Toxicity of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles on retinoblastoma mitochondria.

Purpose: Retinoblastoma (RB) is one of the most important cancers in children with a higher rate of prevalence in developing countries. Despite different approaches to the treatment of RB, it seems necessary to discover a new approach to its treatment. Today, mitochondria are recognised as an important target in the treatment of cancer. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been studied by researchers due to their important biological effects.

Methods: In this study, the effects of SPIONs on mitochondria isolated from Y79 retinoblastoma cells were investigated.

Results: The results showed that SPIONs were able to increase the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and subsequently damage the mitochondrial membrane and release cytochrome c a as one of the important pro-apoptotic proteins of RB mitochondria. Furthermore, the results indicated a decrease in cell viability and an increase in caspase-3 activity in Y79 retinoblastoma cells.

Conclusions: These events can lead to the killing of cancerous mitochondria. Our results suggest that SPIONs can cause mitochondrial dysfunction and death in RB mitochondria.