Denatured food protein-coated nanosuspension: A promising approach for anticancer delivery of hydrophobic drug

The expenses of introducing new medications to the market are remarkably high; so, the repurposing of currently available drugs for new indications has become more convenient and a shortcut for drug development. Disulfiram has been categorized as a “repurposed drug” for anti-cancer therapy for various cancers. In this study, the Whey protein isolate (WPI) stabilized disulfiram nanosuspension (DSF-Ns) were prepared by the anti-solvent precipitation-ultrasonication method, and a single factor study was carried out to optimize the formulation based on the particle size and polydispersity index (PDI). The optimized DSF-Ns had a particle size 148.68 ± 1.16 nm, a PDI 0.179 ± 0.012, a surface charge of −25.92 ± 2.12 mV and RDI 102.15%. The transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated the spherical shape of nanoparticles without any clusters. Also, the DSC and PXRD analytical techniques showed an amorphous state of DSF within nanoparticles. The in-vitro cytotoxicity studies of DSF-Ns exhibited more toxic effects as compared to the free drug solution, and confocal microscopy and flow cytometry analysis also indicated the better internalization of the optimized formulation. These findings indicate that the WPI stabilized repurposing DSF-Ns might be the promising drug delivery system for various cancer types with better therapeutic outcomes.