Nanoparticles made from corn juice inhibit tumor growth in mice

Due to the ability to be fine-tuned to fight disease in a variety of ways, nanoparticles have enormous potential when it comes to cancer treatment. Researchers from the University of Tokyo have demonstrated an inexpensive and very promising form of this technology, using corn and water as a starting point for a new “bionanoparticle” that inhibits tumor growth in mice.

We’ve seen nanoparticles designed to fight cancer in a variety of ways, ranging from light-activated versions that deprive cancer cells of essential proteinsto versions of that detect and track tumors months earlier than traditional imaging techniques, I will give only a couple of examples. But these synthetic particles, ranging in size from one to 100 nanometers, are complex and expensive to manufacture, which prompted the authors of this new study to explore another possibility in the form of nanoparticles of plant origin.

These are appeared relatively recently as non-toxic and cost-effective tools for medical use and drug delivery, and have the potential to target specific tissues and organs in the body. Exploring opportunities in this area, the Tokyo University of Science team turned to one of our most commonly grown crops – corn.

“By controlling the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, we can control their pharmacokinetics in the body; so we wanted to study nanoparticles of edible plants, ”said Professor Makiya Nishikova of Tokyo Scientific University, Japan. “Corn, or corn, is produced in large quantities worldwide in its native form as well as in its genetically modified forms. That’s why we chose it for our study. “

The experiments involved making a mixture of supersweet corn and water, with which the corn juice was then centrifuged at high speed and filtered through a syringe with a hole of 0.45 μm. These filtered samples were then ultracentrifuged, allowing the team to extract tiny corn nanoparticles about 80 nanometers in diameter.

Testing their new nanoparticles, the researchers found that they are absorbed by a number of cells, including tumor cells derived from mice and macrophage-like cells called RAW264.7. Describing the results as surprising, the team observed how their nanoparticles elicited an immune response and released tumor-killing factor from RAW264.7 cells. They also showed high selectivity for tumor cells, and ultimately, significantly inhibited their growth.

Nanoparticles derived from corn were then tested on mice with cancer, with the team daily injecting them directly into the tumor. This again significantly suppressed tumor growth and did not cause serious side effects or weight loss.

“By optimizing the properties of nanoparticles and combining them with anticancer drugs, we hope to develop safe and effective drugs for various cancers,” said Nishikov.

The study is published in the journal Scientific reports.

Source: Tokyo University of Science