Abstract
Mixing two antitumor agents in a nanocarrier is one of the potential suggested strategies in treating cancer. In this study, the anticancer activity of the combination of doxorubicin (DOX) and pravastatin (PRV) in a lipid nanoemulsion (DOX-PRV-NE) was evaluated in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and HFS human foreskin cells. According to the transmission electron microscopy, the droplets of DOX-PRV-NE were spherical and homogeneously distributed with a mean diameter of 34.8 +/- 1.78 nm. It has been found that reducing the concentration of DOX from 15 to 7.5 mu M by formulating it with 7.5 mu M of PRV in DOX-PRV-NE has reduced the side effect of DOX on HFS cells and red blood cells while preserving its cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells. The present study proved that the combination of the PRV and DOX in a nanodroplet improved the therapeutic potential of PRV as an anticancer drug and reduced the side effect of DOX on normal cells.