Anti-Proliferative Effect of Copper Oxide Nanorods Against Human Cervical Carcinoma Cells

Metal oxide nanoparticles have been widely investigated for its use in the pharmacological field. The present study was aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of copper oxide nanorods in human cervical carcinoma cells. The effect of copper oxide nanorods on cell viability was determined by sulforhodamine-B (SRB) assay. The fluorescence and confocal microscopy analyzes showed the cell rounding and nuclear fragmentation following exposure of copper oxide nanorods. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was increased and could initiate membrane lipid peroxidation, which in turn regulate cytokinetic movements of cells. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of p53 and caspase 3 was increased, which further confirms the occurrence of apoptosis at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, caspase-3 enzyme activity was increased, which also confirms the occurrence of apoptosis in tumor cells at the translational level. Taking all our experimental results together, it may suggest that the copper oxide nanorods could be a potential anti-tumor agent to inhibit cancer cell proliferation.