Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs) Loaded with miR-29a Improve Efficacy of Chemotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Development of hepatic artery chemoembolization technology effectively improves outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but it is still not the first-line option. This study aimed to explore therapeutic potential of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in the treatment of HCC. After establishment of miR-29aloaded SPIONs, HCC cells were co-cultured with composite nanoparticles or infected with lentivirus expressing miR-29a, and then exposed to X-ray at a dose of 0.2 Gy/day. MTT, flow cytometry and colony formation experiments were carried out to determine proliferation, apoptosis and colony forming ability of HCC cells. Animal experiments were set up through hepatic artery perfusion to assess the in vivo effect of miR-29aloaded SPIONs on tumor growth. Both miR-29a-loaded SPIONs and miR-29a-loaded nanoparticles decreased proliferation and migration of HCC cells, enhancing sensitivity of cells to chemotherapy, whilst SPIONs exhibited more significant effect and significantly suppressed tumor growth. The presence of SPIONs decreased clone formation and hindered cell cycle progression of HCC cells. This study confirmed that miR-29a-loaded SPIONs suppress malignant characteristics of HCC cells and sensitize cells to chemotherapy, improving the efficacy of treatment, which provides a potential alternative for targeted chemotherapy of HCC.