Effect of curcumin-cisplatin loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles on the expression of caspase 8 and 9 in oral cancer cells (HN5)

Abstract

Introduction: Herbal medicines are of special importance in the treatment and prevention of diseases such as cancer. Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy drug used to treat various types. Curcumin is a plant active ingredient with various therapeutic effects, but due to its hydrophobicity, its bioavailability is low. The synthesis of nanoparticles improves the bioavailability of hydrophobic materials. In recent years, combination therapy has achieved better results in oncology than monotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of porous silica nanoparticles containing cisplatin and curcumin on the expression of caspase 8 and 9 genes in oral cancer cells (HN5). Materials and Methods: In this study, the effect of porous silica nanoparticles containing curcumin and cisplatin (SI-CUR-CIS), porous silica nanoparticles containing curcumin (SI-CUR) and porous silica nanoparticles containing cisplatin (SI-CIS) on the expression of caspase 8 and 9 genes was determined by Real-time RT-PCR. To do this, first HN5 cells were cultured and then treated with nanoparticles and after 48 hours RNA was extracted from the cells. cDNA synthesis was performed using a special kit and finally the expression of caspase 8 and 9 genes was done by real-time PCR. For statistical analysis of data, ANOVA test was performed by SPSS software version 17 and a significant level of p≤0.05 was considered. Results: The expression of caspase 9 gene was significantly increased in HN5 cells treated with SI-CUR-CIS and SI-CIS (p <0.05), but this increase was much higher in SI-CUR-CIS, in SI-CUR increase was not significant (p> 0.05). Also, the expression of caspase 8 gene did not change significantly in contact with all three compounds (p> 0.05). Conclusion: Considering the increased expression of caspase 9 gene, which indicates the lethal effect of the above nanoparticles through the internal pathway of apoptosis, SI-CUR-CIS can be a suitable option as an anti-cancer drug.