• Thymoquinone-loaded exosomes for eliminating breast cancer cells
  • Mahboubeh Ebrahimian,1 Maryam Hashemi,2 Leila Etemad,3 Zahra Salmasi,4,*
    1. Nanotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
    2. Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
    3. Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
    4. Department of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran


  • Introduction: One of the important aspects of exosomes is using as a carrier in drug delivery. Thymoquinone (Tq), the main active component of black seed oil, has great anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells. However, its therapeutic applications are restricted because of poor solubility and weak bioavailability. In this study, exosomes secreted from human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSCs) were isolated, loaded with Tq and their cytotoxic effect against cancer cells was investigated.
  • Methods: Exosomes were isolated via ultracentrifugation and characterized by electron microscopy and western blotting. Afterwards, Tq was incorporated into exosomes by the combination of incubation, freeze-thawing, and surfactant treatment. Next, the cytotoxicity of this complex (Tq@EXOs) in MCF7 and L929 cells were assessed.
  • Results: With our novel method, encapsulation efficiency of Tq in exosomes was improved about 60%. Efficient uptake of Tq@EXOs-FITC into cancer cells was shown using the fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry. In addition, Tq@EXOs could effectively show the toxic effect on cancer cells without any evident cytotoxicity on normal cells, according to MTT results.
  • Conclusion: The results indicated that Tq@EXOs propose a valuable and safe design for drug delivery to cancer cells thus having a great potential for clinical studies.
  • Keywords: Exosome, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Thymoquinone, Drug delivery, Cancer.