{
  "abstract": "Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for more effective and less toxic therapeutic strategies. In the present study, a novel nanotherapeutic platform composed of aqueous Fritillaria persica L. (FP) extract and gemcitabine (Gem)-loaded chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (FP/Gem/CS-NPs) was successfully developed and evaluated against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Physicochemical characterization demonstrated the successful fabrication of spherical FP/Gem/CS-NPs with a mean hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 69 nm, a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.500, and a zeta potential of -16.2 mV. The nanoparticles demonstrated high entrapment efficiency (78.41%) and sustained drug release behavior, with nearly 50% of Gem released over 72 h, compared with the rapid burst release of free gemcitabine. Biological evaluations revealed that FP/Gem/CS-NPs exerted significantly enhanced anticancer activity compared with free Gem or FP extract alone. MTT assays demonstrated strong dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity, with markedly reduced IC₅₀ values in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells following nanoparticle treatment. Flow cytometry and caspase-3/7 analyses confirmed substantial apoptosis induction, particularly in the highly aggressive MDA-MB-231 cells. Gene expression analysis further demonstrated significant upregulation of pro-apoptotic BAX and cell cycle regulator P21, alongside downregulation of anti-apoptotic BCL-2, indicating activation of mitochondrial apoptotic pathways. Moreover, NRF2 expression was elevated, suggesting modulation of oxidative stress responses. Cell cycle analysis revealed prominent G2/M phase arrest in treated cells. Collectively, these findings indicate that FP/Gem/CS-NPs represent a promising synergistic nanotherapeutic system capable of enhancing gemcitabine efficacy while modulating apoptosis, oxidative stress, and cell cycle pathways in breast cancer cells.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Biology,Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.",
    "Kimia Andisheh Gene Pouyan Medical and Molecular Laboratory Research Co, Tehran, Iran."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Reyhaneh Arefimehr"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mehrad Zibaei Moghadam"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Negar Jamshidi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Nazanin Jamshidi",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7961-7668"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7090bv0tyx0ez.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3762/bjnano.17.96",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13678680",
  "id": "7090bv0tyx0ez",
  "issns": [
    "2190-4286"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898750",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2502|Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222092691",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13678680?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13678680",
  "pmid": "42898750",
  "published": "2026-10-15",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7090bv0tyx0ez.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:33Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42898750",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898750"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2502|Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A novel nanoparticle-based co-delivery system of Fritillaria persica L. extract and gemcitabine for inhibiting breast cancer progression.",
  "title_text": "A novel nanoparticle-based co-delivery system of Fritillaria persica L. extract and gemcitabine for inhibiting breast cancer progression.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:33Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7090bv0tyx0ez",
  "venue": "Beilstein journal of nanotechnology",
  "versions": []
}