Anti-
cancer activity of
catechin nanoemulsions prepared from Oolong
tea leaf waste was studied on
prostate cancer cells DU-145 and DU-145-induced
tumors in mice.
Catechin nanoemulsions composed of
lecithin, Tween-80 and water in an appropriate proportion was prepared with high stability, particle size of 11.3 nm, zeta potential of -67.2 mV and encapsulation efficiency of 83.4%.
Catechin nanoemulsions were more effective than extracts in inhibiting DU-145 cell growth, with the IC50 being 13.52 and 214.6 μg/mL, respectively, after 48 h incubation. Furthermore, both
catechin nanoemulsions and extracts could raise
caspase-8,
caspase-9 and
caspase-3 activities for DU-145 cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle at S and G2/M phases. Compared to control,
catechin nanoemulsion at 20 μg/mL and
paclitaxel at 10 μg/mL were the most effective in reducing
tumor volume by 41.3% and 52.5% and
tumor weight by 77.5% and 90.6% in mice, respectively, through a decrease in
EGF and
VEGF levels in serum.