Research Article Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Preclinical Efficacy of a Novel Paclitaxel-Loaded Alginate Nanoparticle for Breast Cancer Treatment Ahmed A. Markeb, 1 Nagwa A. El-Maali, 1 Douaa M. Sayed, 2 Amany Osama, 3 Mohamed A. Y. Abdel-Malek, 4,5 Amen H. Zaki, 6 Mostafa E. A. Elwanis, 7 and James J. Driscoll 5,8 1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71516, Egypt 2 Department of Oncological Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut 71516, Egypt 3 Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt 4 Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71515, Egypt 5 Te Vontz Center for Molecular Studies, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA 6 Department of Medical Oncology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt 7 Department of Radiotherapy, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt 8 University of Cincinnati Cancer Institute, Cincinnati, OH, USA Correspondence should be addressed to James J. Driscoll; driscojs@uc.edu Received 13 January 2016; Accepted 8 August 2016 Academic Editor: Vladimir F. Semiglazov Copyright © 2016 Ahmed A. Markeb et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Purpose. Te antitumor activity of a novel alginate (ALG) polymer-based particle that contained paclitaxel (PTX) was evaluated using human primary breast cancer cells. Materials and Methods. PTX was combined with ALG in a nanoparticle as a drug delivery system designed to improve breast cancer tumor cell killing. PTX-ALG nanoparticles were frst synthesized by nanoemulsifcation polymer cross-linking methods that improved the aqueous solubility. Structural and biophysical properties of the PTX-ALG nanoparticles were then determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fuorescence. Te efect on cell cycle progression and apoptosis was determined using fow cytometry. Results. PTX- ALG nanoparticles were prepared and characterized by ultraviolet (UV)/visible (VIS), HPLC fuorescence, and TEM. PTX- ALG nanoparticles demonstrated increased hydrophobicity and solubility over PTX alone. Synthetically engineered PTX-ALG nanoparticles promoted cell-cycle arrest, reduced viability, and induced apoptosis in human primary patient breast cancer cells superior to those of PTX alone. Conclusion. Taken together, our results demonstrate that PTX-ALG nanoparticles represent an innovative, nanoscale delivery system for the administration of anticancer agents that may avoid the adverse toxicities with enhanced antitumor efects to improve the treatment of breast cancer patients. 1. Introduction Breast cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, the ffh most common cause of cancer death, and the leading cause of cancer death in women [1]. Te global burden of breast cancer exceeds all other cancers and the incidence rates of breast cancer are increasing [2]. Despite signifcant advances that have improved breast cancer detection and treatment, women continue to die of the disease even when disease is detected at an early stage. While locoregional treatment has improved, there has been little progress to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with sig- nifcantly advanced disease. At present, there are limited curative options for patients with disease that has advanced beyond regional nodes. Novel treatment strategies, such as nanoparticle drug delivery systems, ofer the opportunity to enhance the delivery of anticancer therapeutics into breast cancer cells and may eventually improve patient outcomes. Hindawi Publishing Corporation International Journal of Breast Cancer Volume 2016, Article ID 7549372, 8 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7549372