Combining the essential oils (ESSOs) with the chemotherapeutic agent, mitomycin C (MMC), in nanoparticle can be beneficial in cancer therapy. The aim of the current study was to in vitro evaluate the antineoplastic effect of MMC, formulated in two different nanoemulsions (NE) based on two ESSOs, chamomile (Ch) and garlic (Gar), on HeLa cervical cancer cells. The z-average diameter of Ch-NE has slightly increased from 83.39 ± 12.85 nm to 91.18 ± 5.79 nm when mixed with MMC (Ch-MMC) whereas the z-average diameter of Gar-NE has markedly increased from 50.6 ± 1.96 nm to 75.64 ± 7.13 nm when loaded with MMC (Gar-MMC). The zeta potentials of both of Ch-NE and Ch-MMC, which were −1.91 ± 4.38 mV and −5.44 ± 5.26 mV, respectively, have differed from Gar-NE and Gar-MMC, which were 11.4 ± 2.29 mV and 11.5 ± 2.28 mV, respectively. Compared to MMC solution, the cell viabilities of HeLa cells, measured by the MTT assay, were reduced 42 and 20 times when subjected into Ch-MMC and Gar-MMC, respectively. The light microscopy images revealed that the cell membrane of the HeLa cells treated with Gar-NE or Gar-MMC were more altered relative to the cells treated with Ch-NE or Ch-MMC. In contrast, the nuclei of the HeLa cells, stained with DAPI and treated with Ch-NE or Ch-MMC, were more fragmented than the cells treated with Gar-NE or Gar-MMC, indicating that both of Ch-NE and Ch-MMC have passed the cell membrane and affected the nucleus directly whereas Gar-NE and Gar-MMC have got attached to the cell membrane causing damage to the cell. In conclusion, combining MMC with NE-based ESSOs has increased the cytotoxic effect of the MMC on the HeLa cells with different mechanism of actions.

将精油（ESSO）与化学治疗剂丝裂霉素C（MMC）组合在纳米颗粒中可能对癌症治疗有益。本研究的目的是在体外评估了两种基于洋甘菊（Ch）和大蒜（Gar）的ESSO的两种不同纳米乳剂（NE）中配制的MMC对HeLa宫颈癌细胞的抗肿瘤作用。与MMC（Ch-MMC）混合时，Ch-NE的z平均直径从83.39±12.85 nm略微增加到91.18±5.79 nm，而Gar-NE的z平均直径从50.6±1.96 nm显着增加至装有MMC（Gar-MMC）时为75.64±7.13 nm。Ch-NE和Ch-MMC的zeta电位分别为-1.91±4.38 mV和-5.44±5.26 mV，与Gar-NE和Gar-MMC的zeta电位分别为11.4±2.29 mV和11.5±分别为2.28 mV。与MMC溶液相比，通过MTT分析测得的HeLa细胞的细胞活力分别在Ch-MMC和Gar-MMC中降低了42倍和20倍。光学显微镜图像显示，相对于用Ch-NE或Ch-MMC处理的细胞，用Gar-NE或Gar-MMC处理的HeLa细胞的细胞膜变化更大。相比之下，用DAPI染色并用Ch-NE或Ch-MMC处理的HeLa细胞核比用Gar-NE或Gar-MMC处理的细胞更破碎，表明Ch-NE和Ch- MMC已通过细胞膜并直接影响细胞核，而Gar-NE和Gar-MMC已附着在细胞膜上，从而损坏了细胞。总之，将MMC与基于NE的ESSO组合使用不同的作用机理，可增强MMC对HeLa细胞的细胞毒性作用。用DAPI染色并用Ch-NE或Ch-MMC处理的HeLa细胞核比用Gar-NE或Gar-MMC处理的细胞更破碎，表明Ch-NE和Ch-MMC均已通过细胞膜直接影响细胞核，而Gar-NE和Gar-MMC附着在细胞膜上，对细胞造成损害。总之，将MMC与基于NE的ESSO组合使用不同的作用机理，可增强MMC对HeLa细胞的细胞毒性作用。用DAPI染色并用Ch-NE或Ch-MMC处理的HeLa细胞核比用Gar-NE或Gar-MMC处理的细胞更破碎，表明Ch-NE和Ch-MMC均已通过细胞膜直接影响细胞核，而Gar-NE和Gar-MMC附着在细胞膜上，对细胞造成损害。总之，将MMC与基于NE的ESSO组合使用不同的作用机理，可增强MMC对HeLa细胞的细胞毒性作用。