Cerium oxide nanoparticles elicit antitumourigenic effect in experimental breast cancer induced by N‐methyl‐N‐nitrosourea and benzo(a)pyrene in female Wistar rats

Abstract

The use of cerium oxide nanoparticles [CeO2NPs] in the biomedical field has continued to gain prominence due to its potent antioxidant property. This study was designed to assess the antitumorigenic effect of CeO2NPs in rats administered N‐methyl‐N‐nitrosourea [NMU] and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). Twenty four female Wistar rats were equally assigned into four groups and treated with normal saline (control), [NMU + BaP], [NMU + BaP+CeO2NPs], and [NMU + BaP + vincristine]. Animals were pretreated with NMU and BaP three times (age 7, 10, and 13 weeks). Thereafter, vincristine and CeO2NPs were administered twice and three times per week, respectively, for 13 weeks. Results showed that the administration of NMU and BaP increased serum nitric oxide [NO] and myeloperoxidase [MPO] by 220% and 132%, respectively, whereas the activities of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases and level of total bilirubin remained unchanged. Furthermore, mammary inflammatory [NO and MPO] and oxidative stress (LPO) markers were increased by 37%, 19%, and 24%, respectively. Mammary superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione, and glutathione‐S‐transferase were significantly decreased in [NMU + BaP]‐administered rats by 165%, 146%, 35%, and 36%, respectively. Immunohistochemistry showed downregulation of Bax, p53, and caspase‐3, while histology revealed the presence of malignant epithelial cells with pyknotic nuclei and high nucleocytoplasm in [NMU + BaP]‐administered rats. Treatment with CeO2NPs attenuated oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation and restored the cytoarchitecture of the tissue. Overall, CeO2NPs show an antitumourigenic effect in experimental breast cancer by targeting pathways linked to inflammation and apoptosis.

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“…Cerium nanoparticles possess pharmacological potential; hence, they can be used as a nanocarrier in drug delivery systems during cancer treatment. CeNPs can invade cancer cells and prevent myofibroblasts formation, which is the major component in progression of cancer 51 . CeO 2 nanoparticles have antitumorigenic activity on breast cancer.…”

Reactive Oxygen Species-Based Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy

“…Cerium oxide NPs are commonly used rare-earth nanomaterials with high chemical reactivity due to the catalytic activity of Ce 3+ and Ce 4+ on the surface of the particles. Cerium-based NPs have been successfully used in the treatment of various cancers in vivo and in vitro (Pešić et al, 2015;Baskar et al, 2018;Adebayo et al, 2020). Studies have shown that cerium oxide NPs can improve wound healing, reduce nerve cell death, and inhibit the growth of tumor cells by increasing ROS levels (Hijaz et al, 2016;Xiao et al, 2016;Naz et al, 2017).…”

Biomedical applications of metal oxide nanoparticles in aging and age-associated diseases

“…The metal oxide nanoparticles behaving as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory have been applied in the therapeutics of cancer. The antitumorigenic effect of CeO 2 NPs was studied in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (NMU) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) induced breast cancer in female Wistar rats (Adebayo et al 2020). The activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and the amount of NO were increased by 2.3 and 3.2 times in the serum of NMU-BaP exposed rats which were attenuated by CeO 2 NPs treatment.…”