Development and in vitro assessment of alginate bilayer films containing the olive compound hydroxytyrosol as an alternative for topical chemotherapy

Topical chemotherapy is the application of cancer drugs directly onto the skin, which has become a standard treatment for basal cell carcinoma. Due to the promising results in the treatment of skin cancer, topical chemotherapy has recently been applied to breast cancer patients because some breast cancer tissues are only superficial. Hydroxytyrosol, a phenolic compound from olives that is present in high amounts in Hidrox® olive extract, has been shown to have a protective effect on normal cells and selective antitumor activities on cancerous cells. The aims of the present study were to develop an alginate bilayer film containing Hidrox® and to investigate its potential use as a topical chemotherapeutic agent. Alginate films were characterized for swelling and for physical, thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties. Drug content uniformity and in vitro drug release tests were also investigated. The alginate bilayer films containing Hidrox®, HB2, showed controlled release of hydroxytyrosol at a flux of 0.094 ± 0.009 mg/cm2/h. The results of the cytotoxic assay showed that the HB2 films were dose-dependent and could significantly reduce the growth of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) at 150 μg/mL for a cell viability of 29.34 ± 4.64%. In conclusion, an alginate bilayer film containing Hidrox® can be a potential alternative for topical chemotherapeutic agent for skin and breast cancer treatment.

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