Background Natural compounds from medicinal plants are being increasingly studied for their reduced aftereffect reaction and reduced drug resistance compared to chemical medicines. These plants, known for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties, are utilized in treating various diseases, including cancer. Methods In this study, the antimicrobial and antitumor attributes of Portulaca oleracea L. essential oil were examined using disk diffusion and MTT assays, respectively. Polylactic acid-Polyethylene glycol-Folate (PLA-PEG-FA) nanoparticles were used to target the delivery of P. oleracea essential oil to MCF-7 cells. The average particle size and zeta potential of the nanoparticles were evaluated with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Results The PLA-PEG-FA nanoparticles containing essential oils exhibited a spherical morphology, with a mean diameter varying between roughly 100 to 150 nanometers. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for P. oleracea essential oil against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were 6.25 and 12.5 µL mL -1, respectively. The MTT assay demonstrated that the antiproliferative properties of the essential oil increased significantly with encapsulation into the PLA-PEG-FA nanoparticles. Flow cytometry analysis showed that P. oleracea essential oil lessened the viability of MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis pathways in MCF-7 cells. Conclusion In summary, the precise administration of essential oils directly into cancer cells significantly enhances anti-cancer efficacy while minimizing adverse effects.

Drug resistance is a great challenge in cancer therapy using chemotherapeutic agents. Administration of these drugs with siRNA is an efficacious strategy in this battle. Here, it was tried to incorporate siRNA and paclitaxel simultaneously into a novel nanocarrier. The selectivity of carrier to target cancer tissues was optimized through conjugation of folic acid (FA) and glucose onto its surface. The structure of nanocarrier formed from ternary magnetic copolymers based on FeCo-polyethylenimine (FeCo-PEI) nanoparticles and polylactic acid-polyethylene glycol (PLA-PEG) gene delivery system. Biocompatibility of FeCo-PEI-PLA-PEG-FA(NPsA), FeCo-PEI-PLA-PEG-Glu (NPsB) and FeCo-PEI-PLA-PEG-FA/Glu (NPsAB) nanoparticles and also influence of PTX-loaded nanoparticles on in vitro cytotoxicity were examined using MTT assay. Besides, siRNA-FAM internalization was investigated by fluorescence microscopy. The results showed the blank nanoparticles were significantly less cytotoxic at various concentrations. Meanwhile, siRNA-FAM/PTX encapsulated nanoparticles exhibited greater cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells. NPsAB/siRNA/PTX nanoparticles showed greater effect on MCF-7 cell viability than NPsA/siRNA/PTX and NPsB/siRNA/PTX. Also, they induced significantly higher cytotoxic effects on cancer cells compared with NPsA/siRNA/PTX and NPsB/siRNA/PTX due to their multi-targeted properties using folic acid and glucose. We concluded that NPsAB nanoparticles have great potential for co-delivery of both drugs and genes for use in gene therapy and chemotherapy.