Transcriptome Analysis Identifies Novel Mechanisms Associated with the Antitumor Effect of Chitosan-Stabilized Selenium Nanoparticles

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have been receiving special attention in recent years due to their antioxidant capacity and antitumor properties. However, the mechanisms associated with these properties remain to be elucidated. For this reason, a global transcriptome analysis has been designed in this work and it was carried out using human hepatocarcinoma cells and chitosan-stabilized SeNPs (Ch-SeNPs) to identify new targets and pathways related to the antitumor mechanisms associated with Ch-SeNPs. The results obtained confirm the alteration of the cell cycle and the effect of Ch-SeNPs on different tumor suppressors and other molecules involved in key mechanisms related to cancer progression. Furthermore, we demonstrated the antioxidant properties of these nanoparticles and their capacity to induce senescence, which was further confirmed through the measurement of β-galactosidase activity.

Studies on the Inhibitory Effects of Nano-Hydroxyapatite-Loaded As2O3 on Hepatoma Cells

A stable monodisperse hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticle suspension was prepared by chemical method-assisted ultrasound irradiation. HAP nanoparticles were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and particle size potentiometry. The effects of HAP nanoparticles on BEL-7402 human hepatocarcinoma cells were studied by MTT colorimetric assay and morphological observation. The mechanism of HAP nanoparticles was studied by analyzing single cell fluorescence element microregion, the change of ultrastructure and cell cycle. The experimental results show that HAP nanoparticles have an obvious inhibitory effect on BEL-7402 human hepatocarcinoma cells in vitro. By entering the cancer cells and blocking the progress of cell cycle, HAP nanoparticles induce the accumulation of cells in G1 phase, which leads to cancer cell swelling and apoptosis.

Silybin-Induced Apoptosis Occurs in Parallel to the Increase of Ceramides Synthesis and miRNAs Secretion in Human Hepatocarcinoma Cells

Silybin is a flavonolignan extracted from Silybum marianum (milk thistle) with hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity. Several studies have shown that silybin is highly effective to prevent and treat different types of cancer and that its antitumor mechanisms involve the arrest of the cell cycle and/or apoptosis. An MTT assay was performed to study cell viability, lipid peroxidation, extracellular NO production, and scavenger enzyme activity were studied by Thiobarbituric Acid-Reactive Species (TBARS) assay, NO assay, and MnSOD assay, respectively. Cell cycle and apoptosis analysis were performed by FACS. miRNA profiling were evaluated by real time PCR. In this study, we demonstrated that Silybin induced growth inhibition blocking the Hepg2 cells in G1 phase of cell cycle and activating the process of programmed cell death. Moreover, the antiproliferative effects of silybin were paralleled by a strong increase of the number of ceramides involved in the modulation of miRNA secretion. In particular, after treatment with silybin, miR223-3p and miR16-5p were upregulated, while miR-92-3p was downregulated (p < 0.05). In conclusion, our results suggest that silybin-Induced apoptosis occurs in parallel to the increase of ceramides synthesis and miRNAs secretion in HepG2 cells.