Silica Nanoparticles Sensitize Human Multiple Myeloma Cells to Snake (Walterinnesia aegyptia)‎ Venom-Induced Apoptosis and Growth Arrest

Abstract EN

Background.

Multiple myeloma (MM), an almost incurable disease, is the second most common blood cancer.

Initial chemotherapeutic treatment could be successful; however, resistance development urges the use of higher toxic doses accompanied by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The establishment of more effective treatments that can overcome or circumvent chemoresistance has become a priority.

We recently demonstrated that venom extracted from Walterinnesia aegyptia (WEV) either alone or in combination with silica nanoparticles (WEV+NPs) mediated the growth arrest and apoptosis of prostate cancer cells.

In the present study, we evaluated the impact of WEV alone and WEV+NP on proliferation and apoptosis of MM cells.

Methods.

The impacts of WEV alone and WEV+NP were monitored in MM cells from 70 diagnosed patients.

The influences of WEV and WEV+NP were assessed with flow cytometry analysis.

Results.

WEV alone and WEV+NP decreased the viability of MM cells.

Using a CFSE proliferation assay, we found that WEV+NP strongly inhibited MM cell proliferation.

Furthermore, analysis of the cell cycle using the propidium iodide (PI) staining method indicated that WEV+NP strongly altered the cell cycle of MM cells and enhanced the induction of apoptosis.

Conclusions.

Our data reveal the biological effects of WEV and WEV+NP on MM cells that enable these compounds to function as effective treatments for MM.