Anticancer Effects of ZnO/CNT@Fe3O4 in AML-Derived KG1 Cells: Shedding Light on Promising Potential of Metal Nanoparticles in Acute Leukemia

Amir-Mohammad Yousefi; Atieh Pourbagheri-Sigaroodi; Zahra Fakhroueian; Sina Salari; Kosar Fateh; Majid Momeny; Davood Bashash

doi:10.18502/ijhoscr.v16i3.10136

Anticancer Effects of ZnO/CNT@Fe₃O₄ in AML-Derived KG1 Cells: Shedding Light on Promising Potential of Metal Nanoparticles in Acute Leukemia

Int J Hematol Oncol Stem Cell Res. 2022 Jul 1;16(3):140-150. doi: 10.18502/ijhoscr.v16i3.10136.

Authors

Amir-Mohammad Yousefi¹, Atieh Pourbagheri-Sigaroodi², Zahra Fakhroueian³, Sina Salari⁴, Kosar Fateh², Majid Momeny⁵, Davood Bashash²

Affiliations

¹ Student Research Committee, Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³ School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Institute of Petroleum Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
⁴ Department of Medical Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.

Abstract

Background: Therapeutic approaches for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have remained largely unchanged for over 40 years and cytarabine and an anthracycline (e.g., daunorubicin) backbone is the main induction therapy for these patients. Resistance to chemotherapy is the major clinical challenge and contributes to short-term survival with a high rate of disease recurrence. Given the established efficacy of nanoparticles in cancer treatment, this study was designed to evaluate the anticancer property of our novel nanocomposite in the AML-derived KG1 cells. Materials and Methods: To assess the anti-leukemic effects of our nanocomposite on AML cells, we used MTT and trypan blue assays. Flow cytometric analysis and q-RT-PCR were also applied to evaluate the impact of nanocomposite on cell cycle and apoptosis. Results: Our results outlined that ZnO/CNT@Fe₃O₄ decreased viability and metabolic activity of KG1 cells through induction of G1 arrest by increasing the expression of p21 and p27 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors and decreasing c-Myc transcription. Moreover, ZnO/CNT@Fe₃O₄ markedly elevated the percentage of apoptotic cells which was coupled with a significant alteration of Bax and Bcl-2 expressions. Synergistic experiments showed that ZnO/CNT@Fe₃O₄ enhances the cytotoxic effects of Vincristine on KG1 cells. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study sheds light on the potent anti-leukemic effects of ZnO/CNT@Fe₃O₄ and provides evidence for the application of this agent in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

Keywords: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML); Carbon nanotubes; Iron oxide; Nanoparticles; Vincristine; Zinc oxide.