Tayyaba Nawaz - Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad ۴۴۰۰۰, Pakistan
Adeeb Shehzad - Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad ۴۴۰۰۰, Pakistan
Waheed Miran - Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad ۴۴۰۰۰, Pakistan
Aroosa Nadeem - Department of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad ۴۴۰۰۰, Pakistan
Tooba Nawaz - Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

Objective(s): Concerns regarding increased breast cancer cases worldwide have spurred interest in the discovery of novel approaches to overcome this deadly disease. Although several treatment strategies have been developed to treat breast cancer including chemotherapy, an efficient drug delivery system remains a challenge. Here, we study the drug distribution and boosting the efficiency of Panobinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, by using silver nanoparticles as a controlled drug delivery system.Materials and Methods: Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles, as nanocarriers for drug delivery was synthesized by using Rhazya stricta extract and loaded with the drug. These drug-loaded nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, XRD, FTIR, SEM, and EDX techniques. Results: The AgNPs had an average size of ۲۰ nm and were stable over a period. The evaluation of drug encapsulation effectiveness and drug release capacity revealed ۵۶% encapsulation efficiency and sustained drug release. The kinetics study of drug release showed the first-order reaction which means that drug concentration is proportional to drug release. The MTT assay showed that drug-loaded AgNPs had a potent and dose-dependent anticancer activity on the breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-۲۳۱). Conclusion: As the successfully green synthesized Panobinostat-AgNPs were stable and exhibited increased in vitro anticancer activity compared with free Panobinostat, our data demonstrate that the combination of AgNPs with Panobinostat improves the drug’s long-term viability, effectiveness, and active targeting as a potential targeted therapeutic molecule for the treatment of cancer. To strengthen the utilization of this combination therapy in cancer therapy trials, further research is warranted in vivo.

Breast Cancer, Drug Delivery, Nanotechnology, Panobinostat, Silver nanoparticles