SWNHs (Single-Wall Carbon Nanohorns) Supervises Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

SWNHs can act as a good biocompatible nanomaterials and show potential application in the field of drug carriers or therapy to influence biological function on cell. HCC (Hepatocellular carcinoma) is a most common type of malignant neoplasms in the digestive system. SWNHs have been reported to be able to induce HepG2 cell apoptosis. In the study, we implant HepG2 cell into nude mice and observe the effect of SWNHs on these tumor model mice. And then 38 apoptosis proteins were determined using Human Apoptosis Antibody Array kit. The proteins related to ER stress were examined through immunohistochemical staining and western blotting assay. Our results indicated that SWNHs did not influence on tumor in model mice. There were no significant difference expression of the 38 apoptosis proteins in xenograft between the treatment group and control. However, the proteins related to ER stress were increased. In summary, we identified that SWNHs was as a stimulator of ER stress to influence the biological function of hepatoma cells, and may be used as a potential anti-cancer agent in HCC.