Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-10-2025
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
First Advisor
Eden Tanner
Second Advisor
Randy Wadkins
Third Advisor
Saumen Chakraborty
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
This study investigates the cytotoxic effects of polyethylene glycol-polylactic acid (PEG-PLA) nanoparticles (NPs) both bare and coated with choline-based ionic liquids (ILs) on MCF10A human breast epithelial cells. The goal was to evaluate how IL-modified NPs influence cell viability at varying concentrations and to assess their potential as drug delivery systems. Three choline-based ILs, Choline-L-Asparagine 1:1, Choline-DL-Isoleucinate 1:1, and Choline-L-Leucinate 1:1, were used as surface coatings for PEG-PLA NPs. Additionally, the ILs were tested independently to establish a baseline for their cytotoxicity. Using a luminescent ATP-based viability assay following the treatment of MCF10A cells, the ILs were found to be tolerated at concentrations up to 50 millimolar. Following the assembly and capping of the NPs, the viability assay was performed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of bare and IL-coated NPs. At a 1:20 dilution (5 mM IL for coated NPs), all formulations were tolerated with average cell viability exceeding 60%. However, at a more concentrated 1:10 dilution (10 mM IL for coated NPs), viability dropped significantly across all groups, with IL-coated NPs resulting in lower cell viability than bare NPs. This increased toxicity may result from enhanced interactions between IL-coated NPs and cells, potentially increasing cellular exposure to the water-based formulation. Due to its hypotonic nature and potential to disrupt cell membranes, deionized water likely contributed to the observed cytotoxicity. These findings underscore the need for optimizing IL-capped NPs to balance their therapeutic potential with their cytotoxic effects. This challenge reinforces the complexity of developing NP-based drug delivery systems, especially when formulation components, such as hypotonic solvents, may inadvertently impact cellular outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Mertins, Ella C., "Investigating the Cytotoxic Effects of Amino Acid-Based Ionic Liquids and PEG-PLA Nanoparticles on MCF10A Human Breast Epithelial Cells for Drug Delivery Applications" (2025). Honors Theses. 3347.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3347
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Included in
Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins Commons, Biomedical and Dental Materials Commons, Nanomedicine Commons, Pharmaceutics and Drug Design Commons