Yeşim SİS, Mükerrem Betül YERER
Turkish Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences - 2026;23(3):174-186
Objectives: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for the vast majority of cases. Conventional chemotherapeutic approaches are frequently limited by systemic toxicity, poor bioavailability, and non-selective biodistribution. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these limitations. The present study aimed to synthesize a novel PEGylated magnetite nanoparticle system containing quercetin (Fe3O4-PEG-QUER) and evaluate its effects on the impedance-based cellular responses of the A549 NSCLC cell line compared with non-tumorigenic bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Materials and Methods: Nanoparticles were synthesized via the coprecipitation method. Quercetin was introduced during the preparation of the Fe3O4-PEG formulation, resulting in the Fe3O4-PEG-QUER formulation. All formulations Fe3O4, Fe3O4-QUER, Fe3O4-PEG, and Fe3O4-PEG-QUER were characterized using X-ray diffraction, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Zeta-sizer, and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Impedance-based cellular responses were assessed in BEAS-2B and A549 cell lines using the xCELLigence real-time cell analysis system. Results: Fe3O4-PEG-QUER showed apparent antiproliferative effects against A549 cells, with IC50 values of 289 µg/mL at 24 h and 160 µg/mL at 48 h. For BEAS-2B cells, the apparent IC50 values were above the highest tested concentration (> 400 µg/mL) at the evaluated time points. Fe3O4-PEG alone showed marked effects on the impedance-based cellular response of A549 cells, with apparent IC50 values of 27 and 19 µg/mL at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Because quercetin loading was not quantitatively determined, the nanoparticle concentrations represent total formulation mass and cannot be directly converted to quercetin-equivalent doses. Conclusion: Fe3O4-PEG-QUER nanoparticles altered the impedance-based cellular response in the A549 NSCLC cell line, with smaller changes observed in BEAS-2B cells at lower concentrations. These findings provide preliminary in vitro evidence supporting further investigation of Fe3O4-PEG-QUER in lung cancer models.
