Disulfiram-Loaded Niosomes Reduces Cancerous Phenotypes in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

Surgery and chemotherapy are the most common therapeutic strategies proposed for oral squamous cellcarcinoma (OSCC). However, some of the disadvantages associated with the current methods like unwanted sideeffects and poor drug response lead the scientist to seek for novel modalities and delivery approaches to enhance theefficacy of treatments. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of disulfiram (DSF)-loaded Niosomes on cancerousphenotypes of the OSCC cells. In this experimental study, an optimum formulation of DSF-loaded Niosomes was developedfor the treatment of OSCC cells to reduce drug doses and improve the poor stability of DSF in the OSCC environment.The design expert software was utilized to optimize the particles in terms of size, polydispersity index (PDI), andentrapment effcacy (EE). Acidic pH increased the release rate of DSF from these formulations. The size, PDI, and EE of Niosomeswere more stable at 4°C compared to 25°C. The results indicated that DSF-loaded Niosomes could induce apoptosis(P=0.019) in the OSCC cells compared to the control group. Moreover, it could reduce colony formation ability(P=0.0046) and also migration capacity of OSCC cells (P=0.0015). Our findings indicated that the application of proper dose of DSF-loaded Niosomes (12.5 μg/ml) increasesapoptosis, decreases colony formation capacity and declines the migration ability of OSCC cells.