Nisin and Nisin-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Exhibit Anticancer Activity

Objectives: The food additive nisin, which is bactericidal against a broad range of pathogens, can restore oral microbiome diversity, suppress inflammation, and stimulate anti-cancer cellular responses in oral squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo. In addition, long-term treatment with nisin can extend the survival of mice in an oral cancer model. Our recent studies further support its anticancer potential in a polymicrobial mouse model of oral cancer. Moreover, we recently demonstrated that the incorporation of nisin into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN-Nisin) significantly increases up to 10-fold nisin’s anticancer activity in oral cancer. Given nisin’s role as a food preservative and its recognized safety for animal and human consumption, and the anticancer efficacy of SLN-Nisin on oral cancer, the current investigation aimed to extend and explore nisin and SLN-Nisin’s anti-cancer properties on other aggressive cancers, such as prostate, colon, thyroid, breast and lung cancer.
Methods: SLN-Nisin was produced by the microemulsion-extrusion method. Cell proliferation and migration assays were used to evaluate the effects of nisin on all cancer cell types [oral (HSC-3, UMSCC-14A), prostate (PC-3), colon (HCT-15, DLD-1), thyroid (TPC-1, 8505C), breast (MCF-7) and lung (A549)]. Intergroup differences were analyzed by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post hoc test.
Results: Nisin significantly suppressed cell proliferation and/or inhibited migration of oral, prostate, colon, thyroid, breast, and lung cancer cells dose-dependently. Importantly, SLN-Nisin exhibited significantly stronger inhibitory effects than free nisin on colon cancer cells. Studies of SLN-nisin’s effects on prostate, lung, breast and thyroid cancer cells are ongoing.
Conclusions: Nisin exhibits significant anticancer effects on oral, prostate, colon, thyroid, breast and lung cancer cells and it has a broad safety profile, positioning nisin for future development as a therapeutic for many aggressive cancers. Furthermore, nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems are an effective tool for enhancing nisin’s cancer therapeutic potential.