Solid Lipid Nanoformulation of Berberine Attenuates Doxorubicin Triggered in vitro Inflammation in H9c2 Rat Cardiomyocytes

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of solid lipid nanoparticles of berberine against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.Berberine (Ber) is cardioprotective, but its oral bioavailability is low, and its effect on chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity has not been studied.Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of berberine chloride were prepared, characterized and evaluated in vitro against doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte injury.Berberine-loaded SLNs (Ber-SLNs) were synthesized using the water-in-oil microemulsion technique with tripalmitin, Tween 80 and poloxamer 407. Ber-SLNs were evaluated for preventive effect against toxicity of doxorubicin in H9c2 cells. The culture was pre-treated (24 h) with Ber (10 μM) and Ber-SLNs (1 and 10 μM), and 1 μM of doxorubicin (Dox) was added for 3 h. The cell viability assay (MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and LDH (Lactate dehydrogenase)), levels of Creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), Nitrite, MDA (Malondialdehyde), ROS (Reactive oxygen species) generation, and apoptotic DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) content were assessed.Ber-SLNs had a mean particle size of 13.12±1.188 nm, the zeta potential of -1.05 ± 0.08 mV, poly-dispersity index (PDI) of 0.317 ± 0.05 and entrapment efficiency of 50 ± 4.8%. Cell viability was 81 ± 0.17% for Ber-SLNs (10 μM) and 73.22 ± 0.83% for Ber (10 μM) treated cells in the MTT assay. Percentage cytotoxicity calculated from LDH release was 58.91 ± 0.54% after Dox, 40.3 ± 1.3% with Ber (10 μM) and 40.7 ± 1.3% with Ber-SLNs (1 μM) (p<0.001). Inflammation and oxidative stress markers were lower with Ber and Ber-SLNs. Attenuation of ROS generation and apoptosis of cardiomyocytes were noted on fluorescence microscopy.Ber SLNs effectively prevented doxorubicin-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in rat cardiomyocytes. The results demonstrate that microemulsion is a simple and costeffective technique to prepare Ber-SLNs, and may be considered as a drug delivery vehicle for berberine.