Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Can Intervene in Radiation-Induced Senescence and Eradicate Residual Tumor Cells

Despite recent advancements in tumor therapy, metastasis and tumor relapse remain major complications hindering the complete recovery of many cancer patients. Dormant tumor cells, which reside in the body, possess the ability to re-enter the cell cycle after therapy. This phenomenon has been attribu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancers 2021-06, Vol.13 (12), p.2989
Main Authors: Wiesmann, Nadine, Gieringer, Rita, Viel, Melanie, Eckrich, Jonas, Tremel, Wolfgang, Brieger, Juergen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apoptosis
Cancer therapies
Cell culture
Cell cycle
Cell death
Cell growth
Metastases
Metastasis
Morphology
Nanoparticles
Radiation
Radiation therapy
Senescence
Tumor cells
Zinc oxide
Zinc oxides
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Despite recent advancements in tumor therapy, metastasis and tumor relapse remain major complications hindering the complete recovery of many cancer patients. Dormant tumor cells, which reside in the body, possess the ability to re-enter the cell cycle after therapy. This phenomenon has been attributed to therapy-induced senescence. We show that these cells could be targeted by the use of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). In the present study, the properties of tumor cells after survival of 16 Gy gamma-irradiation were investigated in detail. Analysis of morphological features, proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and protein expression revealed classical hallmarks of senescent cells among the remnant cell mass after irradiation. The observed radiation-induced senescence was associated with the increased ability to withstand further irradiation. Additionally, tumor cells were able to re-enter the cell cycle and proliferate again after weeks. Treatment with ZnO NPs was evaluated as a therapeutical approach to target senescent cells. ZnO NPs were suitable to induce cell death in senescent, irradiation-resistant tumor cells. Our findings underline the pathophysiological relevance of remnant tumor cells that survived first-line radiotherapy. Additionally, we highlight the therapeutic potential of ZnO NPs for targeting senescent tumor cells.
ISSN:2072-6694
2072-6694
DOI:10.3390/cancers13122989