Graphene nanoparticles induces apoptosis in MCF-7 cells through mitochondrial damage and NF-KB pathway

In the present study, the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was performed via 20 kHz frequency ultrasonic solution processing technique. Synthesis of rGo was confirmed by various techniques including color changes, UV-vis spectra, x-ray analysis, infrared spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light-scattering. The cytotoxicity of rGO was examined against human breast cancer MCF-7 cells by measuring different parameters including MTT, suppression of NF-kappa B translocation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, acridine orange-ethidium bromide staining, and single cell gel electrophoresis. Also, the gene expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins were measured using quantitative PCR analysis as well as florescence microscopy and indicated that rGO induces cell death using apoptosis as an exclusive mechanism. Our results shows for the first time that the rGO inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells, leading to programmed cell death through activation of the mitochondrial-mediated signaling pathway with the involvement of the NF-kB signalling pathway. Taken together the present data suggest that rGO can be possibly employed in the treatment of breast cancer with the function of a potent synergistic agent added to anticancer therapy protocols.