Systematic evaluation of a novel mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs)-Spirulina platensis nanohybrid for breast cancer treatment: mechanistic investigation via pharmacological network analysis

Abstract

Breast cancer continues to be one of the world's most deadly diseases among women, with a high incidence rate. Thus, searching for safe and effective treatment is urgently needed. Spirulina platensis, which is packed with an astonishing variety of bioactive compounds, may present a decent option against this crippling disorder. Accordingly, the current work innovatively integrated network pharmacology and nanoscience to pinpoint multi-target pharmacological effects of Spirulina bioactives and enhance their stability and anticancer effectiveness via a mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) framework. Network pharmacology analysis illuminated AKT1, SRC, IGFR 1, BCL-2, and EGFR as the core target genes that are typically enriched in microRNAs in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling, and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance pathways, and they are associated with the multi-wave mechanism of Spirulina compounds against breast cancer. Complementarily, a nanohybrid platform of MSNs and Spirulina extract (SP@MSNs) was established and assessed using different structural and morphological analyses, primarily SEM, TEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, BET, zeta size and potential analyses and TGA, followed by screening against normal and breast cancerous cells using the MTT assay. This biocompatible nanocomposite revealed optimal physicochemical properties regarding size, shape, surface charge, and chemistry, and it exhibited promising loading capacity (LC%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) scores of 78.07% and 98.37%, respectively. SP@MSNs showed a 3.5-fold increase in anti-breast cancer action (IC₅₀ = 33.6 ± 0.32 µg mL⁻¹) compared to Spirulina extract alone. MSNs enhanced the Spirulina compounds' stability, solubility, and cellular uptake, maximizing anticancer efficacy. These findings reveal the significance of the synergy between nanotechnology and network pharmacology to establish a multifaceted drug discovery framework and a high-precision delivery system for breast cancer therapy. Nevertheless, continued interdisciplinary research is crucial for bolstering its biological relevance.