Investigation of HeLa cell culture lipid peroxidation level induced by core-shell Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles

Introduction. The application of iron and iron oxide nanoparticles for cancer therapy is a promising strategy due to their high surface area, chemical stability, low toxicity and high biological activity against cancer cells. The mechanism of iron oxide-induced toxicity against cells is the production of reactive oxygen species. the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of the effect of particles on cells and the assessment of the influence of the mass ratio of iron to iron oxide on the lipid peroxidation parameters is of great importance for their application. Goals and Objectives: to synthesize core-shell Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles to study the effect of iron oxide and iron mass fraction on Hela cell viability and the content of malondialdehyde, bityrosine, catalase, superoxide dismutase and cathepsin D activity and analyze the oxidative modification of proteins in HeLa cancer cell line. Material and Methods. Core-shell Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with an iron oxide mass ratio from 5 to 90 wt. % were synthesized using the electrical explosion of wires in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. Results. The resulting nanomaterials contained a phase composition of Fe, Fe₃O₄ and FeO, and their biological impact was evaluated by measuring lipid peroxidation levels through standard biochemical assays. The average particle size was approximately 60−80 nm, and the zeta potential of the particles increased from 0.47 to 6.37 mV with increasing mass fraction of iron oxide. The cytotoxicity of the core-shell Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles towards HeLa cancer cells was evaluated by an MTT assay and lipid peroxidation parameter determination. The Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with Fe₃O₄ mass ratio of 40% was found to have a significant effect on the lipid peroxidation intensity, however a maximal protein oxidative modifications accumulation was observed. The correlations obtained need to be taken into account when obtaining iron and iron oxide nanoparticles for cancer treatment. Conclusion. We identified changes in lipid peroxidation and cathepsin D activity in HeLa cancer cell cultures induced by Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. Based on these results, we concluded that Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles can be used as an antitumor additive, however their activity depended on Fe₃O₄ mass ratio. These findings are essential for producing iron and iron oxide nanoparticles for cancer cell targeting.

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