Effects of Metallic and Carbon-Based Nanomaterials on Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines AsPC-1 and BxPC-3

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer, due to its asymptomatic development and drug-resistance, is difficult to cure. As many metallic and carbon-based nanomaterials have shown anticancer properties, we decided to investigate their potential use as anticancer agents against human pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The objective of the study was to evaluate the toxic properties of the following nanomaterials: silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), graphene oxide (GO), diamond (ND), and fullerenol (C60(OH)40) against the cell lines BxPC-3, AsPC-1, HFFF-2, and HS-5. The potential cytotoxic properties were evaluated by the assessment of the cell morphology, cell viability, and cell membrane damage. The cancer cell responses to GO and ND were analysed by determination of changes in the levels of 40 different pro-inflammatory proteins. Our studies revealed that the highest cytotoxicity was obtained after the ND treatment. Moreover, BxPC-3 cells were more sensitive to ND than AsPC-1 cells due to the ND-induced ROS production. Furthermore, in both of the cancer cell lines, ND caused an increased level of IL-8 and a decreased level of TIMP-2, whereas GO caused only decreased levels of TIMP-2 and ICAM-1 proteins. This work provides important data on the toxicity of various nanoparticles against pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines.

The gene RAD51AP1 promotes the progression of pancreatic cancer via the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway

“…More studies with clinical cases and experimental animals will be beneficial. AsPC-1 and BxPC-3 cell lines, derived from primary pancreatic cancer tumors and characterized by their diffuse and metastatic behavior, have been widely utilized as standard models to investigate gene function in numerous studies related to pancreatic cancer [51][52][53]. However, additional research is required to explore the use of other types of pancreatic cancer cells.…”

Present and future of metal nanoparticles in tumor ablation therapy

“…It has been shown that altering the size, spatial structure, charge number and polarity of metallic nanomaterials, as well as modifying and functionalising them, can help to reduce their biotoxicity. [234][235][236][237] In addition, similar to other nanomaterials, metallic nanomaterials are highly susceptible to phagocytosis by the vascular endothelial system in the body, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of nanoparticles transported to the tumor region and thus a significant reduction in the effectiveness of tumor therapy. 238,239 However, most of the related research is still at the initial stage, and how to better reduce the biotoxicity of metal nanomaterials, as well as their stability in vivo and the accuracy of targeting delivery in the tumor region will be one of the future research priorities in the field of tumor therapy.…”

Ewing Sarcoma Meets Epigenetics, Immunology and Nanomedicine: Moving Forward into Novel Therapeutic Strategies

“…No toxicity effects were identified in mice organs with ML111-NPS alone, and with the combination there was a reduction of side effects associated with vincristine [ 155 ]. Besides, the use of a hydrolyzed galactomannan (hGM)-based amphiphilic NPS for selective intratumoral accumulation in pediatric sarcoma was also investigated [ 156 ]. Coupling of these NPS with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib could target glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1), both in rhabdomyosarcoma cells and in EWS PDX with different GLUT-1 expression levels with a 7.5% of efficiency [ 157 ], which make them a potential tool against GLUT-1-expressing tumors.…”

“…particles [ 146 ]. Metal-based NPS of gold and silver (Au and Ag NPS, respectively) have been reported to have antitumor effects [ 156 , 167 , 168 ]; however, Ag NPS can induce general toxicity in non-target organs [ 169 ]. These NPS have been also evaluated in the context of EWS at preclinical level.…”

“…Carbon-based NPS include fullerenes, carbon nanofibers, diamonds, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. These NPS display multiple properties that make them suitable for drug delivery systems and cancer therapy, as well as imaging, biosensing, or diagnosis [ 156 ]. Alhaddad et al, investigated the ability of a siRNA delivery system using diamond NPS [ 172 ].…”