IR-enhanced photothermal therapeutic effect of graphene magnetite nanocomposite on human liver cancer HepG2 cell model

• Main Authors: Salaheldin TA, Loutfy SA, Ramadan MA, Youssef T, Mousa SA
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2019-06-01
• Series: International Journal of Nanomedicine
• Subjects: graphene magnetite nanocomposite; HepG2 human liver cancer; cytotoxicity; photothermal effect; PCR
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/ir-enhanced-photothermal-therapeutic-effect-of-graphene-magnetite-nano-peer-reviewed-article-IJN

Taher A Salaheldin,1,2 Samah A Loutfy,3 Marwa A Ramadan,4 Tareq Youssef,4 Shaker A Mousa11Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Rensselaer, NY, USA; 2Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Central Lab, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt; 3Virology and Immunology Unit, Cancer Biology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 4Department of Photochemistry Photobiology, National Institute for Laser Enhanced Science (NILES) Cairo University, Cairo, EgyptBackground: Graphene magnetite nanocomposites (G/Fe3O4) exhibit light photothermal conversion upon enhancement by 808 nm IR laser excitation. We evaluated the cytotoxic and photothermal effects of G/Fe3O4 on a HepG2 human liver cancer cell model.Methods: Graphene nanosheets (rGO), magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4), and G/Fe3O4 were prepared by chemical methods and characterized using transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, zeta analysis, and vibrating sample magnemeter. Dark and light cytotoxicity were screened with colorimetric Sulforhodamine B cell viability assay after 24 and 48 hours. DNA fragmentation and some apoptotic genes on a transcriptional RNA level expression were performed. All prepared nanomaterials were evaluated for their photothermal effect at concentrations of 10 and 50 μg/mL. The power density incident on the cells by 300 mW 808 IR diode laser was 0.597 W/cm2,.Results: Treatment of HepG2 with 400 μg/mL of rGO, Fe3O4, and G/Fe3O4 showed alteration in cell morphology after 24 hours of cell treatment and revealed toxic effects on cellular DNA. Evaluation of the cytotoxic effects showed messenger RNA (mRNA) in β-actin and Bax apoptotic genes, but no expression of mRNA of caspase-3 after 24 hours of cell exposure, suggesting the involvement of an intrinsic apoptotic caspase-independent pathway. A photothermal effect was observed for G/Fe3O4 after irradiation of the HepG2 cells. A marked decrease was found in cell viability when treated with 10 and 50 μg/mL G/Fe3O4 from 40% to 5% after 48 hours of cell treatment.Conclusion: Results indicate that G/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was effective at transformation of light into heat and is a promising candidate for cancer therapy.Keywords: graphene magnetite nanocomposite, HepG2 human liver cancer, cytotoxicity, photothermal effect, PCR