Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been widely used in several biomedical aspects. This study aimed to explore the cytotoxic effect of different sizes (14nm, 30 nm and 50nm) of ZnO NPs on liver cancer cell lines (HepG2, HuH7 cells) vs normal cells (THLE2 cells).
The cytotoxicity, oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by well-characterized ZnO NPs were investigated by MTT and multiple assays.
The results showed that the IC50 values on HepG2 and HuH7 recorded variable cytotoxic effects for different sizes whereas no cytotoxic effect was observed on THLE2. The highest cytotoxic activity was recorded for particle size 14 nm. The oxidative stress elicited a reduction in glutathione reduced with increase in lipid peroxides and Caspase-3. In addition, RT-PCR revealed a significant up- regulation in caspase-3 gene expression. In vivo histopathological investigation confirmed the biosafety of the same particle size (14 nm) which revealed the least toxic effect on all mice organs.
In conclusion, ZnO NPs could be useful in future therapeutic applications on liver cancer.
Key words: ZnO nanoparticles, HepG2 cells, HuH7, liver cancer, cytotoxicity
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