Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology

Abstract

Effect of Chitosan-Stabilized Selenium Nanoparticles on Cell Cycle Arrest and Invasiveness in Hepatocarcinoma Cells Revealed by Quantitative Proteomics

Isabel Lopez-Heras, Raquel Sanchez-Diaz, Daniela S Anunciação, Yolanda Madrid, Jose L Luque-Garcia and Carmen Camara

Selenium nanoparticles have been recently proposed as a potential chemotherapeutic agent due to its low toxicity and its ability to arrest the cell cycle of cancer cells. However, the biochemical mechanisms associated to this effect have not yet been uncovered. We evaluate here the potential of chitosan-stabilized selenium nanoparticles to induce cell cycle arrest and to inhibit in-vitro invasiveness in HepG2 cells. In addition, we use a quantitative proteomic approach to identify potential protein targets involved in the mechanisms associated to selenium nanoparticles exposure. Our data suggest that the induction of the cell cycle arrest at the S phase is mediated by de-regulation of the eIF3 protein complex. We found additional de-regulated proteins upon selenium nanoparticles exposure that could also be involved in the overall inhibition of cell proliferation. These findings not only support the potential of chitosan-stabilized selenium nanoparticles as anti-cancer therapy but also provide a deeper insight into the mechanisms associated to their chemotherapeutic effects.