Preparation of a polymer-modified folate-targeted magnetic nano-delivery system and its inhibitory effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

The aims of this work were to investigate the effect of a polymer-modified folate-targeted magnetic nano-delivery system on growth inhibition of CNE2 cells and expression of Caspase-3 mRNA, and Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 proteins, and to explore the mechanism used by this nano-delivery system to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. The MTT method was used to detect the effect of the polymer-modified folate-targeted magnetic nano-delivery system at different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.50, 2.00 g/mL) on CNE2 cell proliferation; the fluorescence PCR method was used to detect changes in Caspase-3 mRNA at different concentrations (0, 0.75, 1.00, 1.50 g/mL); and western blotting was used to detect Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 expression. The polymer-modified folate-targeted magnetic nanoparticles inhibited the expression of Caspase-3 mRNA, and of Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 in CNE2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. It may be concluded that the polymer-modified folate-targeted magnetic nano-delivery system can inhibit the growth of CNE2 cells and its effect is closely related to the upregulation of Caspase-3 mRNA and Caspase-3, Caspase-8, and Caspase-9 protein expression and initiation of the caspase cascade.