPs) complex significantly reduced U-87MG cell viability, migration and invasion. Additionally, the complex induced cell apoptosis via upregulation of the BAX/BCL-2 ratio in cancer cells. Moreover, the Se(B-CD-CA- 4-NPs) complex inhibited metastasis by suppressing the activity and expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 . Conclusion The Se(B-CD-CA-4-NPs) complex represents a promising multifunctional therapeutic agent for GBM, offering enhanced proapoptotic property, selective tumor targeting, and reduced toxicity. Keywords Se(B-CD-CA-4-NPs) complex, Metastasis, Glioblastoma, Apoptosis, MMPs © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/l](http://creativecommons.org/l)icenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. 1 Introduction Glioblast

FAQs

What problem does the study target in glioblastoma treatment?

The study addresses treatment challenges in GBM caused by drug resistance, blood–brain barrier limitations, and severe side effects of conventional therapies.

How were the Se(B-CD-CA-4-NPs) nanoparticles evaluated in vitro?

They were synthesized and characterized, then assessed using MTT assay, cell apoptosis assays, scratch assays, gelatin zymography, and qPCR to measure viability, death, migration, MMP activity, and apoptosis-related gene expression.

What were the key findings regarding apoptosis and metastasis?

The nanoparticles reduced U-87MG cell viability and suppressed migration and invasion. They induced apoptosis by increasing the BAX/BCL-2 ratio and inhibited metastasis by suppressing MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity and expression.

Sep 30, 2026

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