Colloidal Gold Nanoparticles Induce Apoptosis in MCF-7 Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Cells

Nanoparticles have been widely used as remedies for disorders for a long time. They are 10-9 m specks of substances that can be found both naturally and synthesized in the laboratory with metal and nonmetal materials. In this study, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized using the citrate reduction method, and the 35 nm size of the nanoparticles was determined using a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer at 525 nm wavelength. The synthesized nanoparticles were further studied on MCF-7 breast cancer cells to understand how various genes are expressed in the induction of apoptosis in signal transduction pathways. The results obtained from the anticancer activity of the gold nanoparticles showed approximately 90% inhibition of cell growth after 72 hours of treatment. Western blot analysis demonstrated the downregulation of p44/42 MAPK (ERK1/2) protein due to gold nanoparticle treatment. Moreover, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of apoptotic genes revealed the upregulation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene, Bax, and caspase-9. The results assembled from this study further indicates that p44/42 MAPK, p53, caspase 9 and Bax play a major role in the mechanism of apoptosis in the MCF-7 breast cancer cells.