Experimental Study of As₂O₃ Nanoparticles in the Therapy of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

Abstract 4302

This paper explores the preparation of As₂O₃ nanoparticles and examines their antitumor effects on NB4 cells. As₂O₃ nanoparticles were prepared using the sol-gel method and characterized by transmission election microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The results indicated that As₂O₃ nanoparticles prepared in our study were round or elliptical, well dispersed, and about 40 nm or less than 10 nm in diameter. The antitumor effects of As₂O₃ nanoparticles at various concentrations were analyzed by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry (FCM) and were compared with those of traditional As₂O₃ solution. At the same concentration and incubation time (48 h), the survival rate of cells treated with As₂O₃ nanoparticles was significantly lower than that of cells treated with As₂O₃ solution. The inhibition rate under both treatments was time- and dose-dependent. In addition, at the some concentration and incubation time, the apoptosis ratio of cells treated with As₂O₃ nanoparticles was significantly higher than that of cells treated with As₂O₃ solution. Furthermore, As₂O₃ nanoparticles resulted in a greater reduction in the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 compared with As₂O₃ solution. In conclusion, AS₂O₃ nanoparticles, prepared by sol-gel method, produce a stronger cytotoxic effect on tumor cells than As₂O₃ solution, possibly through inhibiting Bcl-2 expression.