Open AccessBioactivity of betulinic acid nanoemulsions on skin carcinogenesis in transgenic mice K14E6
Author(s) -
Beatriz Agame-Lagunes,
Monserrat Alegria-Rivadeneyra,
Alfonso AlexanderAguilera,
Rodolfo QuintanaCastro,
Cristóbal Torres-Palacios,
Peter Grube-Pagola,
Cynthia Cano-Sarmiento,
Rebeca García-Varela,
Hugo S. Garcı́a
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
grasas y aceites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1988-4214
pISSN - 0017-3495
DOI - 10.3989/gya.0553201
Subject(s) - betulinic acid , dmba , chemistry , carcinogenesis , transgene , lecithin , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , gene , genetics
Alternative therapies for cancer treatment have been developed using bioactive compounds such as betulinic acid (BA). The objective of this study was to investigate the bioactivity of BA in its free form and compare it with its nano-encapsulated form under a skin carcinogenesis protocol in a genetically modified murine model. K14E6 and FVB mice were divided into four groups to be treated with free BA and with betulinic acid nanoemulsion (BANE). Lecithin enriched with medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) was employed as an emulsifier to prepare the nanoemulsions with a mean droplet size of 40 nm. Skin tumors were induced by exposure to DMBA and TPA directly to the transgenic mice. Tumor development was completely inhibited by BANE and by 70% with free BA. This was validated by histological sections and the gene expression of the Cdk4 and Casp8 genes.