Retinoic acid‑incorporated glycol chitosan nanoparticles inhibit the expression of Ezh2 in U118 and U138 human glioma cells

Retraction Note: Glycol chitosan incorporated retinoic acid chlorochalcone (RACC) nanoparticles in the treatment of Osteosarcoma

This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-020-01416-2.

Anticancer Effects of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Through Altering the Methylation Status of Histone on Bladder Cancer Cells

Purpose

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) have been widely used in the medicine field. Numerous mechanistic studies for nZnO’s anticancer effects are merely performed under high concentration exposure. However, possible anticancer mechanisms of epigenetic dysregulation induced by low doses of nZnO are unclear.

Methods

nZnO were characterized and bladder cancer T24 cells were treated with nZnO for 48 hrs at different exposure concentrations. Cell cycle, apoptosis, cell migration and invasion were determined. We performed qRT-PCR, Western blot and chromatin immunoprecipitation to detect the mRNA and protein levels of signaling pathway cascades for histone modification.

Results

In this study, we investigated the potential anticancer effects and mechanisms of nZnO on histone modifications in bladder cancer T24 cells upon low-dose exposure. Our findings showed that low concentrations of nZnO resulted in cell cycle arrest at S phase, facilitated cellular late apoptosis, repressed cell invasion and migration after 48 hrs exposure. These anticancer effects could be attributed to increased RUNX3 levels resulting from reduced H3K27me³ occupancy on the RUNX3 promoter, as well as decreased contents of histone methyltransferase EZH2 and the trimethylation of histone H3K27. Our findings reveal that nZnO are able to enter into the cytoplasm and nucleus of T24 cells. Additionally, both particles and ions from nZnO may jointly contribute to the alteration of histone methylation. Moreover, sublethal nZnO-conducted anticancer effects and epigenetic mechanisms were not associated with oxidative stress or DNA damage.

Conclusion

We reveal a novel epigenetic mechanism for anticancer effects of nZnO in bladder cancer cells under low-dose exposure. This study will provide experimental basis for the toxicology and cancer therapy of nanomaterials.

Under explored epigenetic modulators: role in glioma chemotherapy

Patients with somatic mutations of epigenetic regulators are characterized by aberrant chromatin modification patterns. Recent mechanistic studies pairing chemical tool compounds and deep-sequencing technology have greatly broadened our understanding of epigenetic regulation in glioma progression and underpinned alternative treatment of epigenetic inhibitors. However, the effect of most inhibitors is condition-dependent, and the overall results of clinical trials still have not been applied to patients. There is an intense need to develop more potent and specific compounds as well as identify the population who may achieve clinical benefits. Besides, combination therapy with conventional therapeutics is another alternative strategy. In this review, we summarize well-characterized chemical probes in glioma research and clinical translation. We also discuss the target population and combination of therapy regimens of various agents. In a holistic sense, we try to provide guidance for selecting targeted chemical probes and pave the way for personalized rational therapy.