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

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. 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. Our results outlined that ZnO/CNT@FeO 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@FeO 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@FeO enhances the cytotoxic effects of Vincristine on KG1 cells. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the potent anti-leukemic effects of ZnO/CNT@FeO and provides evidence for the application of this agent in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.