Cornous Biology, Volume 3, Issue 3 : 21-26. Doi : 10.37446/corbio/rsa/3.3.2025.21-26

Research Article

OPEN ACCESS | Published on : 30-Sep-2025

Cytotoxic potential of high, medium and low molecular weight chitosan on L929 fibroblast and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines: a comparative in vitro study

• Harisankar Kunnamkulathil Chandrababu
• Biochemistry & Nutrition Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala, 682029, India.
• Abhijith Achuparambil Raveendran
• Biochemistry & Nutrition Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala, 682029, India.
• Visnuvinayagam Sivam
• Microbiology, Fermentation & Biotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala, 682029, India.
• Toms Cheriyath Joseph
• Microbiology, Fermentation & Biotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala, 682029, India.
• Raja Swaminathan Thangaraj
• Microbiology, Fermentation & Biotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala, 682029, India.
• Tejpal Chaluvanahalli Shambhulingaiah
• Biochemistry & Nutrition Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala, 682029, India.
• Rangasamy Anandan
• Biochemistry & Nutrition Division, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin, Kerala, 682029, India.

Abstract

Background: Chitosan, a commonly used biopolymer, has attracted a lot of attention because of its potential in various chemotherapeutic applications. Even though its biomedical properties have been thoroughly studied, systematic studies assessing how molecular weight affects its cytotoxic effects across various cell lines while holding other crucial parameters like pH and degree of deacetylation constant are still lacking. Information regarding the cytotoxic profiling of different molecular weight chitosan is necessary to optimize the therapeutic efficacy.

Methods: The current study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of high, medium, and low molecular weight chitosan on L929 fibroblast and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. Different concentrations of low, medium, and high molecular weight chitosan were treated on both cell lines for 24 hours, followed by addition of MTT reagent. After 2 hrs incubation, the formazan crystals were dissolved in DMSO, and the optical density was measured to calculate cell viability.

Results: High molecular weight chitosan had the lowest cytotoxicity in L929 cells with an IC₅₀ of 496 ± 37.46^a µg/mL, while low molecular weight chitosan exhibited the highest cytotoxicity with an IC₅₀ of 345±9.03^c µg/mL. Interestingly, in the case of the MCF-7 cell line, the high molecular weight chitosan exerted a higher cytotoxic effect with an IC₅₀ value of 217 ± 5.72^d µg/mL, followed by 331 ± 13.55^c µg/mL of medium and 479 ± 14.75^a µg/mL of low molecular weight chitosan.

Conclusion: The current findings indicate that high molecular weight chitosan demonstrates greater compatibility compared to low and medium molecular weight chitosan in the L929 cell line. However, it also shows potential cytotoxic effects in the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, suggesting its possible therapeutic application in drug delivery and cancer treatment.

Keywords

chitosan, L929 & MCF-7 cell lines, biocompatibility, cytotoxicity

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