Evaluation of protein functionalized gold nanoparticles to improve tamoxifen delivery: synthesis, characterization, and biocompatibility on breast cancer cells

In the study, human serum albumin functionalized gold nanoparticles (HSA-AuNPs) were fabricated benefiting from the unique properties of HSA and AuNP to achieve tamoxifen delivery to breast cancer cells for renewing tumor targeting with unconventional nanoparticles. The release pattern of tamoxifen (TMX), the cell viability, oxidative DNA damage, and total antioxidant capacity of HSA-AuNP with and without TMX were assessed on BT-474 and MDA MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. The outcomes indicated that TMX entrapped HSA-AuNP can induce cancer cell death in a dose-dependent aspect and could be proved via further studies as a potential drug delivery agent.