Tehran University of Medical Sciences Nanomedicine Research Journal 2476-3489 11 2 2026 06 01 Synthesis of Silibinin-Loaded Cellulose Nanocrystals Modified with Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) and Investigation of its Cytotoxic Effects on Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells 167 176 741399 10.22034/nmrj.2026.02.007 EN Nahid Irani Department of Biology, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Yashar Gholitabar Omrani Department of Biology, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Masoud Homayuni-Tabrizi Department of Biology, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Ali Es-haghi Department of Biology, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran 0000-0001-5292-6161 Journal Article 2025 11 01 Anticancer drug delivery remains a challenge of paramount importance in oncology. Recently, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) have been used to optimize drug dispersion and loading efficiency. The goal of this research is to modify CNC with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and loading silibinin into it, to deliver the silibinin to breast cancer cells. Nanoparticles were synthesized and its surface modify by CTAB then, silibinin was loaded into it. SIL-CNC-CTAB were analyzed using special techniques for nanoparticle analysis such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and zeta potential measurement. Anticancer effects were evaluated through the MTT assay. Apoptosis detection was evaluated by acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) staining. The obtain results showed a hydrodynamic diameter of NP was 335.65 nm with a poly dispersity index (PDI) of 0.35. Zeta potential of was -26.66±6.32 mV. Encapsulation efficiency determined 83.8% of silibinin loaded on CNC-CTAB. Breast cancer MCF-7 cells exposed to silibinin-loaded CTAB-modified CNCs revealed significant toxicity with an IC50 value of 107 µg/mL and promotion of apoptotic changes confirmed by AO/PI analysis. According to the data of the present study, silibinin-loaded CTAB-modified CNCs could prevent the progress and proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. https://www.nanomedicine-rj.com/article_741399_830429c229ddfb8131ef4680d1bc2dc9.pdf