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Published on: June 21, 2015
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Illuminating new possibilities: Effects of copper oxide nanoparticles on gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma cells in
Seyedehsaba Talebian1, Bahar Shahnavaz1, Mohammadhosein Shakiba1
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
Heliyon
|May 30, 2024
Summary
Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) show promise in targeting hypoxic cancer cells. This study demonstrates CuONPs
Area of Science:
- Nanomedicine
- Cancer Biology
- Molecular Oncology
Background:
- Hypoxia is a critical factor in solid tumor progression and a target for anticancer therapies.
- Novel therapeutic strategies are needed to combat cancer, a significant global health challenge.
- Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) are being explored for their potential in cancer treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) on human gastrointestinal cancer cells under hypoxic conditions.
- To evaluate the toxicity and molecular mechanisms of CuONPs in colon and gastric cancer cells.
- To explore the potential of CuONPs in modulating hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) activity.
Main Methods:
- Cytotoxicity assessment using the alamarBlue assay on colon adenocarcinoma (LoVo), gastric adenocarcinoma (MKN-45), and normal fibroblast (HDF) cells.
- Gene expression analysis via real-time PCR to examine apoptosis-related genes (P53, BAX, BCL-2, CCND1).
- Molecular docking simulations to predict the binding interaction of CuONPs with HIF-1α.
Main Results:
- CuONPs exhibited dose- and cell-type-dependent toxicity, with significant viability reduction in LoVo cells (23%) compared to MKN-45 and HDF cells.
- Under hypoxic conditions, CuONPs significantly decreased LoVo cell viability by 30.2%.
- CuONP treatment led to overexpression of P53 and BAX, and downregulation of BCL-2 and CCND1, indicating apoptosis induction.
- Molecular docking revealed favorable binding of CuONPs to the HIF-1α PAS-B domain with a binding energy of -4.8 kcal/mol.
Conclusions:
- Copper oxide nanoparticles demonstrate significant cytotoxic effects on human gastrointestinal cancer cells, particularly under hypoxic conditions.
- CuONPs modulate key apoptosis-related genes and show potential for inhibiting hypoxia-induced tumor progression.
- These findings suggest CuONPs as a promising therapeutic agent for targeting hypoxic tumors by interfering with HIF-1α activity.
