ANTICANCER POTENTIAL OF ULTRASONICATED NANOEMULSION OF NIGELLA SATIVA OIL WITH PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND CYTOTOXICITY EVALUATION IN MCF-7 BREAST CANCER CELLS

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop an ultrasonicated nanoemulsion of Nigella sativa (NS) oil and evaluate its anticancer potential through physicochemical characterization and cytotoxicity assessment in MCF-7 breast cancer (BC) cells. Methods: The nanoemulsion was made utilizing Tween (Tw) 80 and investigated by particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), and thermodynamic stability. These parameters were evaluated by assessing physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity through the DPPH assay, and cytotoxic potential by means of the MTT assay on MCF-7 BC cells. Results: The finalized batch had a feasible droplet size of 47.09 nm, acceptable stability, and a proficient release profile of the drug in a long-term model (93.74% cumulative release). While nanoemulsion resulted in comparatively lower antioxidant activity than pure NS oil due to encapsulation and demonstrated a significantly lower IC₅₀ (1.435±0.148 µl/ml) than paclitaxel (5.317±0.112 µl/ml), and showed enhanced cellular uptake, as confirmed through FITC fluorescence imaging. Conclusion: The finalized NS oil nanoemulsion demonstrated potent in vitro cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells. However, further ex-vivo and in vivo investigations are required to confirm its suitability for topical BC therapy.