(162an) Inhibitory Effects of Low Molecular Weight Fucoidan Released from PLGA Micro-Particles Encapsulated in Chitosan on MCF-7 Cell Lines

Fucoidan, a natural sulfonated polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, is known to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo while displaying low human toxicity. Many different approaches to improving drug delivery have been made in the last decade, including drug encapsulation using synthetic and natural polymers such as PLGA and chitosan, respectively. Nonetheless, an essential step in the development of a new delivery system is to assess the effects on the therapeutic properties of the drug upon release. Therefore, this study seeks to establish the tumor inhibition properties of fucoidan before encapsulation and compare it to fucoidan released from PLGDA/chitosan microsphere on breast cancer cells. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of fucoidan of molecular weight 30, 100, and 300 kD released from PLGA/Chitosan microparticles at various pH and temperature will be assessed against MCF-7 cell lines and control cells, using MTT assay. The study will show that encapsulation diminishes the inhibitory effects of fucoidan on breast cancer cells and suggest chitosan will work synergistically with the molecule to enhance the anti-tumor activity, therefore validating this encapsulation system as a suitable method for fucoidan delivery.